About Tigmanshu Dhulia
Connect with Tigmanshu Dhulia's life
- You worked with Shekhar Kapur in Bandit Queen. Was he instrumental in bringing you to Mumbai?
- What will you say about your friend Anurag Kashyap and his style of direction?
- Does living in Mumbai bothers you? Do you feel missing oit on many different experiences?
- You assisted Shekhar Kapur, what would you say makes him great?
- Do you ever run out of new ideas?
- How was it working with Mani Ratnam?
- How did Gangs of Wasseypur happen?
- Did you second guess the success of Gangs of Wasseypur?
- You have a Govinda connection, tell us something about it.
- You work with crowd a lot, how do you manage the crowd on set?
- Do you believe in improvisation of story on set?
- You seem to have a preference for guns, action and testosterone-fuelled films. Are those also the kind of films you watch?
- What are your insecurities as a filmmaker? How do you deal with it?
- How do you write scripts for your films?
- When you introspect your movies do you feel that you lack something in your style of filmmaking?
- How do you distinguish between good or bad acting?
- How do you interpret so called International Cinema in your movies? Does it have any effect on your films?
- Whom do you aspire to work with in bollywood?
- You love action films a lot, are you a Bachchan fan?
- What kind of films do you like to watch?
- Do you think OTT has changed the content style of commercial cinema?
- What is your take on censorship and censor board of India?
- With the surfeit of sequels these days, is there more to the trend than a profit motive?
- What tips would you like to give to the budding filmmakers?
- How do you take criticism from critics?
- How was the life before joining National School of Drama?
- How did you find your way to National School of Drama?
- Why did you not pursue drama as a career?
- Do you think that NSD os not working properly? Do they need to change?
- After completing NSD, did you feel that you should now go to Mumbai?
- After coming to Mumbai, did you ever get disillusioned by films?
- You took a long time to make your first film, how was it?
- Do you feel frustrated, when a good idea has to struggle it's way out in main stream bollywood cinema?
- You had a challenging time releasing ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ and then silenced cynics when it emerged as a profitable and acclaimed film.
- Where do you think bollywood is lacking?
- How do you feel about the changing course of bollywood cinema?
- Now after being a successful director in bollywood, how do you feel about the journey?
- What do you feel about the '100Cr Cinema Club'?
- As an actor, which types of acting do you prefer?
- You emphasize very much on detailing in your cinema
- How do you process a character while explaining it to the actor?
- You have an interesting story with director Ketan Mehta
- After making 2-3 films you chose to do television, was it a conscious decision?
- Do you think online platforms are going to help cinema?
- How one should take care of both commercial imperatives and creative ambition in today's time of filmmaking?
- What do you think makes a cinema work?
- Which movie do you think was a turning point of your life?
- Do you think it is difficult to survive in bollywood without big stars?
- How important is the marketing and release of a film as a creative person?
- You are a director turn producer. Why this shift?
- Do you consciously select political subjects for you films?
- How important are dialogue writing in films
- Have dialogue lost their potential in today's bollywood cinemas?
- Which is the most difficult genre to write dialogues for?
- How was your childhood and growing up in Allahabad?
- You started your career as an actor, how was the journey and experience in that field?
- How do you keep your creativity active?
- What is that thing of bollywood that irritates you, and you are not able to change?
- You worked with Shekhar Kapur in Bandit Queen. Was he instrumental in bringing you to Mumbai?
- How was it working with Mani Ratnam?
- You have a Govinda connection, tell us something about it.
- What is your take on censorship and censor board of India?
- How do you take criticism from critics?
- How was the life before joining National School of Drama?
- Why did you not pursue drama as a career?
- You took a long time to make your first film, how was it?
- Do you feel frustrated, when a good idea has to struggle it's way out in main stream bollywood cinema?
- You had a challenging time releasing ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ and then silenced cynics when it emerged as a profitable and acclaimed film.
- Now after being a successful director in bollywood, how do you feel about the journey?
- How was your childhood and growing up in Allahabad?
- You started your career as an actor, how was the journey and experience in that field?
- Does living in Mumbai bothers you? Do you feel missing oit on many different experiences?
- You work with crowd a lot, how do you manage the crowd on set?
- How do you write scripts for your films?
- How do you distinguish between good or bad acting?
- You love action films a lot, are you a Bachchan fan?
- Do you think OTT has changed the content style of commercial cinema?
- What tips would you like to give to the budding filmmakers?
- How did you find your way to National School of Drama?
- How do you feel about the changing course of bollywood cinema?
- What do you feel about the '100Cr Cinema Club'?
- As an actor, which types of acting do you prefer?
- You emphasize very much on detailing in your cinema
- How do you process a character while explaining it to the actor?
- What do you think makes a cinema work?
- How important is the marketing and release of a film as a creative person?
- Do you consciously select political subjects for you films?
- How important are dialogue writing in films
- With the surfeit of sequels these days, is there more to the trend than a profit motive?
- After completing NSD, did you feel that you should now go to Mumbai?
- Where do you think bollywood is lacking?
- After making 2-3 films you chose to do television, was it a conscious decision?
- How one should take care of both commercial imperatives and creative ambition in today's time of filmmaking?
- Do you think it is difficult to survive in bollywood without big stars?
- Have dialogue lost their potential in today's bollywood cinemas?
- What is that thing of bollywood that irritates you, and you are not able to change?
- You seem to have a preference for guns, action and testosterone-fuelled films. Are those also the kind of films you watch?
- What are your insecurities as a filmmaker? How do you deal with it?
- When you introspect your movies do you feel that you lack something in your style of filmmaking?
- How do you interpret so called International Cinema in your movies? Does it have any effect on your films?
- Whom do you aspire to work with in bollywood?
- What kind of films do you like to watch?
- You have an interesting story with director Ketan Mehta
- Which movie do you think was a turning point of your life?
- You are a director turn producer. Why this shift?
- You worked with Shekhar Kapur in Bandit Queen. Was he instrumental in bringing you to Mumbai?
Yes. When Bandit Queen was completed, Shekhar Kapur asked us to shift to Mumbai. But, soon, he got an offer for Elizabeth and went away, leaving us stranded. We had come here on his suggestion, but our initiation into the industry had not happened fully. And when he left, we did not have anything to show for our time here.
- You seem to have a preference for guns, action and testosterone-fuelled films. Are those also the kind of films you watch?
I like to watch and make films with guns, bullets, action, but it’s much more than that. I also explore social layers, politics and relationships in my films. Even Bullet Raja, which I am shooting right now (Saif Ali Khan, Sonakshi Sinha) is layered with references to caste politics, relationships, etc. It’s not a Rowdy Rathore. I explore different themes, whether it’s a biopic like Paan Singh Tomar, a buddy macho film like Bullet Raja or a drama like Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster. I like watching all kinds of films except social dramas, mythologies, melodramas and romcoms. I could never make a wonderful film like Kuch Kuch Hota Hai because I have not fed myself with that cinema.
- With the surfeit of sequels these days, is there more to the trend than a profit motive?
It’s very subjective. Of course profit is an element but for me, if the subject is not motivating me or pushing me into a corner when I am writing, then I am not interested in making it. For me art comes before money. I am not in awe of film-making. When I feel I have said all I have to say as a film-maker and reached saturation point, I will leave the industry and join politics.
- You had a challenging time releasing ‘Paan Singh Tomar’ and then silenced cynics when it emerged as a profitable and acclaimed film.
Yes, it was a painful experience. I was really happy in the beginning when I found a visionary producer who funded my research. I had wanted Paan Singh to be my first film. Everything was fine till a point and then I hit a roadblock for almost 18 months. It was traumatic, especially as I knew the piece would work. It was frustrating and I learnt never to trust corporates. Their loyalty is to no one.
- How one should take care of both commercial imperatives and creative ambition in today's time of filmmaking?
I think after 1960's the respect for a content writer went down significantly and that must change now.
