'Only honest movies work at international film fests'

Vasan Bala’s "Peddlers" has made it to the 51st Cannes Film Critics Week. This is a parallel section at the Cannes Film Festival that discovered filmmakers like Wong Kar Wai and Bernardo Bertolucci, among others. "Peddlers" will also compete for the Camera d’Or. Excerpts from a conversation with the debutant director:
What’s "Peddlers" all about?
It is a character-driven thriller about two parallel love stories – one between a cop and his married neighbour and the other between a girl on a mission and an aimless guy.The film is about love, loss of innocence and coming of age. Shot in Mumbai, "Peddlers" is not exactly inspired from any real life incident. We wanted to show Mumbai like a ghost town while avoiding any clichéd shots. The film stars Gulshan Devaiah, Siddharth Menon, Kriti Malhotra and Nimrat Kaur, among others.
When are you leaving for Cannes?
I will be leaving for Cannes by mid-May. I am very happy that my debut film will compete for the Camera d’Or along with movies of the best directors of the world. I am thrilled to have got this opportunity to learn by being at a festival as important as this.
How did your family react to this news?
My mother knows about the script and I will hold a screening for them before I leave for Cannes. They are thrilled.
Was there any other script in your mind apart from "Peddlers" that could have been your debut movie?
Yes, there were two or three other scripts but they needed a lot of funds. We tried crowd funding for this project.
Crowd sourcing is emerging as a promising way to raise finance for start- ups and it is proving to be a boon for debutant filmmakers. Are you planning to go for crowd funding again for your next project?
I can’t say anything about it now because crowd funding also has its pros and cons. For "Peddlers", we went to people with a very transparent and honest approach. Since "Peddlers" has made to Cannes, it might give me an edge if I ask for crowd funding later on.
When will "Peddlers" release in India?
Most probably by August. We are yet to freeze on the date.
Since you never went to a film school, how did you land in this industry?
I am born and brought up in Mumbai. Before getting into filmmaking, I was jumping around for jobs. From banking to jobs at IT firms and then advertising, I did everything before finally being discovered by Anurag Kashyap. I used to write for a blog which also had Anurag as a writer. That’s how we got introduced. Later I had an opportunity to hang around during the shooting of "No Smoking". That’s where I told Anurag that I would want to work with him. I’ve assisted him in "Dev.D", "Gulaal" and "That Girl in Yellow Boots". If not a filmmaker, I would have continued searching and quitting jobs. I guess, I always wanted to direct movies. I was lucky enough to assist Anurag. He didn’t bother about my CV, experience or what I had done in the past.
Is making a Bollywood masala movie a strict no-no for you?
Bollywood masala movies are difficult to make. They require another level of thinking, patience and temperament. I don’t think I am suitable for that. I will continue to stick to realistic cinema.
Has your fondness for realistic cinema got anything to do with Anurag Kashyap?
Anurag is an exceptional filmmaker who has great adaptability skills. I would like to do what I’ve always wanted to. I look upon him as my guru.
Is there any actor you want to work with in future?
As of now, it is only Ranbir Kapoor. I like his choice of movies and enjoyed his work in "Rockstar".
Why do Indian movies have such poor success rates at international film competitions?
It is the difference in the mindset with which movies are looked at abroad and here. We are not bad but Bollywood produces more self-consumed movies. It doesn’t mean we need to change our track and take to the phirang directors’ way of filmmaking. Only honest movies work at international film festivals. We need that honesty in our scripts, cast and craft. Finally, we need to be honest to the audience.