“Journey from ‘Tum Bin’ to ‘Cash’ has been awesome. ‘Tum Bin’ released with 115 prints worldwide and ‘Cash’ is releasing with over 150 prints in Mumbai only!!”- says Anubhav Sinha.

He showed his potential of being a maker with difference with his very first directional work in ‘Tum Bin’ (2001). Touching the style quotient with ‘Dus’ and drama in ‘Tathastu’, Anubhav Sinha continues to deliver his best and tries to ‘Cash’ on !!

Interview by Vidhushi Tikoo

V: ‘Cash’ is already creating waves with its promos-what do you have to say about it?
AS: Todays times are of packaging and promotion. The trade response indicates that the phase of promotion has been extremely well received. I am mighty pleased with this.

V: From ‘Tathastu’ to ‘Cash’- what are the changes you have concentrated on?
AS: have not really worked hard to bring about changes. But yes I have grown and have gone through several more years of my life. These must have changed me. Now it is for the viewers to decide if the change has been for the better. I will nevertheless continue to change like everyone does, with time.

V: What is important according to you ‘style’ or ‘content’?
AS: Both. Depending on the kind of film you are making. Moreover, much has been said about style v/s content. I believe these are two different territories. They don’t encroach on each others space on their own. Any director would weigh the same amount of importance to both. The difference is that some are more capable with one than the other.

V: What inspired you to be a filmmaker?
AS: films inspired me to become a film maker.

V: How has your journey been from ‘Tum Bin’ to ‘Cash’?
AS: Awesome is the word. ‘Tum bin’ released with 115 prints worldwide and ‘Cash’ is releasing with over 150 in Mumbai alone.

V: Recently you have been in news in with ‘The Real Shilpa Shetty’. What made you choose something like this?
AS: Such news was not my choice. There is nothing more that I have to say on this.

V: What is the USP of ‘Cash’?
AS: Fun

V: Why did you choose South Africa?
AS: Capetown is an extremely beautiful city and logistically it worked well for us.

V: From ‘Love’ to ‘Drama’ to ‘Crime Thriller’ …you have done it all. What do you plan next –a Comedy?
AS: Next is a $5m action flick with three newcomers. And that will mark the end of adolescence of my career.

V: Sanjay Dutt was seen in both your previous movies but not in ‘Cash’, what is your association with him as of now?
AS: Sanju is a friend a mentor and a brother and he is responsible for whatever i have achieved so far.

V: How did you choose your actors for ‘Cash’?
AS: Well, it pretty much happened on board. Ajay, Zayed and Suniel were on board even before we finalized a script. Riteish came in right after. I was plain lucky.

V: You started with low budget movies and then came up with multi starres, if given a chance to make an out of the box cinema on low budget what would you plan?
AS: I have already planned two such films. One is an investigative thriller on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, whereas the other one is an adaptation of Dario Fo’s “Accidental Death of an Anarchist”.

V: What do you have to say about Indian film industry going corporate and the changing trends in Bollywood ?
AS: It is an extremely welcome change. But by nature the film industry needs to be an individually run business concern. So the real answer is a combination of the corporate culture and a proprietorship focus or else there is a danger of the negatives of a beaurocratic process creeping into a creative process.

V: Where do you think art cinema stands in par with commercial cinema? What do you have to say about revival of art cinema?
AS: For me, art cinema is a cinema that is made to excel in art and solely in art. commercial cinema is to excel in commerce. There have been alternate routes where film makers made films that excelled at both. All the three forms have always coexisted and will continue to do so.

V: How did ‘Cash’ come in your mind?
AS: a story idea from my writers “Yash-Vinay” some exhausting sessions and ‘Cash’ was born.

V: Which actor/actress you desire to work for free?
AS : Pankaj Kapur and late Smita Patil.

V: Which Indian and foreign filmmaker do you admire the most and why?
AS: Bimal Roy and Steven Speilberg. Both for the wide spectrums of films that they made

V: Can number of awards measure talent?
AS: In India? You must be kidding.

V: Any sharable encounter during the making of ‘Cash’?
AS: So many. The worst encounter was with the famous Capetown wind. There were times when we held on to things so we didn’t fly off like kites.

V: Last word for your readers…
AS : Watch ‘Cash’………