Manav Kaul, Nandita Das Do Remake of ‘Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai’ for Free
, Posted: Friday, September 25, 2015 11:30 am, Source
MUMBAI — Nandita Das, Manav Kaul and Saurabh Shukla decided to let go of their fees for the remake of the cult film “Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai.” And, in reciprocation, director Soumitra Ranade has made them partners on the film.
Since it’s an independent film directed and produced by Ranade (who directed “Jajantaram Mamantaram, there were budget constraints. The actors offered to work for free. Touched by their gesture, Ranade has made them partners on the project and will be sharing the box-office profit with the three actors.
The producers are raising three million through a two-month long crowd-funding campaign on Wishberry, which will end Oct. 2. The campaign started Aug. 3 to collect money for the post-production, animation and VFX.
The original film, directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirz,a was released in 1980 and starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Om Puri in the lead roles.
“This is the first script I read that grabbed me so much that I couldn’t put it down. I told the director that we have to make this film anyhow, even if we have to do it for free. Such roles don’t come your way often, and I didn’t want to let go this brilliant opportunity,” said Kaul.
Das seconded, “Firstly, I don’t equate money with work. There is a lot of work that I do without charging anything. Films, of course, help me pay my bills, and hence, I don’t do them without any fees. But, once in a while, you get a project or a director who you know genuinely does not have the money and just wants to make a good film! So you want to participate in that. I think we all have to support each other, especially those who are doing things with great honesty and integrity.”
Shukla added, “Soumitra approached me and told me that there is no money, but I could be a partner. So, all of us are partners in this project, and I think it is a great idea, because there are scripts in which the mainstream market doesn’t believe. But, as artistes, we know that it has content and also has commercial possibilities. So what should we do?
Should we be slaves to the market and not do these films? Or should we try it? So, when we try it, we have to cut down costs. Soumitra has put in his own money and how much can a normal person invest in a film? In such a scenario, actors and the crew members come on board and say we will work free and share profits later. So in fact, this is my chance to buy my Jaguar!”
