On the surface of things, it probably looks like he is just another ad filmmaker-turned-film director. But one look at him, and you know there is more to Pradeep Sarkar of Apocalypso Filmworks than meets the eye. With more than 50 advertisements, several music videos and the latest success of ‘Parineeta’ to his credit, one would think he would be in seventh heaven, right? Wrong. Hiding beneath all the showbiz is a down-to-earth man for whom the greatest award is a job well done.

Sarkar, originally from Kolkata, moved to Delhi in 1971 to pursue a course at the Delhi College of Art. He started his career in advertising with a small agency, Tulika, but soon moved to Grant Kenyon & Eckhardt (now merged with Contract). After 17 years, while he was vice-president, creative, he decided to call it quits at Contract to direct his first ad film for Kelvinator.

In a freewheeling conversation with Prajjal Saha and Devina Joshi of agencyfaqs!, this humble, 50-years-young film director talks about his journey to feature films, and the various nuances that go into filmmaking.

Q. You must be on a creative high after the success of your first feature film, ‘Parineeta’. How difficult has the road been to success?

A. I do feel good when people come and tell me that ‘Parineeta’ was a success, but I’m rather pessimistic about success. I believe that in this industry, you’re only as good as your last job. Success is a good feeling, but I don’t allow myself to enjoy it for too long. I’m quite scared of reaching the peak actually because the only way to go from there is downhill. So, the challenge is to look for a new hill, where I can scale newer heights.

The only time when I truly experience a creative high is after getting what I set out to achieve from a scene.

Q. Why is it that almost every ad filmmaker wants to become a feature film director? Can we safely say that advertising is a training ground for potential movie makers?

A. I feel the ‘training ground’ concept works both ways. One can learn from both feature films as well as ad films. Today, after having made ‘Parineeta’, I feel more confident while making ads. I have learned better ways to show human emotions, which is required for both a television commercial and a feature film.

Similarly, while working for the ‘Coke Bengali’ commercial, I started doing audio-boarding. Now it has become a habit with me. I did it while working for ‘Parineeta’ as well.

In a feature film, one has a better chance of playing with people’s emotions. People get to watch the movie on a big screen, in a dark theatre. The advanced sound effects also completely grab the audience. The ambience completely engrosses the viewers with the storyline. For two and a half hours, people live in a different world. However, while watching a television ad, for instance, there are too many distractions. I guess the feeling of capturing so many people at the same time, and making them live your story for two and a half hours, is what attracts ad men to a bigger canvas such as feature films.

Q. It’s said that filmmakers often get so engrossed in the details that they miss out on the big picture. Comment?

A. I disagree. It’s like saying that a surgeon, who is concentrating on cutting the artery, forgets the heart. How is that possible? How can he be a good doctor then? The same is applicable for filmmaking: The filmmaker concentrates on the heart of his audience, while the other team members contribute in other specific tasks like taking care of the minute details, just in the way an operation is done.

I, as a filmmaker, believe in concentrating on the story and capturing moments. If the team is perfect and shares the same vision as the director, then the latter can concentrate solely on his job, which is tugging at the audience’s heart strings.

Q. What, according to you, is more difficult – telling a story in 30 seconds or in three hours? Which one is more challenging – ad films or feature films?

A. Before starting work on ‘Parineeta’, Vidhu Vinod Chopra told me, “Just because you have made 30-sec ads, don’t think that you now have three hours to play around with. People are smarter and more impatient than you think.”

One has to keep the story tight and crisp. In fact, the storyline should move faster than people can think. It’s only then that a director can surprise the viewer. It’s killing to allow viewers to pre-empt the developments in the story. I always follow this principle. This is probably why the story of ‘Parineeta’ finished in two hours and five minutes. We could have easily extended it. Instead, we showed the entire love triangle in three-four minutes through a song.

Ultimately, it’s not 30 seconds or three hours that is important. What matters is the mood, the moment.

Q. Is there any proven formula for making a successful ad film?

A. Be it a feature film or an ad film, there is no such thing as a perfect shot. This I have learnt while making ‘Parineeta’. All one needs is that the expression of emotions be perfect, even if the shot might not be technically correct.

There has to be spontaneity in the shot, which goes beyond the script and the plan. I’ll share an experience. While shooting for a ‘Bajaj Boxer’ commercial with a four-day-old baby, we wanted her to look at her father during the shot. But on the first go, this child not only looked at her father, she even smiled. This is something which no director can ever plan. But it happened. This is what I call ‘magic’, which I believe is a godsend.

Q. Which is more important in an ad film – being technically correct or having the perfect emotional approach?

A. Being technically correct is certainly very important. Having said that, I know of even international ads, which are technically brilliant, but still fall flat because they fail to touch people.

But, apart from being technically accurate, it’s even more important to show what one can deliver. Look at the ‘Hutch’ ad, which shows a dog following a boy, depicting how the ‘Hutch’ network follows you wherever you go. There is no use of technology in the commercial, but it still touches deep within the heart of the consumer, and the message is delivered effectively. What’s important is that the expression has to be perfect.

Q. When you move from an advertising agency to become an independent filmmaker, you are no longer part of a group. How difficult is this transition, especially when you have to create an independent identity for yourself?

A. At the time when I used to work for an advertising agency, one was expected to do the work one was given, regardless of how talented one was in filmmaking. One was asked to try one’s luck elsewhere when it came to filmmaking as it was considered to be an external function.

But the scenario seems to be changing now. These days, there are brilliant filmmakers within the agency. For instance, in my knowledge, the famous ‘Matching-matching’ anti-dark circles cream commercial was directed by Gauri Shinde, who was part of Lowe’s creative team.

As far as the ‘beginner’s struggle’ is concerned, I feel you don’t have to be famous to go places. If your work is good, people will keep coming back to you and give you work. It is as simple as that.

Q. Is it true that for many successful commercials, it’s generally the agency or the creative director who gets most of the credit and the limelight, even the awards and the accolades?

A. I don’t completely agree with this statement. Even if they do, it’s because the idea and the concept is completely theirs. The filmmaker mainly does the execution.

But even then, every filmmaker needs to have a signature style. For instance, all Nirvana films can be identified by their casual look.

No doubt, sometimes, we feel that we also should be credited, but that is irrelevant. At the end of it, what’s important is that all the folks who have worked on the ad know what the filmmaker has contributed.

As far as external recognition is concerned, one certainly feels good when receiving an award. I felt the same when I got the ‘Best Director’ award at the Abbys for my work for ‘Aaj Tak’. This was also because the entire idea was conceived by the team at Apocalypso Films.

Q. Do you mean to say that ad filmmakers are not allowed to interfere, or rather, tweak the creative idea here and there? Are their suggestions welcomed by the agency folks?

A. Yes, there was a time when such practices were followed. A director was asked to follow the script or rather, “I have done my job, now you do yours”. But now, thankfully, it doesn’t work that way. We bounce ideas about as much as the next person. The filmmaker and the agency work as a team. Inputs from filmmakers are welcomed freely nowadays. The final product is what matters.

But I should also say that most creative directors know exactly what they want out of a film. They know the medium in and out.

Q. Most of the ‘Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola’ films were directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. But they chose you to direct the ‘Bengali Aamir’ film. What do you think of this decision? How was the experience of directing this film, as it had such a regional feel to it?

A. I guess Prasoon Joshi, who conceived the ‘Coke’ campaigns, thought I would do justice to the film because I’m Bengali! (Grins) The first thing I did was bring in the Bengali actor, Srilekha Mitra. She’s an absolutely natural actor. We wanted to make sure the diction and the feel was entirely Bengali. We covered two main things: storyboarding and audio-boarding. The latter is used in vocal ads, where we enact all the sounds, complete with the background music and all.

Q. In the pre-satellite television era, we had the ‘documentary’ style of advertising. How do you think advertising and filming techniques have evolved over the years?

A. According to me, things changed drastically after Hindi or rather ‘Hinglish’ took over as the main language in advertising. Lots of people came in and made quite a few changes, but I think the true renaissance in ad filming was brought in by Piyush Pandey. We don’t use the words, ‘contrary to popular belief’ any more. Now, we use day-to-day words such as ‘hungama’, ‘dhamaka’ and ‘come on, yaar’. This was inconceivable a couple of years ago.

As the language changed, points of view changed and, consequently, thought processes changed. The documentary style of advertising, the ‘we-have-to-make-people-understand’ route is passé and clichéd. Now, everything is based on ideas. Look at the ‘Fevi Kwik’ fishing rod commercial. The idea alone was so powerful. ‘Documentary’ has now given way to ‘ideation’.

Q. Every ad filmmaker finds his own style of making a film. What do you think is your style?

A. If you ask me, it is ‘spontaneity’. I love playing with people’s emotions. I like to catch those moments that are not written anywhere, nor planned in any way. I constantly look out for moments that will touch the audience, moments that will take them by surprise, moments that will sweep them along with me. That is when the magic happens.

August 29, 2005
Mumbai
You can write to Pradeep Sarkar at
apocalypso@rescueteam.com