Kusumita Das (MID-DAY; December 31, 2017)

Having tasted sweet success with his first film Sulemaani Keeda (2014), most people were expecting Amit Masurkar to continue making films in a similar humorous vein. “I would get offers to direct fun and breezy films, (like Sulemaani Keeda).”

But, the idea of Newton was lodged in his brain and wouldn’t go away. The film tells the story of the struggles that an election clerk goes through while trying to run a free and fair election in a conflict- ridden jungle of Central India. Along with co-writer Mayank Tewari, Masurkar spent six months working on the script. “During that process, we traveled to Chhattisgarh several times, interacted with lawyers, human rights activists, adivasi voters, politicians, police, administrators, surrendered Maoists — and their lived experiences became a part of the story. We met some wonderful people who helped us and their feedback enriched the screenplay,” says the 36-year-old.

As unconventional as the story and script may have been, fortunately, for Masurkar, it was not an uphill task to take it on the floors. “I met producer Manish Mundra early on, so there was no struggle in finding someone to back the project. And it was Manish who suggested Rajkummar Rao’s name for the lead. Rao read the script and came on board immediately.”

The team was confident of the product they had created. “The Indian audience is watching the best films and shows from all over the world. We have as many fans here for the Marvel universe and Game of Thrones as anywhere else. This audience is tired of the same old stories, which is why a film like Dangal or Hindi Medium does well. Newton is a unique story with a fiery young protagonist, and we were confident that it would do well too.”

When the year kicked off, the film was ready for a festival premiere in Berlin. The buzz here was low-key and even close to its September 22 release, it was not anticipated to be a box-office success, no matter how much critical acclaim it had earned already, across 60 international festivals worldwide.

Masurkar admits that he was not sure how the film would do in small towns, transcending multiplex boundaries. “Aanand L Rai and Eros International came on board to present the film. It was Aanand ji’s idea to release Newton in 450 theaters, including small towns. Until then, we were thinking of 120 screens; so, his confidence in the film was a big deal. I was a bit skeptical about how it would fare without much publicity, but he was always confident and was proven right. The film did exceptionally well in small towns.”

As far as the film’s role in the race for Oscars is concerned, it was announced as India’s official entry for the 90th Academy Awards, the day it released, on September 22. “The Film Federation of India selects India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. The voting members are representatives from film unions from all industries — Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu etc.”

Is he a tad disappointed that it did not make it to the final list? “When we set out to make Newton, we had no aim but to make an honest film. In LA, we got an excellent reception from the press and members of the Academy. We were competing with the best films in the world, and the ones that made it to the shortlist are also very good.”

The lesson I learnt
The only way to enjoy work is to continue making films that I believe in