Anushka Sharma and her older
brother, Karnesh Sharma, turned producers with NH10 (2015). The movie did well,
and it also garnered critical acclaim. A few days before National Siblings Day
(April 10), we caught up with Anushka and Karnesh, who want to make films that
will take the audience by surprise.
What is it like, working with a sibling — good, bad or ugly?
Karnesh: It’s all of it.
It’s good, it’s bad, very bad, sometimes torturous and suicidal (laughs).
Anushka: He’s right, it’s
not all good, because somewhere, as family, you take each other for granted.
When you have to speak to somebody from your workspace, you’ll be tactful. But
with your sibling, you talk with no holds barred. So, sometimes, we end up
fighting. But these are things we are both aware of. The good bit that comes
out of working together is far more. Also, we are too close. If we didn’t have
such a strong relationship, it would’ve been different. In our case, he is my
best friend.
Karnesh: What’s important
is that at the end of it all, there’s trust. So, even though there might be
issues, we know that we can trust each other blindly.
Anushka: He and I have
never had different opinions. Our approaches may differ, but our final result
is the same.
What made you get into production?
Karnesh: While sailing
(he was in the merchant navy), the only form of entertainment for us used to be
movies. And not just Indian films, but world cinema. So, I’ve always been
interested in movies, and now with her being in the industry, I’m more in tune
with the process. Also, production is very similar to what we did in the
merchant navy - we managed things.
Anushka: And I think
that’s what production is about. Apart from the creative aspect, it really is
about people management.
NH10 exposed the dark underbelly of Haryana. Your next film is based in
Punjab. Does that also have a similar theme?
Anushka: There’s no
pattern. We’re trying to create different and new content with our company.
Karnesh: We believe in
reacting to stories. A script should appeal to us, irrespective of the genre.
NH10 was a different genre from what our next is. Ultimately, it’s about what
stories excite you personally; then you hope they excite many more people.
Your production house is fairly new. How difficult, would you say, is
it to promote new talent?
Karnesh: It’s not easy.
We’re fortunate that Anushka’s professional stature is such that there are
enough people who trust her, and these are people who are commercially
interested in films, and studios. They believe that she’s a bankable star. But
film-making is not easy, and it shouldn’t be either.
Anushka: Getting a new
person to do something puts us in a challenging situation, because you have to
be doubly sure when you’re backing someone. And we have taken on that
challenge. I guess that also comes from having clarity about what you’re doing.
Apart from creating good content, we also want to add to the talent pool.
Tell us about your next film.
Anushka: It’s a romantic
and fun film. It has drama, comedy and music. We are also experimenting a lot
with the technical aspect of film-making [with it].
Karnesh: We’re using a
lot of visual effects. Overall, it’s a complete film with a lot of emotions.
It’s very quirky.
What did you learn from your maiden production?
Karnesh: I learnt how to
make a good film with a low budget (laughs).
Anushka: How you can make
a film, even if you don’t have any money (laughs).
Karnesh: We’ve learnt
that when you don’t have a lot of resources, you find newer ways of doing
things. Apart from that, it also taught us to work harder.
*their recent interview in Hindustan Times
