The transition from an Indie filmmaker to a feature film maker isn’t a walk in the park. But director Sandeep Mohan who has a couple of Indie films to his credit sounds quite assured, as we begin conversing about his latest release, Shreelancer, which is about a freelancer named Shree.
“Not being in a nine-to-five job, Shree battles with self-doubt about his artistic abilities. His parents add to this by frustrating him in the name of being worried about his future. Fate has him travelling to a friend’s wedding, and that journey transforms his life,” says Sandeep who has previously helmed Hola Venky! and Love, Wrinkle-free. “My previous films had a good dose of comedy. But Shreelancer will be more dramatic. There’s less humour than in my previous films.”
Sandeep has been inspired to create Shree’s character by what he experienced in his 20s. “Another difference from my previous films would be the fact that I can relate some parts of Shree’s character to my younger self. I was an advertising copywriter too.”
He says when he used to freelance, many people did not even understand what it meant. “Now, I’m slowly seeing this trend increase. Just like people going to office, youngsters are beginning to flock to cafes with their laptops. I don’t think there can be a better time to do a film based on the lives of freelancers and what they go through,” he says, adding that he hopes that the film will make people better understand their world.
The director also feels that there isn’t much of a difference between independent films and those that get a wide release. “They are just named differently, but they’re all the same. From the audience’s perspective, a film is only either good or bad. If there’s a difference at all, I’d say tha tindie films are more relatable and sensible (laughs).”
Shreelancer has already been shown at a few international film festivals. “We premiered at the New York Indian Film Festival and later went to Chicago. The way I see it, festivals are a nice way to see different kinds of films. It’s all about trying to tell the audience an interesting story about a person like them.” Shreelancer will have its Chennai and Hyderabad release on August 25, a week after its release yesterday.