Showing posts with label Ranjan Chandel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ranjan Chandel. Show all posts
I don’t want my name associated with The Sabarmati Report-Ranjan Chandel
9:16 AM
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; September 23, 2024)
The Sabarmati Report starring Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna and Ridhi Dogra has been having a tumultuous ride — first its release date was pushed and then the film underwent a director change. While Ranjan Chandel was originally at the helm, he was replaced by director Dheeraj Sarna and a new poster was released recently.
He wasn’t informed about the credit change, but Chandel has no qualms about it: “I only took that decision to get out, so I don’t want my credit at all now.” The change reportedly took place when the film’s producers wanted portions of the film to be reshot, and he didn’t agree to it.
He further adds, “The film might have a huge portion that I shot, but since there was a difference in creative vision, I told the makers I don’t want my name associated with it, as the whole vision of the film wouldn’t be mine. I didn’t want to take responsibility for it as the film deals with a sensitive subject. But I am happy and I wish the film all the best.”
The film is set against the background of the Godhra train burning incident that took place on the morning of February 27, 2002, on the Sabarmati Express train.
I left The Sabarmati Report due to creative differences-Ranjan Chandel
8:43 AM
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 17, 2024)
Vikrant Massey, Raashii Khanna and Ridhi Dogra-starrer The Sabarmati Report was set to release on August 2 this year. However, recent reports suggested that the film has gone into reshoot, with its director Ranjan Chandel having stepped out of the film. Confirming the same to us, Chandel reveals, “I took this decision on my own.”
Explaining the reason, the director says, “I shot the complete film, but then there were a few ideas by the makers that were not for reshoot but additions in the film. I didn’t agree with those changes as the film deals with a sensitive subject. However, the makers wanted them, so I decided to step out. There were creative differences between us.”
The Sabarmati Report revolves around the train burning incident, when Sabarmati Express was stopped outside the Godhra railway station and 58 pilgrims returning from Ayodhya were killed in the burning train on the morning of February 27, 2002.
Ask Chandel if the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has suggested changes in the film, and he says, “There are reports that the changes are being made after the film went to the CBFC and that’s why the film got postponed, but that isn’t true,” he ends.
Vikrant Massey's paternity leave ends; resumes work on The Sabarmati Report
9:19 AM
After taking paternity leave earlier this month, Vikrant resumes work on The Sabarmati Report; political thriller to be wrapped up by next week
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; February 24, 2024)
In January, mid-day had reported that Vikrant Massey was headlining The Sabarmati Report that is centred on the real-life episode of the burning of the Sabarmati Express in 2002 (That burning question, Jan 17). While director Ranjan Chandel’s political thriller rolled in December 2023 in Ahmedabad, the leading man had taken a paternity leave in the first week of February to be by wife Sheetal Thakur’s side. We now hear that the new daddy has resumed the shoot that is underway at Madh Island.
On February 27, 2002, 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya were killed in a blaze in the four coaches of the Sabarmati Express near Godhra railway station in Gujarat. It had led to one of the worst communal riots in Gujarat. The Ektaa R Kapoor production sees Massey and Raashii Khanna play journalists who investigate the cause of the fire.
“Since January, Ranjan sir has been continuously shooting on a huge set in Madh Island, where art director Rajat Poddarr and his production design team have built replicas of trains and the Godhra railway station. Vikrant had informed the director beforehand that he would take a few days off in February as Sheetal and he were expecting. So, the schedule was planned such that Ranjan sir and DoP Amlendu Choudhury shot portions featuring Raashii, Ridhi Dogra and the supporting cast in that window. Vikrant was back on set a few days after welcoming his baby boy on February 7,” reveals a source.
If things go as planned, the director will call it a wrap on The Sabarmati Report next week. The source adds, “The editing has begun so that the movie can make its May 3 release.” Playing out over a decade, the narrative begins in 2002 and touches on events in 2007 and 2012.
12th Fail actor Vikrant Massey begins shooting for The Sabarmati Report
8:27 AM
Sources say 12th Fail star Vikrant has begun shooting for The Sabarmati Report, which sees him as journalist investigating 2002 Godhra train burning case
Upala KBR (MID-DAY; January 16, 2024)
What would be a fitting film to continue Vikrant Massey’s golden run after 12th Fail (2023)? Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s directorial venture, one of the finest Indian movies of 2023 and a sleeper hit, is a tough act to follow. But it looks like Massey has found another powerful story, this time with producer Ektaa R Kapoor. The duo have teamed up for a political thriller titled The Sabarmati Report.
Beginning with the real-life episode of the burning of the Sabarmati Express in 2002, the movie then focuses on two journalists who investigate the incident and the cause of the fire. While Massey and Raashii Khanna play the reporters, we hear Ridhi Dogra—recently seen in Jawan (2023)—portrays a negative role.
On February 27, 2002, 59 Hindu pilgrims returning from Ayodhya were killed in a fire in the four coaches of the Sabarmati Express near the Godhra railway station in Gujarat. The incident led to one of the worst communal riots in Gujarat.
A source from the creative team reveals, “While The Sabarmati Report is based on the burning of the Sabarmati Express, the makers have completely stayed away from the Gujarat riots. Ektaa and director Ranjan Chandel, who previously helmed the acclaimed Grahan [2021], want to treat the subject with utmost sensitivity. When co-producer Amul Mohan and writer Aseem Arora first narrated the story to Ektaa, she was moved and told them that it was the best political thriller she had come across in years. Aseem’s story is loosely based on real-life incidents. It plays out over a decade, from 2002 to 2012.”
We hear Chandel took the film on floors in Ahmedabad on December 17 last year. The director has charted out a start-to-finish schedule.
“It was always planned as a 36-day schedule. Currently, the film is being shot near Madh Island, where life-size trains and the Godhra railway station have been recreated by art director Rajat Poddarr and his production design team. Chandel has chosen Amlendu Choudhury to serve as the director of photography.”
Earlier, it was all about getting work; now, I can be choosy-Wamiqa Gabbi
8:33 AM
With back-to-back releases in Bhardwaj’s Charlie Chopra and Khufiya, Wamiqa discusses her steady rise after battling years of rejections
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; October 4, 2023
It’s easy to get carried away when you’ve fronted two big shows, helmed by Vikramaditya Motwane and Vishal Bhardwaj no less, within months of each other. But Wamiqa Gabbi sounds more grounded than exhilarated.
“Before Jubilee came out, I had started to move towards spirituality. If this had happened four to five years ago, success might have gone to my head. But today, I just feel a lot of love,” she smiles.
So far, 2023 has been Gabbi’s year as she kicked it off with Bhardwaj’s short film, Fursat. Motwane’s acclaimed Jubilee, and Modern Love Chennai followed, before she reunited with Bhardwaj on his maiden series, Charlie Chopra & The Mystery Of Solang Valley. But all this didn’t come easy. The actor says she was ready to leave the world of cinema in 2019.
“I had auditioned for Vishal Bhardwaj’s Midnight’s Children. By then, I had decided to quit movies, do perhaps one or two films, earn whatever money I could, and travel the world to understand what I wanted to do in life. I had lost all interest in acting. I had been rejected so many times that I thought, ‘Why would Vishal Bhardwaj finalize me?’ But I got shortlisted, and we were sent on a workshop with Atul Mongia. Those three days changed my perspective on my career.”
While the filmmaker did sign her on for Midnight’s Children, it got shelved later. “But all good things started to happen after that,” she beams.
Now, the actor is only a day away from the release of Khufiya, her fourth collaboration with the director. The Netflix espionage thriller will see her share screen space with Tabu and Ali Fazal. In her kitty is the Theri (2016) remake featuring Varun Dhawan. “Today, I am in a position to make a choice. Earlier, it was all about getting work; now, I can be choosy.”
Bhardwaj has been instrumental in shaping her career, but Gabbi believes he has also influenced how she views the film industry.
“My sensibilities have changed because I have worked with Vishal sir, Vikram sir and Ranjan Chandel [Grahan director]. Vishal sir is like a friend now. Initially, when there were some date issues on Khufiya, I was intimidated to call him and tell him so. But he called and said, ‘I understood why you were inhibited to call me. But remember, one chat can save relationships and we need to put in extra effort to save them.’ Now, even when I have to say no to someone, I make sure I make that call to them.”
Those who sent us harsh texts apologized after watching Grahan-Ranjan Chandel
8:17 AM
Director Ranjan Chandel explaining a scene to Anshuman Pushkar and Wamiqa Gabbi
Revisiting 1984 riots through the lens of a love story, Grahan director discusses how initial public opposition softened due to the sensitive handling of series
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; July 13, 2021)
Among the most discussed web series since the stellar The Family Man 2 is 'Grahan'. Set against the backdrop of the 1984 Sikh riots, the eight-part series is being lauded for its balanced approach. For Ranjan Chandel, who has helmed and co-written the Disney+ Hotstar series, it is a product of divine intervention. He remembers working on the post-production of Bamfaad (2020) when he came across Satya Vyas’s novel Chaurasi. “I was attracted to its poetic storytelling, and the compelling love story. I considered translating it into a movie. But I got busy with other things. Then, producer Ajay Rai contacted me to adapt a book, and it turned out to be the same book. At that very moment, I knew I had to make the show,” begins the writer-director.
Creating the world of Grahan — which features Pavan Malhotra, Zoya Hussain and Wamiqa Gabbi — was not easy, especially since the narrative straddles two timelines, the ’80s and the present day. “The novel’s story is only a part of the series. We built upon it to make it relevant in the modern times. Writing was a challenge because we were dealing with sensitive subjects here, but in my heart, it remained a relationship drama. A love story from the ’80s marred by socio-political issues runs parallel to a father-daughter relationship as the daughter is handed a case from that decade. Socio-political elements were consciously kept in the periphery.”
Chandel developed draft after draft, knowing that sensitive treatment of the subject was imperative to its success. “Three months before the shoot, I started rewriting the draft because I didn’t want to leave any room for imbalance. Shooting was another challenge. We had done our recce at Bokaro, but due to the pandemic, the steel plant was shut. We initially planned to shoot in Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, but eventually shot it in Lucknow after the Uttar Pradesh government allowed shoots.”
Upon the trailer’s release, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur slammed the series for portraying a Sikh character in an “objectionable manner”. A witness of the 1984 riots had also sent a legal notice to the makers. “I wasn’t worried because I knew when people watch the show, they will know our intentions are pure. A lot of those who sent us harsh texts, sent us apology messages after watching the show. Art speaks for itself. Our vision was clear — we focussed on how the riot wreaked havoc in the lives of the people; we never reflected our personal political leanings.”
If Chandel is able to take on such brave subjects, he credits mentor-collaborator Anurag Kashyap for the feat. Having co-written Mukkabaaz (2018) with Kashyap, he says, “I had no formal training in filmmaking. When I came to Mumbai in 2011, I had nothing but stories with me. For four years, I went door-to-door in Versova with my half-written ideas. When I met Kashyap, he probably saw promise in me. We started working on a script that never worked out. In 2015, we started Mukkabaaz, and that was my schooling. I learnt on the job; he honed my talent and his process brought out the filmmaker in me.”
Thanks to Coronavirus outbreak, films find respite on OTT
8:42 AM
With theatres being shut for the foreseeable future, makers are looking at ‘straight to digital’ releases for their movies
Radhika Bhirani (HINDUSTAN TIMES; April 8, 2020)
With the pall of uncertainty looming large over movies, a tectonic shift is underway in the film industry. Filmmakers aren’t just considering a direct-to-OTT system, but also shrinking the eight-week window between theatrical and OTT release for their projects the world over.Angrezi Medium, which became an immediate casualty of the theatre shutdown due to the Coronavirus scare, was to be re-released, but has been put out on Disney+ Hotstar. Dharala Prabhu, the Tamil remake of Hindi hit Vicky Donor (2012), is available on Amazon Prime Video, as is Telugu psychological thriller Madha.
Bamfaad, which was to mark actor Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya’s big screen debut, is now heading straight to OTT via Zee5. And there’s buzz that Tamil film Naragasooran will also meet a similar fate.
Bamfaad director Ranjan Chandel calls it a “smart move” and feels “everyone should think about it”. “People will not start going to theatres the day the doors open. Every house’s economy has been affected, so where’s the sentiment to buy movie tickets?” he adds.
While admitting that India is still a “traditional” market that hinges on a box office barometer for a film’s success, trade expert Girish Johar conjectures a surge in direct-to-OTT plans, “provided it makes financial sense for both the producers and the sites”.In the West, even big budget films aren’t being kept out of such decisions, says Shibasish Sarkar of Reliance Entertainment, pointing out Disney’s plan to release Frozen 2 on OTT three months earlier than scheduled, and Universal Pictures’ decision to put out its theatrical releases The Invisible Man, Emma., and The Hunt via on-demand services. Trolls World Tour will also become the latter’s first official day-and-date release on April 10.
“I won’t be surprised if Indian projects, too, start looking at straight to digital as an opportunity. But everyone will have to do their calculations,” says Sarkar.
Paresh Rawal's son Aditya to make his debut in Anurag Kashyap's Bamfaad
7:58 AM
Anurag Kashyap will be presenting the passionate love story which is set in Allahabad and has Arjun Reddy’s leading lady Shalini Pandey opposite him
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 22, 2019)
Actors Paresh Rawal and Swaroop Sampat’s son Aditya is all set for a big screen launch in a film that Anurag Kashyap (right) will be presenting. Titled Bamfaad, the film is being directed by debutant Ranjan Chandel (left; below). Shalini Pandey (bottom), the leading lady of the Telugu film, Arjun Reddy, which is currently being remade in Hindi as Kabir Singh, is being introduced to Bollywood opposite Aditya. The film was shot in Kanpur towards the end of 2018, amidst utmost secrecy. It is now in post-production.
Anurag confirmed the news, saying, “Ranjan has been a long-time collaborator as writer and assistant. Producer Ajay Rai and I worked together on Gulaal and Dev D. I am fully involved with the project with the producers Ajay, Pradeep Kumar and Alan McAlex.”When quizzed on his choice of newcomers, Ranjan insisted that both his casting director Taran Bajaj and he felt that Aditya and Shalini were best suited for the script. “We met some experienced actors but eventually zeroed in on them. Shalini has done some films down South but this will be her first Hindi film as the lead. Aditya comes from a film background, both his parents are big names, yet he surrendered himself to my vision completely. We had a one-month workshop before the film went on the floors and Aditya accompanied me on my recee as well. Both are fantastic actors and very involved with the project,” he exults. The film also has Vijay Verma and Jatin Sarna playing significant roles.
Speaking about the unusual title, he explained that it is a passionate love story set in Allahabad. “Bamfaad is a North Indian slang for an explosion and aptly describes these characters and their world,” he asserts, saying the film will release in the next few months though they are yet to finalise the date.
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