At the age of 25, Shubhashish Bhutiani has already earned an Oscar nomination for his short film ‘Kush’ and has received a standing ovation for his latest Hotel Salvation or Mukti Bhawan at the Venice International Film Festival. While talking to News18.com, the director spoke about how the idea of making a film on 1984 assassination case hit him and also gave insight into his next project with Adil Hussain.
“Kush is based on a true story that happened to my Economics teacher where she went on a field trip in 1984 when the assassination happened”, says the independent filmmaker.
He believes that if an idea has the power to stay with you for so long, you should definitely pursue it. “The one idea that she had to experience has stayed with me. I should have paid more attention to it back then, but I made the film 6 years later. So if any idea that has the power to stay with you for so long, you’ve to make that film.”
Set around the time of Indira Gandhi’s assassination and the aftermath of the anti-Sikh riots in Delhi and other cities, Bhutiani’s Kush was screened on the second day of the ongoing Dharamshala International Film Festival.
Another film for which the filmmaker has been garnering appreciation is Hotel Salvation starring Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl, Geetanjali Kulkarni and Palomi Ghosh in pivotal roles.
While he visited these hotels – places where guests check in just because they think it’s the ideal place to die - as a tourist, his amusement with the idea that such places exist, led him into penning down the story line of what went into being one of the most-loved films at Venice film festival. “I was amused by the idea that there’s a place called Hotel Salvation – like people really check in to die. So I started reading about it, started talking to people and then of course, the germ of the idea came when I heard a father-son story there. It’s like an intimate moment but that’s also really funny. So, the film has many feelings to it.”
When asked about his working experience with Adil Hussain, he promptly says that Adil made his job a lot easier. “He’s fantastic. He has made my job so easier.”
“It’s first time that I’m working with him. It was a huge learning experience for me as a filmmaker. I learnt a lot - it was a give and take relationship. They made me feel so comfortable”.
Known to ace his character portrayal to perfection, Adil has proved his acting credentials yet again. “At one point, I couldn’t imagine him doing it because I’ve never seen him doing anything like this before but now I can’t imagine someone else doing it. He just brought this character to life. He took my ideas and made them his own”.
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