Vikramaditya Motwane on why genre-hopping is liberating for him: I really like making movies

New Delhi, Filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane says every new project, whether a movie or a show, is a way for him to reinvent because he loves the process more than the end result.
Right from his critically-acclaimed debut with 2010’s “Udaan”, a coming-of-age story of a young boy, to his most recent project, “CTRL”, a screen-life thriller exploring the perils of social media and AI, Motwane has stayed away from similar genres in his stories.
The director, 47, said it is a conscious decision on his part.
“I like genre-hopping, if one wants to call it that. I find it liberating because I love the process so much. I love the process of filmmaking more than the end result. I really, really like making movies,” Motwane told PTI in an interview.
The director, whose filmography also includes titles such as “Lootera”, “Trapped”, “Bhavesh Joshi Superhero”, and “AK vs AK” to hit shows such as “Sacred Games” for Netflix and the much-loved “Jubilee” for Prime Video, said he is always up for trying new things.
“Whatever I am making, a movie or a series, it is such an enjoyable process for me that I’m very happy to reinvent and rediscover. It just gives you a chance to be able to meet new people, see a new facet of your own self and learn something new. Maybe you’ll fail, maybe you’ll succeed, but that doesn’t matter. At least, you’re trying something and I like doing that,” he said.
“Jubilee”, a fictional period drama about the early years of Hindi cinema with many references to real instances, was a success and found a lot of love from fans.
Asked whether a second season of the show was coming soon, the director was playfully evasive but said it was one of his favourite shows.
“It stayed in people’s hearts. Forget about people, it has stayed in my heart for a long time. Part of your job is to constantly think of ideas and to write. Some of the things get made, some get thrown away and some don’t get made at that moment, but they stay in your mind and end up getting made at some point in time.
“‘Jubilee’ was a tough one because we were writing it for a long time, then the pandemic came, and then you realise that it’s going to be another year and a half before you even get a chance to shoot this stuff but when you know the work is special, that drives you,” he said.
Has the success of “Jubilee” made it easier for him to get the projects greenlit?
Motwane said it is still challenging and depends a lot on the scale.
“There’s a certain amount of comfort in the fact that you can mount a certain scale of a project with certain actors because there’s a trust from the audience and the industry. But if your ambition is outside that box that people perceive you to be in, then it’s still a challenge.”
While “CTRL” showcased a different side of actor Ananya Panday, Sidhant Gupta and Wamiqa Gabbi were the breakout stars of “Jubilee”, where Motwane also surprised Aparshakti Khurana’s fans by casting the “Stree 2” star, known for his comedic skills, in a serious role.
The filmmaker said there is no pressure to present actors in a certain way but he is always when they shine on after working with him.
“It gives you a lot of happiness, whether it’s in the case of ‘Jubilee’ or movies like ‘Trapped’. I’m delighted for Rajkummar Rao as well. We did ‘Trapped’ way back and that got him a Filmfare and then it escalated.
“Even in ‘Sacred Games’, the actors who played Bunty , Kuckoo and Katekar ended up getting a lot of work. It validates you and validates the fact that ‘Okay, your decision of casting them, your decision of writing these specific characters was correct’.”
One of his most memorable casting decisions, he said, has been roping in friend and collaborator Anurag Kashyap for “AK vs AK”, also a Netflix film.
“Anurag Kashyap has got so much work after ‘AK vs AK’. He blames me for it,” Motwane quipped.
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