Director's CUT

ANUBHAV SINHA TALKS TO VEDANSHI PATHAK ABOUT DIRECTING IC 814: THE KANDAHAR HIJACK, WORKING ON A SUPERHERO FILM AND HOW HIS POLITICS AFFECTS HIS FILMS...

A nubhav Sinha was once a very formulaic director who only worked in the commercial space.

Mulk (2018) changed all that. He married political activism to cinema and the result was films like Article 15 (2019), Thappad (2020), Anek (2022) and Bheed (2023). With IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, he has ventured into the OTT space. While he describes it as a non-political venture, read between the lines and you'll find that he has landed some soft blows both on the unpreparedness of the bureaucrats, who simply failed to control the narrative and the jaded response of the politicians. In between all, the fortitude of the hijack victims shines through. Instead of calling them victims, one should call them heroes for the way they came to terms with their tragedy and survived the hardships. The series is well-researched and well-acted. It has the veritable who's who of dramatic actors in the cast, with some fans comparing it to an Avengers Ensemble moment for Anubhav Sinha. No wonder the director is eyeing a superhero film next. Excerpts from a hearty tete-a-tete with the maverick.

What is non-negotiable for you as a director?

The art itself is nonnegotiable. While creating a film, compromises are inevitable, whether with nature, moments or unexpected outcomes.

Sometimes what seems inferior initially can turn out better in hindsight.

However, the core artistic vision remains uncompromised.

Your films usually have a political voice...

Yeah, of late, yes.

Is it a conscious choice or are you just attracted towards it more?

I think it's the latter.

It began with Mulk, driven by my strong feelings about societal issues at the time. Although Article 15 was initially titled differently and was written before Mulk, I was drawn to it for similar reasons.