Filmmaking can be an agonisingly collaborative process, and it’s always sad to see a director lash out because of ‘what could have been’. We’ve witnessed something like this in the case of Motichoor Chaknachoor director Debamitra Biswal, who recently helmed the film starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui & Athiya Shetty. The film, which released last week, got mixed reviews and it didn’t make anyone sit up and take notice. Writing an open note about her debut, Biswal bemoaned the fact that no one will see the ‘magic’ she created with her cast & crew.
Produced by Viacom 18 Pictures, the film was pegged around an a 36-year-old Pushpinder Tyagi and a 20-something Anita, discovering love under strange circumstances. Biswal blamed ‘silly ego fights’ as the reason behind the half-cooked, underwhelming film. She was already involved in a legal battle with production Woodpecker Movies Pvt. Ltd, over the non-payment of dues.
Here’s the full text of what Biswal said –
Now that the film is finally releasing , i would like to tell everyone that this has been the most toughest journey in my life ever. But unfortunately not the best one at the end. We all from the actors to the technicians to everyone involved in the film made this film with immense love and hardwork. But i guess not all journey are made successful.
Everyone who has worked in a film knows very well how important an edit is for a film. Sticking shots together does not make a film. I wish important decision makers of the film could have understood this. But i will always be grateful to the beautiful souls who helped me complete this film but sadly no one can watch the magic that we created.
Thank you Chandan Arora for showing me how a great film is made on the edit table. Thank you for editing it beyond beautiful. Sadly the world is not seeing our work.
Thank you Megh for writing the hilarious dialogues and the amazing screenplay with me but sadly the world is not going to see our version of fun.
Thank you Nawaz ji, Athiya, Vibha Chibber, Navni Parihar, Sanjeeva Vats, Abhishek Rawat, Sapna Sand, Karuna Pandey, Vivek Mishra ji, Usha Nagar ji, Rachna Pakai, n little Devansh,for putting the bestest in this film. Sadly no one will get to watch that best.
I will only cherish the sounds of people who laughed n enjoyed at the personal screening of my version even without any background music or proper dubbing.Sadly that version is not coming out. Only due to some silly ego fights which has no meaning at all.
Thank you my entire team. Thank you Tariq Bhai, Suhas Gujrati, Sanjay Bansal, Zeeshan, imran…thank you not only for helping me out in the film but thank you for standing by me through out .
Sorry i could not save the film. We know what great potential it had. But i guess sometimes things get ruined even after lot of honesty put in.
I still wish i could show the world what i had made.
Thank you Sohaib for taking all this pain since last three years and still standing by me like a rock. Your support is beyond measure. I might have fallen short on luck with this film but definitely beyond grateful to god to bless me you as my husband. Sorry i could not make you proud this time.
Lastly very important notice to all near and dear ones:
It’s OK if you still want to watch the film but go at your own risk. I will not be responsible for your bheja fry. An experience definitely as sweet as Motichoor, but an outcome is total Chaknachoor.
In an industry where directors rarely speak up against the tirade of studios, what Biswal has done is certainly out of the ordinary. However, this might also mean that she burns a few professional bridges. Great directors like David Fincher & Guillermo del Toro have previously spoken out against the tyranny of the studio system.
Biswal’s debut feature showed promise in the way it tells this ‘quirky romance’ between an unconventional-looking middle-aged man, and a vain woman in her early 20s. The characters feel genuine for the most part, even if the film goes off the rails by the end. Here’s hoping Biswal gets another opportunity to prove her mettle.
