Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; July 24, 2019)

Ahead of the release of his upcoming films — JudgeMentall Hai Kya and Jabariya Jodi — Shaailesh R Singh talks about movies and what drives him to select projects as an independent producer. Having backed various commercial and critically acclaimed films in the past, his future projects include Hurdang and a biopic on late political leader Jayalalithaa. Excerpts from a conversation...

Your film, JudgeMentall Hai Kya, has courted quite a few controversies. To begin with, there was a row over the original title (Mental Hai Kya), and it was followed by Kangana Ranaut’s clash with a certain section of the media. Are you happy that the film is garnering a lot of attention?
There are mixed emotions. As far as the title is concerned, the intention was never to exploit mental illness. We have taken a sympathetic approach, as the protagonist is shown dealing with a mental disorder. However, since we didn’t want to create any controversy, we agreed to change the title. The new title is in our favour, as people were actually judgemental about the original one (smiles!). As far as the other controversy is concerned, I don’t think that the belief that, ‘any publicity is good publicity’, works today. Controversies don’t bring audience to the theatres. Also, the issue was between two people and it should have stayed that way. The film didn’t have to be dragged into it, as it’s a collective effort of over 200 people. Kangana needs to put her point across to people, which she is doing now.

What drew you to JudgeMentall Hai Kya?
How do you define normal? For some people, a normal person is supposed to be someone who is good, has no vices, says the right things, etc. But that person will still end up offending someone or the other. Does that make him/her abnormal? The film offers an interesting perspective on this. It is not just a quirky psychological thriller. The best part about it is the central characters. The fact that stellar performers like Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao have come together for it, shows that the film has some meat.

Would you agree that over the past few years, content has become the king in Bollywood? Films no longer rely solely on star power…
Today, the audience has access to good content. They don’t want to see a substandard product. There was a time when, if a film didn’t have superstars, people would say, ‘Yeh picture theatre mein kaun dekhega?’ But that has changed now. People will watch a good film in the theatres no matter who’s in it. Of course, stars are an added advantage as they will give you a great opening, but eventually, they can’t save a bad film.

As an independent producer, what do you look for in a film before you back it?
I have produced around 16 films, out of which 10 have been helmed by new directors. As an independent producer, what draws me to a film is just the story, nothing else. Content should have substance, whether it is a commercial or an independent film. The characters need to be relatable. There are films that you want to watch and there are films that you want to make. Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra liked the story of Jabariya Jodi, which is why they said ‘yes’ to it even though it’s being made by a new director (Prashant Singh).