Sudhir Mishra sees filmmaking as a constant process of rewriting. But, he insists that filmmaking is not only a director’s medium. “Actors are co-writers of the film. Every actor has a different process, and the director’s job is to follow their process,” he says. In a recent interview, the filmmaker opened up about the making of Tanaav Season 2, his love for long-form storytelling, how he connected with Kashmir, and what it’s been like working with actors throughout his career.

Sudhir Mishra tells us, “I consider cinema a constant process of rewriting. You rewrite with locations and with the actors, otherwise, what’s the point of actors when everything is pre-written? Imagine Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi without Chitrangda Singh’s face, or Chameli without Kareena Kapoor, or Serious Men without Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Yeh Saali Zindagi without Irrfan Jhan, or Dharavi without Om Puri and Shabana Azmi. You can’t – they’re co-writers.”

He adds, “Then, the camera takes its position, the location speaks, and you gather all that material and sit with the editor. The film you imagined may not be there, so you try to find it. You add music – take A R Rahman’s score in Lagaan. Put another piece and the film changes. So, for me, Rahman is a co-writer of Lagaan.”

For Mishra, discovering the film is the aim of making a film. He says, “When I make a film, I should learn something I didn’t know before. The film should impact me – that’s the fun, the excitement, the therapy.”

Sudhir Mishra says all his films have surprised him – sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. “You can’t say it’s not the cinematographer’s medium – then why do you hire him? The director is a bit like an architect or a designer of the overall film. A director is like a conductor of an orchestra. Sometimes he writes the score and also conducts it,” he adds.

About making Tanaav and shooting in Kashmir, he says, “I just love Kashmiris. They are really compassionate, warm, but also very sad. So, you have to work with that rhythm. I tried to bring out the human aspect (in the show). After making Tanaav, I understand Kashmir better.”

Talking about films on Kashmir and how he managed to avoid any controversies, Mishra says, “Most films about Kashmir are made by outsiders, and many of them don’t have a deep enough connection to the place. If your purpose is not to offend, and you approach things without bias – seeing them as they are – no one gets offended. If you’re not a sensationalist, not pretending to be the final word on anything, not strutting around like someone who thinks they know everything, there’s no issue.”

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About working with Rajat Kapoor, the filmmaker says, “You just have to indicate the character to Rajat and he will bring himself to it”

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Talking about Irrfan, Sudhir Mishra says, “He knew the character and was more interested in ensuring the entire scene works, because if the scene worked, he worked”