On the season 2 finale of Anything but Bollywood Neha is in the studio with filmmaker, actor, and screenwriter Pushpendra Singh whose films have traveled to the Venice and Berlin international film festivals, and whose directorial venture 'Ashwathama' was screened at the19th Mumbai International film festival. Listen in as he talks about breaking the traditional 3 act structure of a story, how his acting process influenced his filmmaking, adapting folk tales for screen and much more. 00:34 Pushpendra intro 01:04 Starting in Filmmaking/Film screenings at hostel/Barry John & FTII 03:22 Dealing with parents 07:05 Working & assisting Amit Datta 09:33 Assisting Anup Singh 11:23 How acting experiences shape filmmaking 14:07 Lajwanti 17:22 Screenwriting 21:49 Ashwathama/ choosing the protagonist/growing up in a religious atmosphere/ 25:21 Chambal 28:54 Portraying with authenticity 31:45 Adapting folk tales, equating art with classical music 34:34 Translating from page to screen 37:41 Working with non-actors 39:21 Creating the look of the film with the DOP 41:15 Approach to sound 42:25 Barometer for success 46:23 Life and filmmaking co-existing 47:22 Distribution/Crowdfunding 50:08 Shift to documentary 52:19 Learning from teaching acting 54:24 Acting exercises 56:04 Advice for actors and directors 57:03 Upcoming projects 59:15 Recommendation Watch the trailer for Lajwanti here: https://youtu.be/k0BDGVF1874 Watch the trailer for Ashwathama here: https://youtu.be/dvsiLhpaXcw Recommendations: Neha - Zama (2017, Dir. Lucrecia Martel): https://youtu.be/K8dW6YHINAA Pushpendra - Nainsukh (2010, Dir. Amit Dutta): https://youtu.be/HueU_YnFwfg Listen to the Anup Singh episode here: https://bit.ly/2I7iAB7 For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak You can listen to this show and other amazing shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Anything But Bollywood

S02 E08: Pushpendra Singh

On this episode of Anything But Bollywood Neha is in the studio with actor Shahnawaz Bhat who starred in the film 'Half Widow' which was screened at the 19th Mumbai International Film Festival. Listen in as Shahnawaz talks about growing up in Kashmir, the lack of opportunities for artists there, and range of experiences working on indies like 'Harud' to a mainstream Bollywood film like 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'. 00:48 Shanawaaz Intro 01:24 How did acting happen? 02:43 Preparation for 'Harud' 05:10 Growing up in Kashmir 08:18 Learning from Aamir Bashir 09:49 Festival experience 11:39 Kashmiri language/audience 16:02 Experience on 'Half-widow' 18:32 Acting & relatability 19:50 Experience on 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan' 22:20 Biding time between roles 24:26 State of filmmaking in Kashmir 26:14 The story of 'disappeared men' 30:01 Has perspective changed? 34:32 Role of art & creativity in Kashmir 35:40 Dealing with fear in a conflict zone 38:40 Ideal roles 40:00 Pointers for directors & actors 42:46 Recommendation Check out Shahnawaz's body of work here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3919952/ Here's the trailer for 'Half Widow' : https://youtu.be/k_ITMZMsdwU You can watch 'Harud' on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/70153553 Shahnawaz's film recommedation: Underground (1995, Dir: Emir Kusturica) https://youtu.be/iKdl5r7_ZPc (Note: This episode was recorded before the horrific incidents that took place in Kathua in J & K) For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

S02 E07: Shahnawaz Bhat

This week Neha is in the studio with documentary film maker Surabhi Sharma whose film 'Phir Se Samm Pe Aana (Returning to the First Beat)' was screened at the 19th Mumbai film festival. Listen in as Surabhi breaks down how to pursue subjects and premises for a documentary, what are the pros and cons of documentary film vs a fictional film and how her last film 'Bidesiya in Bambai' about bhojpuri music and 'Phir se...' about classical musicians took shape. 00:44 Intro/ accolades for Surabhi's films 01:39 Parentage/pursuing cinema 03:34 Transition to documentary/Jari mari 06:41 Making the 1st film and learning 11:25 Development of "Phir Se Samm Pa Aana" 17:10 Film time vs Real time 21:14 Time to film & edit 22:29 Video art 25:39 How shoots are structured? 29:31 'Bideshiya in Bambai'/Bhojpuri music/finding musicians 38:45 Funding 42:26 Who is the audience? 45:57 Spaces and platforms for documentaries 50:47 Learning about audiences 53:16 Identity as a feminist flmmaker 55:40 Negotiating with a privileged background 56:47 Deciding on an idea 57:49 Looking back at earlier work 59:24 Frustrations as a documentary filmmaker 1:01:25 Learning from students 1:02:22 Advice for filmmmakers 1:03:47 Next film 1:05:07 Relationship with collaborators 1:06:51 Recommendations Read more about 'Phir Se Samm Pe Aana' here:https://www.mumbaifilmfestival.com/programmeDetail/248 Surabhi's film recommendations: A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings (2017, Dir: Prateek Vats)https://vimeo.com/208656271 Kho ki pa lü / Up Down and Sideways (2017): https://youtu.be/zJsCbJfICoY Also listen to the episode with the filmmakers of this film Anushka Meenakshi and Ashwin Srikumar here: https://bit.ly/2Hx7Ewm For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

S02 E06: Surabhi Sharma

In this episode Neha talks to filmmaker Anup Singh, whose film 'Song of Scorpions' starring Irrfan Khan and Golshifteh Farahani was screened at the 19th Mumbai Film Festival. Listen in as he talks about his inspirations to make film, his method of working with actors, his childhood as a refugee, and his previous film, the much acclaimed 'Qissa'. 01:17 Intro 02:06 Life as a refugee/Watching film at sea 06:28 Cinema as an art form 08:27 Experiences from first film 'Ekti Nadir Naam' 12:37 The crux of 'Qissa' 14:55 Personal history that inspired 'Qissa' 19:32 Making the film in Punjabi/Producer demands/Getting the project off the ground 23:40 Authenticity vs. Experience in fiction 26:18 The importance of being an outsider 29:58 Writing routine 34:09 Preparation for a shoot 35:35 Working with actors/Workshopping 40:29 Collaborations and ego conflicts 41:56 Seeking feedback 42:50 Dealing with failure 43:43 Learning from students 46:36 Next project 47:53 Relationship with Irrfan Khan 49:48 Approach to casting 54:55 Role of music 57:24 Recommendation Watch the trailer for 'Qissa' here: https://youtu.be/ORO6Zp0oHDU Watch the trailer for 'The Song of Scorpions' here: https://youtu.be/nBNRAiUcxco Anup's film recommendation - Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan): https://youtu.be/4jKgHqU1jrs For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

S02 E05: Anup Singh

This week on Anything But Bollywood, Neha talks to the Ektara Collective, which is an independent, autonomous, non-funded group. They open up about how they collaborate with trained and untrained people to make films that are content-wise and aesthetically located in people’s subjective, contextual realities and experiences. They also discuss why art needs to be political, especially with the growing right wing fascism in the country. For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak(https://twitter.com/neharthak) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

S02 E04: The Ektara Collective

Neha talks to filmmaker Karma Takapa from Sikkim, who is creating waves with his film Ralang Road. He talks about how the film's setting played a key role in the plot and how he strives for authenticity. For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak(https://twitter.com/neharthak) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

S02 E03: Karma Takapa

In this episode Neha talks to documentary filmmakers Anushka Meenakshi and Ashwin Srikumar about their film 'Kho ki pa lü' or 'Up Down and Sideways' which was shot in Phek, Nagaland and explores the musical tradition of the Müle community. It was screened at the 19th Mumbai festival in the 'India Gold' section. 00:25 - Intro: Up, Down and Sideways 01:41 - Starting out in film making 04:17 - Root of the film/House hunting/The gift 08:34 - Learning from travelling 10:50 - Overview of the Müle community 12:31 - Meaning of songs/Translations 16:25 - The 10 minute shot 19:56 - Research process/Anushka's MA in music 22:28 - Ethics 24:18 - Politics of the film & Nagaland 28:36 - Sound design process 31:52 - Finding context in everyday working 34:17 - Larger context of the film 37:04 - Maintaining traditions 39:21 - Dealing with uncertainty 41:48 - Personal challenges 46:41 - Nature of collaboration 48:35 - Choice to be independent filmmakers 50:14 - Archive/Pad.ma 53:47 - Next project 54:10 - Advice for creators 55:30 - Recommendations Watch the trailer for Kho ki pa lü / Up Down and Sideways here:https://youtu.be/zJsCbJfICoY Anushka and Ishwar's film recommendation: Rubber Coated Steelhttps://vimeo.com/157655639 Find out about and watch the Padma archives here: https://pad.ma/grid/title For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak(https://twitter.com/neharthak) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

S02 E02: Anushka Minakshi & Ishwar Srikumar

On the first episode of the second season of Anything but Bollywood, Neha talks to filmmaker Sanal Kumar Sasidharan whose film 'Sexy Durga' got rave reviews at festivals but ran into controversy when it's title was changed to 'S Durga' in India. 01:33 - Intro 02:35 - Getting into filmmaking/Law school/Short films 10:24 - Kazcha film society 13:53 - Shooting without a script 18:15 - Casting process 19:38 - Narrative choices 20:38 - Time to shoot/Shot selection 23:01 - "Looped" narrative structure 24:42 - Shoot preparation 25:48 - Power equation 29:24 - Story vs. Film 31:12 - Title censorship 34:11 - Dealing with pressure 35:57 - Re-shoots 37:12 - Role of artists 38:45 - Film recommendation Watch the trailer for 'Sexy Durga' here - https://youtu.be/gTLnpit1VcA Get more details about the Kazcha film society here: http://www.kazhcha.in/index.html Sanal's film recommendation: Western (2017, Dir: Valeska Grisebach) - https://youtu.be/p8f8zHDwv_c For any questions or comments find Neha on twitter @neharthak You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

S02 E01: Sanal Kumar Sasidharan

In the Final episode of the first season of Anything But Bollywood, Neha RT will be talking to director Ashim Ahluwalia, popular for his films "John and Jane", "Miss Lovely" and the upcoming gangster biopic "Daddy". 01:45 - Early Days 07:55 - On "John and Jane" 13:41 - On Form and "Miss Lovely" 20:49 - On Improvising 33:03 - Making "Miss Lovely" 38:14 - Shooting On Film 42:31 - On "Daddy" 56:10 - On being a filmmaker 1:06:03 - Film Recommendations Trailers - Daddy - Miss Lovely - John and Jane Film Recommendations - "Faces" (1968, Dir. John Cassavetes) - "Drawing Restraint 9" (2005, Dir. Matthew Barney) For any questions or comments find me on twitter - @neharthak You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep.10: Ashim Ahluwalia

In the ninth episode of Anything But Bollywood, Neha RT will be talking to film programmer Deepti D'Cunha, who has programmed and consulted for festivals such as MAMI, Venice International Film Festival and Locarno International Film Festival to name a few. 01:46 - Intro 02:29 - Early Days 11:28 - Osian's Cinefan Film Festival + Mani Kaul 20:32 - On being a Film Programmer 24:34 - On Mentors 29:02 - On selecting an Indian film for Venice International Film Festival 38:51 - On Form vs Narrative 48:44 - On Negotiating with Filmmakers 56:00 - On Distribution 1:07:05 - 'Haider' at Rome 1:12:38 - Advice for Filmmakers 1:17:27 - Final Recommendation Film Recommendations - The Battle For Banaras (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXu3XcTwkDM) For any questions or comments find me on twitter - @neharthak (https://twitter.com/neharthak) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep.09: Deepti D'Cunha

In the Eighth episode of Anything But Bollywood, Neha RT will be talking to producer Guneet Monga, who's brought out the films "Gangs Of Wasseypur", "Shaitan", "The Lunchbox" and "Once UponA Time In Mumbai" to name a few. 01:04 - Intro 01:32 - Early Days 07:12 - "Say Salaam India" 11:50 - Working With Anurag Kashyap 17:27 - Film Festivals 20:02 - "The Lunchbox" 25:05 - Marketing 37:46 - "Trishna" + Cost Cutting 41:31 - "Kavi" 47:59 - On her Parents 55:10 - Film Recommendations Film Recommendations - Mukti Bhawan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1A1Sp6-GcmI) - Captain Fantastic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1kH4OMIOMc) For any questions or comments find me on twitter - @neharthak (https://twitter.com/neharthak) You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 08: Guneet Monga

In the Seventh episode of Anything But Bollywood, Neha RT will be talking to filmmaker Kamal Swaroop, the director behind the cult classic "Om Dar-Ba-Dar" as well as the documentaries "Rangbhoomi" and "The Battle of Banaras'. 01:19 - Intro 02:07 - Early Influences 08:10 - Working On 'Gandhi' 12:19 - 'Om Dar-b-dar' 22:59 - Sound for 'Om Dar-b-dar' 29:26 - Being a Cult Hit 35:16 - 'Tracing Phalke' 42:33 - 'The Battle of Banaras' and Documentary Filmmaking 56:27 - Film Recommendations LINKS - Crowds and Power Film Recommendations - Nazarin (1958) - Ran (1985) - Le Quattro Volte (2010)  For any questions or comments find me on twitter - @neharthak You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 07: Kamal Swaroop

In the Sixth episode of Anything But Bollywood, Neha RT will be talking to experimental documentary filmmaker Shaina Anand, whose works have been exhibited at the Tate and the Sharjah Biennale (to name a few). She is a founding member of the collaborative artist studio CAMP and the founder of the ongoing pad.ma and indiancine.ma film archives. 01:31 - Intro 01:57 - Early Days 08:10 - Assisting Saeed Mirza 13:34 - "KhirkeeYaan" 22:44 - "The Neighbour Before The House" 31:54 - On Film Distribution 37:18 - On Funding 39:08 - The Pad.ma and Indiancine.ma Film Archives 41:41 - On the Rules of Cinema vs. Measuring Success 52:11 - The Gulf Labor Artist Coalition 59:00 - On the Future of Film and Technology LINKS Public access digital media archive IndianCine.ma Film Archive CAMP website Gulf Labor Artist Coalition "From Gulf to Gulf to gulf" trailer Film Recommendations Lipstick Under my Burka For any questions or comments find me on twitter - @neharthak

Ep. 06: Shaina Anand

In the Fifth episode of Anything But Bollywood, Neha RT will be talking to actor Kalki Koechlin popular for her roles in films such as “Dev D’, “Shanghai”, “Margarita With A Straw”.and most recently in Konkana Sen Sharma’s “A Death in the Gunj”. 00:32 - Intro, How to Pronounce "Koechlin" 02:18 - Early days, Landing "Dev D" 07:11 - On Theatre, On Identity 09:53 - After Dev D 12:18 - Working on Margarita With A Straw 16:33 - Working with Directors 29:48 - Commercial vs Independent Cinema 32:31 - Being an actor 39:10 - On Success and Growth 46:27 - Future Projects & Film Recommendations Trailers A Death In the Gunj Margarita With A Straw Shanghai Dev D Film Recommendations Manchester By The Sea A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 05: Kalki Koechlin

In the Fourth episode of Anything But Bollywood, Neha RT will be talking to Ad filmmaker and entrepreneur Prahlad Kakkar founder of Genesis Film Production Pvt Ltd and popular for his ad campaigns for Maggi sauce (It's Different) and Pepsi (Yehi hai right choice baby). 01:52 - Early Days 08:31 - Maggi Sauce Campaign 22:35 - Pepsi Campaign 28:16 - Working with A-List actors 31:49 - On Advertising 36:58 - On Being an Entrepreneur 45:29 - Film Recommendations Check out Prahlad Kakkar's work and Influences.... Pepsi Commercial Maggi Commercial Bombay Dyeing Ad -The Art Of War by Sun Tzu Murphy's Law Film Recommendations (trailers) The Salesman Blade Runner The Duellists You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the IVM Podcast App on Android: https://goo.gl/tGYdU1 or iOS: https://goo.gl/sZSTU5 You can check out our website at http://www.ivmpodcasts.com/

Ep. 04: Prahlad Kakkar

Every week, Neha RT sits down to talk to some of India’s best creators and filmmakers about art, cinema, inspiration and pretty much anything but Bollywood!

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Anything But Bollywood

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