'I did not fall for box office pressures.'
Shivam Nair's new film The Diplomat is doing surprisingly well at the box office, proving the director's confident decisions.
"Gradually over the years, I had to make compromises in everything I directed. But after The Diplomat, I have decided to make films the way I want to," Shivam tells Subhash K Jha.
After a slow start at the box office, The Diplomat has gathered momentum over the weekend.
Sir, we tried to make a honest film. I had a gut feeling it would work.
Don't you think it was a mistake to release the film on Holi?
Sir, I know nothing about marketing strategies. I just made the film that I wanted to, the rest was left to the experts.
I made the story without compromises.
I did not fall for box office pressures.
There is no romantic lead in my film, only one song, and John Abraham doesn't take off his shirt.
I have admired your work since I saw Ahista Ahista in 2006.
That was my directorial debut. Imtiaz Ali had written the film and I had full control over what I shot.
Gradually over the years, I had to make compromises in everything I directed.
But after The Diplomat, I have decided to make films the way I want to.
Before The Diplomat, Web series kept me busy, particularly Special Ops and Mukhbir.
When did you decide to make a film on the diplomatic crisis involving Ambassador J P Singh?
I was introduced to this through Uzma Ahmed.
I was intrigued by his personality and his empathy for Uzma.
It was a conscious decision to stick to the actual story and not fictionalise it.
Most of what you see is fact, about 90 percent.
Both JP and Uzma shared their detailed stories with us.
The casting was a result of my growth as a filmmaker. John Abraham gave me creative freedom to make the film the way I wanted to.
How do you react to the film being seen as anti-Pakistan?
I don't think the film is anti-anything.
It's a story about a young woman who got conned and put in a dangerous situation and was rescued by a wise diplomat.
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