Chaitanya Tamhane on lack of support to indie filmmakers: ‘Stars can do one for the kitchen, one for the soul’

As he turns producer with Next, Please, National Award-winning director Chaitanya Tamhane rues the lack of institutional support for indie filmmakers; urges India’s top stars to empower the community

It’s hard for a new voice to be heard in the Indian film industry. Director Chaitanya Tamhane of The Disciple (2021) fame knows this all too well. That’s why he has turned producer for Next, Please, a short film directed by Rishav Kapoor that explores modern relationships through the lens of virtual reality. “If I can support other voices and make projects materialise, why not? There are a bunch of films that I’m involved with unofficially,” says Tamhane, happy that he gave the reins of the short film, written by him, to Kapoor. 

Alfonso Cuarón

The past year has been wonderful for independent cinema. Girls will be Girls won two awards at the Sundance Film Festival, while Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. But Tamhane emphasises that indie filmmakers aren’t empowered in India. “There is no institutional support for most of these films. Independent creators could always do with more support. Documentaries from India have been nominated for the Oscars, but the mainstream film industry isn’t even aware of them. They are living in a different world. I’m sure actors can help in a big way, especially in India where everything is so star-heavy and star-obsessed. It’s the responsibility of these stars to support good projects and independent voices. You can always do one for the kitchen, and one for the soul.”

Jim Sarbh in Next, Please

With Next, Please—starring Jim Sarbh, Shreya Dhanwanthary and Shardul Bharadwaj—Tamhane wanted to marry several ideas while telling the story of a dating club. “On dating apps, people put up their best versions. People are being judged on shallow factors like their pictures, outfits and where they travel whereas that person’s reality is different. I also wanted [to explore] the illusion of choice where people believe there is someone better out there and they keep going on dates,” he explains. 

Tamhane is already working on his next, which is being produced by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón. “We’re trying to raise funds for it,” says the director. When we express surprise that a film that boasts an Oscar winner and a National Award winner is struggling to raise funds, Tamhane laments, “It’s still difficult because it’s an Indian film. I took two-and-a-half years to write it, then another year to do several drafts. I was one of the five shortlisted candidates for the Rolex Mentorship Program. In the final round, Alfonso was to select one person. I was sure I had no chance. We met in a restaurant in London, and he mentioned Andheri, Bandra and he was like an India expert. It felt so comfortable. He then selected me, and that friendship is now nine years old. I feel blessed to have him as a mentor and producer.”

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