Pritish Nandy to launch new directors in 'Guerrilla Flicks'

Mumbai, Aug 6 (IANS) Pritish Nandy Communications (PNC) is embarking on a new journey - it will launch filmmakers with projects that would be so unconventional and unorthodox that outwardly they would appear impractical as business ventures.

'But that's the whole point of creating cinema and making movies. We at PNC are here to take chances. Hence we're launching a new series called Guerrilla Flicks. Not 'gorilla flicks',' Nandy told IANS.

So what are Guerrilla Flicks?

'A genre of cinema that dares to see tomorrow. There'll be comedies, action, whatever. They will be non-star, non-profit films. The only qualification to make a Guerrilla Flick for PNC would be to have vision and derring-do.

'I'm shocked to see the so-called big filmmakers today only talk about money. Everyone's talking mammoth budgets and ridiculous targets. They don't talk about cinema. My Guerrilla Flicks would be about small budgets, small stars and big cinema,' explained Nandy.

The filmmaker, who collaborated with directors like Sujoy Ghosh in 'Jhankaar Beats', Saket Chaudhary in 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects' and Sudhir Mishra in 'Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi', will now give opportunity to much daring directors.

'Arindam Mitra is shooting the first film in the series. We've finalised 10 films already. We're lining up some of the most unconventional talents. These include some of the biggest ad-makers of the country. All they need to do is direct the film that they believe in for PNC. Then they're free to go wherever they want to go.'

PNC intends to invite small neglected but gifted directors from all over the world to come under this banner.

'Every director, big or small, has this secret wish to make that one movie he always wanted to. Maybe David Dhawan wanted to remake Vittorio De Sica 'Bicycle Thieves'. He's welcome to make it for us. Anyone and everyone are welcome.'

Though Nandy is generous enough to provide opportunity to new directors, he is not taking any risk on script - he will look at every script personally.

Isn't a risk of these no-profit Guerrilla films becoming loss making ventures?

'PNC isn't afraid of falling. Thankfully, we've so far had only two loss making ventures Ismail Merchant's 'The Mystic Masseur' and Kabir Sadanand's 'Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jao'.'