Whether a hit or a flop, it’s part of the game: Vijay Krishna Acharya in Kanpur

It was a homecoming for Kanpur-born filmmaker Vijay Krishna Acharya, who was in Kanpur recently for a literary event. Visiting the city after four years, the 'Dhoom 3' and 'Thugs of Hindostan' director was impressed by his city folk’s newfound interest in literature. "Kanpur is my own town," said Acharya when we caught up with him at the recently concluded Kanpur Literature Festival. "I was born and brought up here. When I am in Mumbai I really miss the people, zubaan and khana of Kanpur. But after visiting Kanpur this time, I realised that the city has really changed a lot, for the good. Ek woh Kanpur hai jo meri yaadon mein hai aur ek aaj ka Kanpur hai. It used to be a city with a laid-back attitude when I left the place. There used to be no social networking or so many cars in the city. My life as a young student used to revolve around Thaggu Ke Laddu, Reserve Bank ke samne waali chaat and the company of my friends. There used to be a very strong sense of peace when I used to stay here. Now, when I live in Mumbai, I miss Kanpur and that carefree life that I had here. Jis samay yahan rehte thay uss samay yahan ki language ke baare mein kabhi socha hi nahi but after working for years in Mumbai, I realised that there is something magical in Kanpur’s language. This is why, Kanpur is reflected in most of my movies. Be it Tashan, where the plot of the movie was set in Kanpur, or the recent Thugs of Hindostan, where the character of Aamir Khan (Firangi Mallah) was from Kanpur, my hometown does find a place in my films," added Vijay.

Vijay Krishna (BCCL/ IB Singh)

Vijay, who has worked with bigwigs like Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan feels that his life as a director will come full circle when he shoots a film in his hometown. "Ummeed toh poori hai ki Kanpur mein ya Kanpur ke baare mein koi film banaun," said Vijay, adding, "It was in Kanpur where I got exposed to the art of filmmaking. It was my teacher Mehfooz Aslam, who made a film named Chhatein (Terraces) and that film had a huge influence on me. That’s when I decided to be a filmmaker."
"Mujhe Kanpur se Mumbai gaye hue 20 saal ho gaye hain, aur ab jab main Kanpur aata hoon toh yahan ke logon se milkar bahut saare inputs milte hain. There is one story I am working on and it is about UP. It has really excited me and if it gets on floor, then you can surely expect me to be shooting it in Kanpur soon," added Vijay.
Vijay’s recent work 'Thugs of Hindostan' failed at the Box Office. Ask him what went wrong with the film and he said, "I feel that the thing that excited us about the film, failed in exciting the audiences. 'Thugs of Hindostan is a film of the genre which has not yet been explored by the Indian audience. It was a very important film for me and a lot of people who worked really hard for it. The Box Office did not respond to it well and we have to accept it because it is the audience’s verdict."
And though the film failed, Vijay doesn’t feel it will have a negative impact on his future as a director. "Whether a hit or a flop, it’s part of the game. Films are made for audience’s appreciation but films are also made for artistic satisfaction. But now it’s the creative challenge that is in front of me. Now as a writer and director, I have to understand what message I am getting from the audience. Lekin main agli film ke liye utni hi shiddat se aur jaldi kaam karna start karna chahta hoon," he said.
Having been in the industry for close to two decades, Vijay does not feel that

Bollywood

works only on networking. "It’s just the mastery in your skill that gets you work in the industry. Main jab Kanpur se gaya tha tab main Bollywood mein kisi ko pehchanta tak nahi tha. Par wahan pahunch kar maine har kisi ke saath kaam kiya. Bollywood is a place which is completely free from caste, region and religion. Some people might work in the industry with the help of networking but I feel is that it’s your artistic competence that gets you work in industry," he opined.

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