Making a film and distributing it are different ball games: Jaideep Chopra

Some of the critics have called your film Maazii quite surprising.
It feels great that my work has been appreciated. I still have a lot to learn. I'm honoured and thankful that the critics and the industry sees calibre in me. As a director, I have always dreamt of making cinema with an impact and path-breaking films. I'm glad Maazii is a step in the right direction for me.

Director Jaideep Chopra

Your film doesn't seem to be doing too great at the box office. Not many theatres are running the film. Why?
Making a film and distributing it are two different ball games. Creatively, as a director, I have tried to do justice to the film. However, marketing and distribution are essential to get a film to the theatres. We had a stipulated budget for marketing, and we did our best to promote the film, but without adequate distribution support, it becomes difficult to convince the theatres and get screens. Luckily, critics and the audience seeing the film like it and word-of-mouth publicity is very strong. The number of shows for our film has already started increasing. Still, somehow I feel that in this creative industry, for a director, critical acclaim is more important. Commercial success usually follows good, honest work.

What do you plan to do next?
There are a few scripts that I am considering right now. I need to be very careful in selecting the right project now. I want my next one to be a masterpiece since I have set a benchmark for myself and will have to live up to the high expectations the critics and the industry have from me.u00a0