Mumbai: As actor Vinay Pathak gears up for the release of ‘Gaur Hari Dastaan’ a biopic on Oriya freedom fighter Gaur Hari Das, he feels that niche film like these need all the encouragement as they find it difficult to find a distributor.
Speaking exclusively to IBNLive.com on his latest film and his passion for cinema Pathak said, “Small films always have to struggle to find a distributor to get a commercial release. The story driven film is a niche film. And in the business of cinema, it is never lucrative to release such a film. So it relies on word-of-mouth publicity.”
Pathak, however, admits that things have been changing and that more people are now accepting niche cinema. “Films like ‘Masaan’, ‘Court’ have an audience now. ‘Court’ is brilliant, in fact. Haven’t seen anything like this in years. I can easily say that it is at par with international cinema.”
The actor plays a the title role in ‘Gaur Hari Dastaan’ and states that it was the freedom fighter’s zeal to never give up that inspired him to take up the film. “For 30 years he struggled to get the freedom fighter’s status from the government of India but never got bitter about it. His perseverance is inspiring,” said the actor and added, “He is an ordinary man with extra ordinary achievements. He had put his life at stake several times during the freedom struggle. Got arrested for the first time at the age of 13 years. Naver gave up working for the freedom of his motherland.”
The actor, who has worked in both commercial and art cinema said he chooses films according to the script. “That is the only attraction to be honest.” Having been part of three important mediums like TV, theater and films, Pathak says that cinema is his favourite medium. “Cinema is fascinating. Theater is my first love, of course. It is physically taxing. In cinema, so many takes and retakes happen and only one gets canned. And a perfect shot is not because of one person in cinema. It is always a team work. It is beyond an individual’s control.”
Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey used to be a part of the satirical ‘The Great Indian Comedy Show’ on TV in the early 2000s. The duo was perhaps the first few celebrities to do satirical content on TV. Does he feel like reviving the show now? “We always wanted to do satire and the show gave us that platform. Now everyone is doing comedy.”
Does he feel that India has become more open to such content over the years? “There are definitely more platforms now. AIB is doing terrific stuff. I have known Tanmay (Bhatt) for a long time and I am a big fan of the group.” The actor also revealed that even while doing ‘The Great Indian Comedy Show’, they received several hate mails objecting about their content.
Before signing off, Pathak said he was a happy man because he got to play Gaur Hari Das. “The film is relevant for our times. We have got so much to learn from this man. He has never been bitter about his struggle, and has always thought for others. In his time, it was not radical to think for others betterment but in now it is. And his story needs to be told.”
Vinay Pathak’s ‘Gaur Hari Dastaan’ has been directed by Anant Mahadevan and also features Konkona Sen Sharma and Ranvir Shorey.
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