
FILMMAKER-writer Sudip
Sharma, who has contributed
as a writer to films such as
NH10 and Udta Punjab, says he
has no immediate plans to direct
a feature film for the big screen as
he finds himself more drawn to
long-form series format.
Sharma most recently contributed as a writer on Anurag
Kashyap's movie Bandar. “I don't
know what kind of film to direct
right now. There is a lot of churn
that is happening and the kind of
films that are mostly getting made
are not the kind of films that inherently interest me,” the writer-director told PTI in an interview.
Best known for OTT titles like
Paatal Lok ,Kohrra, the filmmaker
said the streaming shows give him
a broader canvas to tell stories on
his own terms -- offering far more
creative liberty than filmmaking
currently. “I enjoy long-form storytelling; there is something very
satisfying about it as a writer and
as a creator, even more so than as
a director. It is very satisfying as a
writer-creator because of the kind
of places you can go, the kind of
themes, and the lives you can dive
into.”
“Somehow, I find film restrictive
in that sense right now. It might
change,” he added.
Besides, the 43-year-old filmmaker does not see himself as the
right fit for making star-driven
films, which currently dominate
Hindi cinema.
Those kinds of star vehicles
don't necessarily speak to me. I
don't even watch them. I don't
think I am the right person to make
them. Nothing against those films.
Some of those are very successful
films, and we need those films to
be able to make these because
that's how the industry sort of funnels it back in, he said.
“I don't think I am the right person for those kinds of films. I don't
want to do it just because it's a big
project or that's how it should be.
Not that they have been offered to
me, but the idea doesn't excite me,
he added.
Sharma, however, said there are
no immediate plans to direct a
feature film and that he has already
begun work on an OTT show.
“I'm just going to start shooting
something in a while. It's a show.
So, maybe once that is done, I
might just feel like, because
I've done too many
back-to-back shows, I
need a rest,” he said,
without divulging
details about his
upcoming series.