I have not achieved anything yet: Krishika

Krishika Lulla talks about being one of the few successful women producers in Bollywood.

What do you expect from Happy Bhag Jayegi?

As a producer, you always expect the movie to do well. The audience has loved the trailer.

After NH-10 (2015), you took time in choosing films before Happy...

It took a year. I have been working on scripts. It takes time to acquire the dates of the actors. Only when I like the concept and the script do I go ahead. Happy... is a different kind of film; we call it a ‘run-com’ because Happy is running somewhere or the other. It’s a cross-border film so we have taken

Pakistani actors Momal Sheikh and Javed Saab. Bollywood actors Abhay Deol and Diana Penty have done a brilliant job too. My aim is to give something new to the audience.

How important is the box-office for you?

At the end of the day, you always hope for a good box-office performance.

Happy is releasing between biggies like Mohenjo Daro, Rustom and A Flying Jatt...

All these films have different content; I am very happy that Mohenjo Daro and Rustom have released. After a biopic like Rustom, you want to see something happy and comic. I think I have chosen the right time to release.

Will you produce a biopic in future?

I have two biopic concepts. I don’t want to make them as documentaries; we want to make them light-hearted. I am waiting for Banjo to release.

How do you balance work with your personal life?

Women are natural multitaskers so we manage. Besides, if there’s a will, there’s way. I wake up early, workout, oversee my house and then leave for work. When I am back, I’m with my family.

When you look back, how has the position of women changed over the last 50 years?

It’s changing but still there’s a line; a woman always has to keep proving herself. It’s not like that every step I take I have to be very careful but one strong move of yours and they want to pull you down. They feel very happy about it. You have to make sure of lots of things before you go ahead, so I take a lot of time to make a film.

When you were rising through the professional ladder, did you find that your experiences are different because you’re a woman?

Yes, it was not easy for me. They say behind every successful man there’s a woman; I would say behind my success is my husband

Who has been a strong male influence in your life?

My father, who has made 100 films. He has financed Rajnikant’s films and made films in Kannada and Hindi. I was too young at the time and didn’t know I would enter the same industry. He is very proud and I owe my success to him.

Do you think a woman needs a man to complete her?

Yes, totally. I needed my husband’s help to  move ahead.

What is your biggest advantage over men, if any?

We know how to handle men very well. Though it can be difficult to handle a woman sometimes.As a working woman, do you experience pangs of guilt at the thought that you could be neglecting your home?

Yes, sometimes I feel horrible but I try my best to fulfil what I should be doing for my family.

What would you say is your biggest achievement in life till now?

I have not achieved anything yet. It’s just a beginning for me and I am still learning.

What women related issue needs to be addressed immediately?

Underage girls being married in the rural areas, the abuse of the female child— I feel very sad about these issues. And the hankering for the male child is sad. It is upsetting to see how some men have not changed their mentality.