Filmmaker-writer Sudip Sharma, who has contributed as a writer to films such as NH10 and Udta Punjab , says he has no immediate plans to direct a feature film for the big screen as he finds himself more drawn to the long-form series format. Sharma most recently contributed as a writer on Anurag Kashyap’s movie Bandar.
Sudip Sharma on star-led commercial films
I don’t know what kind of film to direct right now. There is a lot of churn that is happening, and the kind of films that are mostly getting made are not the kind of films that inherently interest me, the writer-director told PTI in an interview.
Best known for OTT titles like Paatal Lok and Kohrra, the filmmaker said the streaming shows give him a broader canvas to tell stories on his own terms — offering far more creative liberty than filmmaking does currently.
“I enjoy long-form storytelling; there is something very satisfying about it as a writer and as a creator, even more so than as a director. It is very satisfying as a writer-creator because of the kind of places you can go, the kind of themes, and the lives you can dive into. Somehow, I find film restrictive in that sense right now. It might change,” he added.
Besides, the 43-year-old filmmaker does not see himself as the right fit for making star-driven films, which currently dominate Hindi cinema.
“Those kinds of star vehicles don’t necessarily speak to me. I don’t even watch them. I don’t think I am the right person to make them. Nothing against those films. Some of those are very successful films, and we need those films to be able to make these because that’s how the industry sort of funnels it back in,” he said.
“I don’t think I am the right person for those kinds of films. I don’t want to do it just because it’s a big project or that’s how it should be. Not that they have been offered to me, but the idea doesn’t excite me,” he added.
Sharma, however, said there are no immediate plans to direct a feature film and that he has already begun work on an OTT show.
“I’m just going to start shooting something in a while. It’s a show. So, maybe once that is done, I might just feel like, because I’ve done too many back-to-back shows, I need a rest,” he said, without divulging details about his upcoming series.
Sudip Sharma’s Babita Singh Reporting
The filmmaker is serving as an executive producer on the film Babita Singh Reporting, which stars Malayalam actor Nimisha Sajayan in the lead role.
The investigative drama is set in a small Indian town and follows suspended police officer Babita, fondly known as Baby, played by Sajayan. The film is directed by Ambiecka Pandit and written by Amita Vyas. It also stars Barun Sobti and Anshumaan Pushkar in pivotal roles.