Subhash K Jha talks with Tere Bin Laden director Abhishek Sharma about the making of the 2010 satire starring Ali Fazal.
What does this small-budget cult hit mean to your career?
Tere Bin Laden is still an inspiration for me as a filmmaker. It reminds me of the courage and free flowing expression I possessed as a debutante director.
You didn’t have much to fall back on when you directed this?
All I had was a great idea and a great team. I guess that’s all you need to make a good film. Even now, whenever I get overwhelmed by unpredictability of the box office or get discouraged by people’s lack of interest in a great idea… Tere Bin Laden acts like a light tower to guide me out of the fog of confusion and indecisiveness.
It motivates you even now?
Yes, if I could do it then… I can do it now as well! Tere Bin Laden has been a special film, not just for me as a filmmaker, but also for lots of audience members who over time, have become diehard fans of a small budget film that today is seen as a cult classic.
I think the political satire still connects?
The special love that I get from fans from all walks of life for this debut venture of mine has been overwhelming. Every year when I get congratulatory messages on 16 July for the film’s anniversary, it is like a booster shot. It fills me with immense pride and encouragement.
What is your big takeaway from the experience?
It is a reminder that if our storytelling is honest and our craft is backed by passion, we can achieve big dreams even with so called “small films”. When a film is wholeheartedly accepted by the audience it ceases to be the director’s film. Now it belongs to the people and that in filmmaking is the biggest achievement. More than awards and box office numbers, it is this organic yet intangible success that lasts forever.
