It's first strange and then pleasing to watch a trailer for a mainstream film that is not selling a star in the first ten seconds. The trailer of Ohh My Dog opens with a shot of a dog atop a car, followed by many shots of strays crowding the streets at night. You catch a glimpse of Pankaj Tripathi. Is that Pavan Malhotra in a turban? The goal is to make a film’s story its selling point again — that’s what Amit Rai, director of films like Road to Sangam (2010) and OMG 2 (2023), tells us in a wide-ranging conversation on the current state of Hindi cinema, the importance of social commentary in storytelling, and more.
Excerpts:
The Ohh My Dog trailer stands out because it doesn’t depend on face value of actors like Pankaj Tripathi and Pavan Malhotra, but it's canine protagonist…
This was partly the intention — to make the story the star again. Our industry has always survived on stories. If we abandon the responsibilities of storytelling and start doing things which only help business, it doesn’t work. If the audience carries back home even one idea or value, it works like a seedling for something to grow within. Even a film like Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) worked because of its story. Star system will always be there, and you have to fight it the way you want. If you want to be an outlier, it’s your decision. Those who want to climb Mount Everest, they will.
Why is this particular story important to tell?
It’s about empathy, and I believe everything is born out of it. I have a dog, and it taught me the meaning of life. It waits for me all day. If I don’t return, it stays by the door all night. In it, I feel a mother’s compassion and love. The dog gives you unconditional love, but how do I repay him? Both are doing their duty — both the human and the dog.
Is messaging an important element of filmmaking?
Being a student of cinema and theatre, I could never imagine it any other way. Ages ago, even when a tribal man clapped for something, he must have thought, “This is a good thing.” When we were in school, we used to be asked to write ‘the moral of the story.’ If you are making a film that’s not saying anything, it has no meaning. So what the ‘non-message’ makers are talking about is business and capitalism. It’s like me going to a shop and giving them money, to buy a soft drink — it’s a mere transaction; nothing comes out of it.
But when you watch this story, it must shake something in you. Those people who keep saying, ‘Get the stray dogs out of here,’ if even half of them contemplate their ideas, my job is done. If we are not compassionate for the dogs today, how will we be compassionate for our children tomorrow? Compassion doesn’t discriminate. If your compassion is alive, the world will be fine.
The teaser also worked because it doesn’t give away the story much…
With the advent of OTT and so much content bombardment, the audience has become smarter than he makers. You can’t take them for granted. If you reveal the story, why will they go to theatres? Unpredictability is key. My guru (and late theatre legend) Vijaya Mehta would tell me, “Go to the stage, take a shoe in your hand, and just shake it. Keep everyone thinking, ‘what next?’” You have to keep people guessing. If you give them that high, it’s unparalleled. We are borrowing remake and sequel rights from the south, but we don’t try to understand how they operate.
Where exactly is the Hindi film industry failing?
We have brought this situation upon ourselves. We thought ‘let’s not sow the fields, the crops will grow on their own.’ And now we are complaining that the crops are not growing. Infact, we also cut what was growing. How are South Indian industries doing it? You can see their records in the last four years — their films are doing business of Rs 250 crore with 13 crore budgets. They have dozens of such examples. Why did the hurdles not apply to Dhurandhar, a 4-hour adult film which didn’t even release in middle-east?
Our films are not able to stand upto any parameters. When the audience is not there, one has to look within. If you want to save the business, you have to struggle. I am having similar struggles. It was easy for me to go the OTT route, but I made sure my film reaches the theatres. This is eventually a theatrical business. Some approach movies like business, some like worship. But if someone wants to eat 40 times a day, how can I change that? There is no limit to greed. Tumbbad (2018) was a horror film, but had such a great message — greed is the worst disease, and this business is going down because of it.
Road to Sangam (2010) was such a relevant and politically charged movie. Would you make such a film in present times?
I think the truth will always remain the truth, and you should not be afraid of it. If you like a story and find it truthful, people will accept it. I have also learnt that I don’t tell the stories — stories find a way to be told through me.
Despite making such an impactful film, you didn’t direct another film for 13 years. How does an artist deal with such phases of struggle?
What can I say? Which artist takes a break during the prime of their life, their youth? I took it as a personal battle. I have no complaints against anyone. If God tried to test me or the market hit me, I came up with a film like OMG 2 (2023).
Ofcourse I had friends and close ones who supported me, but I didn’t sell anything. It’s very easy to sell something and go ahead in life, but I waited. It’s been painful for me for a decade, but I see it as my golden age. Even The Ramayana had a Sundarakanda. So…