Amole Gupte is a stark contrast from regular Bollywood filmmakers. While they enter an interview clutching multiple cellphones and looking hassled, this guy is cool as a cucumber. Dressed in shorts, a tee and wearing a perpetual smile he is super non-Bollywood. He doesn't believe in auditions because his method is different. Yet it works. In an interview with BT, the fountainhead talks about his journey in Bollywood, how he still feels he doesn't belong here and his upcoming directorial Sniff!!!, which features eight-year-old child artiste Khushmeet Gill in the lead role of a superhero, who can smell danger.

While everybody is making superhero films with grown-up stars, you mostly make child-centric films. What is your affinity with this genre all about?
What's wrong with Sunny Gill? He is perhaps more talented than many A-listers. Children are untouched. Their honesty and transparency can be seen in their eyes, and it is irreplaceable. My story is not about sharp people; it's about simple, innocent hearts. In my scenario, kids are my superstars. I respect and look up to them. Sniff!!! is a slice-of-life film around which a cutting-edge crime thriller has been woven. It can be consumed by all age groups. Talking about my affinity with children's films, I love all genres as a viewer. But as a practitioner and child-right activist, I like bringing to the fore chocolate-covered and sugar-laced issues through my films. It would be pointless to make films if I don't have an issue to share with the world.

You seem to have become a child expert...
I am just an observer, who is guided by them. See, children are not aware of their importance. My own son (Partho) was in two of my films. He won many awards, including the National Award. However, it did not show in his demeanour because we understand that the process is bigger than fame and glamour.

Your son has achieved a lot of success at such a tender age. How do you keep him grounded?
Most of the times, it is he who keeps me grounded. He is a filmmaker already. My wife and I treat him as an equal. We are not doing anybody, including our son, a favour. We are nobody to give him anything. My wife, my son and I are best buddies. From that friendship rises the scent of cinema, which we share and discuss.

Considering the fact that your son is such a talented actor, why didn't you envision this film with him?
When I asked him if he would make an appearance in Sniff!!!, he flatly refused saying that he was busy with his curriculum. As a father, I wanted him to make an appearance, but I respect his decision. Also, he has grown taller than me now, and this film is about an eight-year-old boy. So, if I had cast him, it would have been a high level of nepotism (laughs).

Now that you have mentioned nepotism, what is your take on this much-debated issue?
In every industry, sons and daughters take over their parents and that should not surprise anybody as the whole family breathes and speaks the same language. However, art is separate from the industry. The anomaly lies there. Because if it's an industry, can it be an art? Cinema is not for commercialization. The profit of the entire industry might perhaps be lesser than that of a hair-oil manufacturer. Money perishes, good content lives on. We should be here for the art and not for the bazaar.

The tagline of the film is 'Danger Ki Smell Kya Hoti Hai?'. What smells of danger to you?
For me, the smell of danger is when the society is in danger. And that is already very strong. The nucleus of the family is breaking away, old people are being cast away, and children and their likes and dislikes don't matter anymore. It's essentially becoming an 'I, Me, Myself ' world.

Do you try to live your own childhood through your films?
During my childhood, we had trees to climb and marbles to play with. All those things have become obsolete now. Along with that, an entire way of living has become extinct. Those days, we were not brand-conscious. In fact, we were anti-brand snobs no matter how rich we were; we believed that humans were bigger than brands. Unfortunately, that doesn't hold anymore. The old caste system has been replaced by a new one, which is determined by how much money you have. These days, there are exclusive clubs and expensive schools. Children are not mingling with each other. This has resulted in the creation of two Indias - rich and poor - and that's what I am scared about. I belong with the poor and will always be with them. I share all my theatre and cinema learnings with the non-privileged. I don't call them underprivileged; they are just financially challenged.

The workshop culture is prevalent in most of your films...
See, I don't audition children. Because every time you audition them, there are other kids you reject, who go back feeling bad. One aspect of my workshop culture is that I bring in people to play themselves, which enables them to become the characters. They grow through the workshop because that in itself is a film process for me. We never carry a single piece of paper to the set; the lines are their own.

With your kind of sensibilities and outlook towards cinema, where do you place yourself in the industry?
I am quite clear that I have always been an outsider and want to be one. There is a much larger world of cinema and bigger masters elsewhere in the world. I come from Marathi cinema, which is very strong. I am holding onto my lineage and won't compromise on the aesthetics and understanding of the art form. I will definitely not sacrifice it for financial gains. An insider has to go through a lot of submissions, but I don't submit, I have a stiff neck; I have spondylitis (laughs). I wouldn't care if people found it difficult to work with me. If nobody allows me to make a film, I will paint and if I am not allowed to paint, I will cook. I have never worked a single day of my life. I do everything for pleasure and the process.

After announcing a biopic on badminton ace Saina Nehwal in 2015, Amole Gupte spent a year-and-a-half researching the film, flitting between Mumbai and Hyderabad, Saina's hometown, while shooting his upcoming kids action film, Sniff. The exhaustive legwork has left the writer-filmmaker with two terabyte of material on his computer.

“Besides meeting Saina's close associates, I gathered together videos of her to understand her personality. I've also been to the National Sports Club of India (NSCI) to watch her play. Her killer instinct is inspiring, she is the tigress beti of India who has made us proud,“ says the filmmaker.

When he met Saina's mother, Usha Rani, for the first time she fed him home-made parathas. “They are simple people and the atmosphere was so homely. The parathas are Saina's favourite and will make it in the biopic too,“ Amole laughs.

The filmmaker justifies his extensive research by explaining that he wanted to understand the individual that is Saina Nehwal, her values and her champion's instinct. “I have spent days with her, her parents (Harvir Singh and Usha), her mentor, Pullela Gopichand, and several of her coaches. She was born in Haryana but landed up in Hyderabad. The film begins from before she was born,“ he points out, adding that the biopic will also feature Sania's exploits at the Olympics, BWF World Championships and the BWF World Junior Championships.

Interestingly, Amole's actor-son Partho Gupte, who has featured in some of his last directorials, may compose a song for the film. “He is a huge fan, Saina gave him her India blazer which he has kept in his closet,“ Amole reveals.

He wants to start filming in a couple of months and will begin casting soon. He has a wish-list that he won't reveal just yet. “It's a challenging role. The actress will have to spend time learning the sport and getting the look right. My close friend and badminton player Sudhanshu Hukku will be a consultant on the film,“ Amole signs off.