Shoojit Sircar: I am very scared of expectations, please don’t expect anything from me

By your admission, you’ve lived with the story of Sardar Udham for over two decades. You spent about five years alone writing its script with Shubhendu and Ritesh. What has life been like post the movie?
You sometimes feel you have nothing left to do anymore. Kabhi kabhi hota hai aisa. The film was mounted on a big canvas, though we tried to not make it too big. Now suddenly after the movie is over, I feel like I don’t know what to do. There is an emptiness that creeps in. Ronnie and I have ideas and we keep talking about them, and discussing them but it’s hard to get rid of that khaalipan, that vacuum created after Sardar Udham went out of our system. Both Ronnie and I had never thought it would go through the way it did. It’s like there was a little storm which has now blown over, and now we don’t know what to do.
How do you deal with emptiness?
You have to keep nurturing yourself. This is a very crucial period and often, people end up making wrong decisions during this phase. You want to quickly start something and put it out there. But the better way out is to remain calm and do things with proper thought and planning. Creatively, you have to keep yourself engaged and active - you have to keep the fire burning. Sometimes, you can do it through cinema and sometimes, you just do things like gardening, playing football or reading something or watching something.
Is that why you often escape to villages in North Bengal and spend time cooking seasonal vegetables and gardening?
Yes, that’s right! I regularly go to North Bengal where I was born. I grew up there and I spent my childhood in those places that I visit even now. It’s very peaceful. I’m going to stay in Goa for some time now and do some reading here. I also plan to jam with my researchers and see what we can arrive at. I am not in a hurry to make a new film.
Sardar Udham and Gulabo Sitabo, were both appreciated and criticised in equal measures. Have you been able to go over the points of criticism that have been raised on the films?
Look, I have realised that criticism is something that you have to take. You can’t escape it and it’s a part and parcel of the work we do. You have to be ready for it and for observations that people make. Also, as a creative person, you cannot possibly cater to everyone and to everything that is asked of you. As Ronnie said during our masterclass session, we did not and we have not compromised on Sardar Udham in any manner. Yes, we may have made mistakes. We will go through the content and whatever mistakes we can identify, we will make a note of it and make up for it in our next films. The idea is to not repeat those mistakes again. It’s like this. I am absolutely not worried about criticism. It can affect you depending on the way you take it. Sometimes, criticism is very healthy and helpful. You have to know which part of criticism is important for you. Sometimes, you have to just let criticism pass and sometimes, you have to hold on to the things people tell you. I believe in taking just those points that are beneficial, learn from those and take it forward.
During the session, we had asked you about the matter on Sardar Udham that you have had to keep out of the film. Were you serious when you said that you would probably include those points in a series if you make one?
Frankly, I don’t know what I will do with the material that I am left with from the film. There is a lot of research that I have. I have heard that Ram Madhvani is making a film on Jallianwala Bagh. I might give it to him. I would love to offer him all my research. It’s a creative and competitive line but I have told everyone that I am ready for any discussion on this subject. I can tell you books, I have books that have been marked out, taped and set aside. I can help anyone who needs help on research on this subject.
Using flashbacks or going back and forth in time in a screenplay is commonplace but the way you did it in Sardar Udham was experimental in many ways, which seems to have increased expectations from you. Does that scare you?
I am very scared of expectations, please don’t expect anything from me. The next movie that I make may not cater to everyone. So far, I have tried to make films that I am happy about. The subjects Ronnie and I are discussing are about films that are completely out of the box. So, don’t expect anything from me. And frankly, expectations scare me a lot!