Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘Gote Goat Ghost’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
My professional journey started with one of the most influential filmmaker in the Indian cinema, Mr. Anurag Kashyap. Working for him on ‘Almost Pyar with DJ Mohabbat’ was and still has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. Next, I joined a writer’s room for a Netflix series named “For your eyes only”. This project taught me professional ways of writing. Filmmaking for me began when, at 14 years old, I was trying to make short films. Few brash short films down the line, I was in love with the process. Filmmaking came so naturally to me that joining a film school made complete sense. Till date I must have watched hundreds and hundreds of films which have helped me in peculiar ways. The thought of unexplored themes in cinema is what I would like to call my driving force and also what excites me the most.
Tell us about ‘Gote Goat Ghost’. How do you describe it?
GGG is the most unfiltered, uncensored, unapologetic film to come out of me. Right from my certainties to my uncertainties, this film encapsulates everything I want to convey. It remains profoundly human, each scene bearing its own character. For me, "Gote Goat Ghost" reflects the state of my country and serves as a 29-minute map to understand it. Creating this film demanded a great deal from me, as I poured everything I had into it. The immense support I received from the film community in Mumbai has filled my heart with gratitude.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
Filmmakers! Anurag Kashyap- my teenage hero and a man who has always had a huge influence on my craft. The insights I've gained from him through personal interactions and also watching his interviews, his films are invaluable. The man has taught me more than I can imagine. Another person, thought might be a mainstream choice, is Christopher Nolan. I find him to be one of the most emotional filmmakers out there- making a massive hollywood hit and still keeping the soul intact is something I draw my inspiration from. Additionally, filmmakers like Andrei Tarkovsky, Michael Mann, Fritz Lang, and Éric Rohmer are on the top of my list too. Their simple storytelling style of complexities and intricacies continuously shapes my perspective as a filmmaker.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
I would really, really love to make a movie on the identity crisis in a metropolitan like mumbai. I believe this theme can be explored and portrayed in various ways, regardless of the budget, scale, genre, or filmmaking style.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
I believe that when it comes to production, everything should be planned on paper. For "Gote Goat Ghost," which involved numerous setup changes, it was important to have every detail mapped out in the script and to stick to it. Another key element is the team. From my little experience, one thing that stuck to me is that a film is made by the people you choose to work with. If they are passionate about their craft, a lot of things fall into place as they are willing to go the extra mile to make the impossible possible.
What was the hardest part of making ‘Gote Goat Ghost’.
The management of over 30 character actors in two days of shoot has got to be the hardest part. We had to film an immense amount of content within a tight schedule, with only 12 hours of shoot time each day. To ensure that both execution and performance were spot-on, we held intensive early workshops with every actor before the shoot. The other challenge was to get the SET right. We couldn’t shoot on a real location because there were many practical problems including lighting and setup changes. Whatever we see in the film, every writing on the wall changes with every shot, every setup a new setup, everything was planned. Maintaining chronological accuracy was a difficult task to achieve, hats off to my production designers “Sanket sir and Rahul sir.” One major issue was securing funding. In India, it's challenging to find financial support for short films, and the political nature of "Gote Goat Ghost" made it even harder to get backing. One night, I decided to put everything I had into it—my heart, soul, and the little money I had.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
I am writing a Neo-Noir Crime Thriller film set in the metropolitan area of Mumbai. A very personal story, with the world view I have, I believe this will be my humble offering to this genre. Apart from this I have a few scripts ready that I am trying to put together and raise fundings for the same.
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