Munjya director Aditya Sarpotdar’s mantra for winning over audiences

Aditya Sarpotdar, director of ‘Munjya’, has created a name for himself in the Marathi cinema industry. Now, he is winning over the Hindi audiences with his superhit horror-comedy film. Made on a limited budget, with no big stars, ‘Munjya’ has become a big box office success on the strength of its strong story, presenting an original plot, and excellent VFX. In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Aditya Sarpotdar speaks about the success of his film, the horror genre in India, his approach to filmmaking, his future projects, and more.

What worked in favour of ‘Munjya’?

Before the release of the film, we were confident that it is different and that people would watch the film. We were happy with the way ‘Munjya’ had turned out. But we were not actually anticipating such success at the box office. The major reason was because it had no big stars and neither did it have those typical box office draws. What the movie’s success has made us realise is that people are beginning to watch good content, especially in the last one and a half years. So, we have seen a lot of small films that have done very well in this period.

Coming from the Marathi cinema background and having done Marathi films where we purely focussed on the story and the content and not depend on star power, I decided to follow this same route when I started making ‘Munjya’. I realised I didn’t have the pressure of making a film with a big star. I was making a film with newer actors. I was again working like I would work in Marathi films, trying to make the best film, where the script was the star.

All these small films were doing business in the range of Rs 50 crore to Rs 60 crore. We, as an industry, have not been making enough of those films. Now, everybody in the industry is starting to explore out-of-the-box content. They have started to give more importance to scripts and stories and scriptwriters, where the focus is on making good content cinema, rather than just banking of big star pull at the theatres. Today’s audience is becoming very aware of good content because of their exposure to OTTs.

Were you expecting such kind of success for ‘Munjya’?

No, it was impossible for anyone to predict the movie’s huge success. But as filmmakers, we were sure that we were attempting something unique. ‘Munjya’ is a concept that has never been done before. It is based on local folklore, and hence, my casting had Marathi actors. The story is set in a very small town in Konkan, so we have used the local language. We did wonder whether the film would create a connect with the audience in north India. But we realized that people, in fact, find this thing very unique now. We somewhere underestimated the fact that there is an audience who watches films that are, in that sense, very culturally connected.

Do you think horror as a genre has not been explored well in India?

I have still not made an out and out horror film; ‘Zombivali’ and ‘Munjya’ are horror-comedies. I think there’s a big difference between a horror film and a horror-comedy. A film that started this genre was ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’. There are limited films made in this genre. When you say a horror film, then you’re talking about ‘Tumbbad’, ‘Raat’, ‘Vaastushastra’, those are genuine horror movies. But these movies have a select audience. Family audiences with kids, female audience, and elderly audience generally stay away from pure horror films. But horror-comedies attract families with kids, female audience, and elderly people, though they feel a sense of fear, they also have a good laugh.

But now, I feel these pure horror films definitely have a market and I am really excited to see how many people are attempting genuine horror. For genuine horror films to be successful, we should rope in bigger stars, for example ‘Bhoot’, which starred Ajay Devgn, Urmila Matondkar and Nana Patekar. However, I still feel that the pure horror genre it is not explored as much as it should be in India.

You have been attached to the film industry from a very young age. What are the things that have stayed with you?

What I have realized is that it is important to be very honest in your craft and your attempt at making films. You can’t control box office numbers, because there are so many factors that are beyond your control. My first film was ‘Uladhal’, which was released in 2008. A week after the film’s release, the 26/11 terrorist attacks took place in Mumbai. So, I remember that all the theatres were shut in Mumbai for nearly one week because of the terror attacks. Circumstances are not in our hands. After a few days, we were doing very good business. What I realized from my first film itself was that you can make a good film, but you cannot control the box office.

With ‘Munjya’ also we tried to leave it in a period where there was no other film. It helped us also that people had no other options. What I’ve learned is that as a filmmaker you do the best of your capabilities and be very honest to your craft.

What is the update on the sequel of ‘Munjya’?

When we write the script and make a film, we always want to write a story that has the potential to go ahead, regardless of the kind of business that the film does. So, if you notice, we have kept the end of ‘Munjya’ an open ended one. Thus, there is a possibility of a second part and that possibility excited us. In the theatre also, a lot of the audience were intrigued.

In the next 3-4 years, when I make a sequel to the film and when I move on, that audience will stick and stay true as a faithful audience. I will stay true to the story. Because of social media, there are so many people who are already making theories. We do watch all these videos and comments. It is a good time to have a filmmaker who remains connected to your audience. Today, it is very difficult to get people into the theatres. To know that there is an audience that is excited to come to the theatre to watch you, is great.

How would you sum up this year for the film industry?

This year has been a very fulfilling year. This time the learning has been very positive, where I realized that the audience – more than the filmmakers and the films – is changing. The scenario is changing. In the future, you will have more films that are content driven. Now, people are actually watching good content, so, it inspires producers, writers and directors to write purely good films. It’s probably that trend will change now and you’ll see that even bigger stars will only do films that have a good, strong script. The takeaway has definitely been the fact that I can also keep on making good content. 

What are the plans for next year?

The plan for next year is that after ‘Munjya’, I will be making a vampire film. Moreover, there is a web series for Hotstar that I have been working on, which is ready now. It will have six episodes and it is looking amazing. Around November, there’s a short film that I have made, which is an anthology film on mental awareness. I’m exploring all formats. For me, it is very exciting to be a director and be able to do full feature films, short films, OTT series. I am looking forward to next year to explore different genres and to attempt things that are outside my comfort space also. Whatever I’ve been writing or developing, I am exploring and looking forward to seeing how people receive it.