Actors Nandita Das, Manav Kaul and Saurabh Shukla, who will be seen in the remake of the cult film Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai, did not ask for any remuneration from filmmaker Soumitra Ranade.
“It was a very challenging film, but I could pull it off only because of my supportive actors who worked for free,” Ranade said.
Das, best known for her Indian National Award-winning film Firaaq, says she doesn’t equate money with work.
“There is a lot of work that I do without charging anything. Films of course, help me pay my bills and, hence, I don’t do them without any fees.
“But seldom do you get a project or a director where you know that they genuinely don’t have the money — and they just want to make a good film! So you want to participate in that. I think we all have to support each other especially those who are doing things with great honesty, with great integrity,” she said.
The original film, directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, was released in 1980 and starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Smita Patil and Om Puri in the lead roles.
“This is the first script I read that I couldn’t put it down. It was such an amazing script. I know the director very well, and I knew it was straight from his heart. I told him we have to make this film anyhow, even if we have to do it for free. Such roles don’t come your way often and I didn’t want to let go of this brilliant opportunity,” Kaul said.
Shukla said that the director approached him and told him that there is no money, but “you be a partner. So all of us are partners in this project and I think it is a great idea because there are scripts in which the ‘mainstream market’ doesn’t believe in. But as artists we know that it has content and also has commercial possibilities”.
“So in such a scenario, actors and the crew members come on board and say ‘we will work for free for you and share the profits later’. So in fact this is my chance to buy my Jaguar,” he added.
The makers of the film are raising Rs. 3 million (Dh167,069) through a two-month crowd funding campaign on funding platform Wishberry that will cease on October 2. The campaign started on August 3 to collect money for the post-production, animation and VFX of the film.
A release date is yet to be announced for Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai.
