Director's cut

JITESH PILLAAI TALKS WITH VIKRAM PHADNIS ABOUT HIS TRANSITION FROM A FASHION DESIGNER TO A DIRECTOR...

- JITESH PILLAAI

A designer, fashion stylist, and now a critically-acclaimed director. Vikram Phadnis is that rare bird who has successfully flown far and wide both in the world of fashion as well as cinema. He worked his way up in the fashion industry, established his label, moved to styling for films and designing for celebrities and now he has donned the director's hat and isn't taking that off anytime soon. In a chat with Jitesh Pillaai, he talks about what inspired him to make movies, his best Filmfare memories, and why he thinks direction is his cup of tea. Read on...

From fashion designer to director, what called for the transition?

I always wanted to tell stories. But I also felt that a good director should know all the technicalities. Much later I realised that a good director is a person who can tell a story. Technical people can always be hired. Through Hrudayantar I had to prove myself and that too in regional cinema, which I am very proud of. But the fact still remains that when you are known for one job and you want to branch out into something else, you start from scratch, people don't take you for what you have achieved. You have to prove yourself over again and I was ready for that battle. I wanted to take stories to the world, I wanted to talk about different kinds of films. And most importantly I realised that I want to tell stories that I write.

So are your stories autobiographical? What is your starting point for a story in your film?