According to Ram Gopal Varma, Indian filmmakers neither have the brains, budget nor the technology to compete with their Hollywood counterparts when it comes to making scary films. In spite of all the limitations, one brave man decided to take up the challenge to prove him wrong. IBN Movies chats up director Milind Gadagkar and finds out what it takes to make a horror film.
What inspired you to make a horror film?
I never planned to choose horror as a subject for my debut film. Personally, I love all the genres. I wrote Phoonk 1 and it was appreciated by the masses. So I wrote the sequel for RGV. I narrated the first draft and he pointed out some changes in it. So, after making several drafts, he told me that I should direct this film. So that’s how I came into the picture.
What is the scariest story you have ever heard? It need not be a horror story.
Firstly, I do not believe in ghosts. So when I hear horror stories, I do not really understand them as I have never come across supernatural things. But this story about a Delhi guy who went missing from Shimla blew my find away. He had rented a house in Shimla and his landlords were an elderly couple. When he didn’t return to Delhi, his father came searching for him in that house. After investigations, the police found out that it was the old couple who killed the boy and ate him. They were man eaters.
An interesting script isn’t it? What are the most essential ingredients required to make a horror film?
Fear is an irrational feeling. There is no law of fear. It is in your mind. As a filmmaker, the challenge is to create an atmosphere where you can scare the audience. Technical things like camera angles, lights play a very important role. It should look believable. Sound also plays a major role. Scaring the audiences visually and with sound goes hand in hand. But at the end of the day, it is the storyline which keeps everyone involved in the film.
What makes Phoonk2 better than its first version? What are the mistakes that you have overcome as a writer?
Phoonk 1 would have done much better if it was not projected as a horror film. RGV promoted it as a scary film but there was nothing scary about the film and that’s why people were disappointed. It was a mistake. The film was more about black magic and how the characters get involved into complicated situations as one of them is a believer and the other one is not.
Though there are many scary scenes in Phoonk 2, the critics have panned the film? What do you think went wrong?
As filmmakers, we make a film with a lot of effort not thinking about how a critic would rate it. We make it for everyone. Someone likes it, someone doesn’t. Every critic is entitled to have an opinion. There is nothing I can do but keep working hard and make another film.
Any creative difference with Ram Gopal Varma as he himself is an outstanding filmmaker of this genre?
No, never. RGV focuses a lot on the script. Once he had approved the final draft, he left everything on me. I think it is the trust that he had in me. He believed that I could make this film and so he gave me all the creative freedom. I am glad for the opportunity he gave me.
So, all geared for Phoonk 3?
Well, I don’t know. I am not ready yet. RGV made an announcement a day before the release about Phoonk 3. But for me, I have to do a lot of work before I begin with the third part. Honestly, I am bored of the characters. So, I will have to create a new world altogether and present it in a different way. I do not want to repeat what I have already done. May be I will take a break for some time and start writing.
Which film has scared you the most?
A Tale of Two Sisters. It is a South Korean psychological horror film by Kim Ji woon. My hands and feet turned cold after watching it.
By Mehul Satish Thakkar
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