Cinema plays a vital role in capturing the current society, the emerging socio-economic shifts and the way that alters the life and psychological state of the masses. Zwigato is one such attempt to capture how a rapidly digitizing gig economy has started affecting the life of the common man.
Director Nandita Das lets us in on the thought process that went into crafting her third directorial.
At a time when the film industry is facing a ‘Boycott Bollywood’ phase, you chose to make a film that is socially relevant. What made you take the risk?
I instinctively anchor towards socially conscious subjects. I got into films as an actor by default. I did my Masters in Social Work and have worked with various NGOs and the experience of being exposed to the many realities is bound to impact my choices in films both consciously and instinctively. I tell human stories, but not in a preachy or didactic way.
Zwigato is not a 300-crore film with heavy VFX, which makes it very difficult to be made because no one is ready to invest. But it was important for me to do a film like Zwigato because it is the story of the working class, a reflection of reality and a mirror to society.
What was the idea behind doing a film on a food delivery partner, his world of incentives and ratings?
The idea of this film started with a discussion about growing unemployment and the complexity of gig work. I was drawn to the collision of emerging technologies and the working class. With the rise of the gig economy, the struggle between man and machine that Charlie Chaplin depicted in Modern Times has now shifted to the one between man and algorithms. The pandemic has made us more reliant on gig workers while being less aware of their struggles. While this was the trigger point, Zwigato is also about our normalised biases of class, caste, and gender.
Were Kapil Sharma and Shahana Goswami your natural choice for the characters of Manas and Pratima?
Serendipitously, a clip of Kapil and Karan Johar at an awards ceremony popped up. I thought, here is a man who is natural, uninhibited, candid, and seems to connect with people effortlessly. So, I reached out to him on an impulse, not fully knowing if he would be right for the part or if he would accept the offer. He completely submitted to the process and together we were able to catch the right note for the character.
Having worked with Shahana in Firaaq and knowing her through the years, I knew she was the perfect choice for Pratima. She’s a lovely person, a wonderful actor and we have great working chemistry. So sometimes I can just look at her and she will know what’s not working or why that moment was so special. I’m really happy to have worked with her again. She and Kapil fit perfectly as a couple in terms of their energy and presence. They also had a wonderful working relationship that only added to their performances.
How was your experience shooting in Bhubaneswar?
What made the process really wonderful was that the people in Bhubaneswar were very helpful and cooperative. You ask the people to go back, you ask people to be quiet and they actually do. The city itself is an important character in the film, as the food delivery rider is crisscrossing the length and breadth of it every single day.
Ninety-five per cent of the cast in Zwigato are local. Was it easier working with them?
Yes, only 5 to 6 actors in Zwigato are from Mumbai. The rest are locals and some of them had never faced the camera before. Taking actors from the milieu of the shoot made the world so much more authentic. I want to say that there is so much untapped talent in Odisha. I also got a few young writers and directors from Bhubaneswar who wanted to observe the process.
Will we see you directing or acting for OTT any time soon?
Every form has its excitement and challenges. Slowly, I am becoming more open to exploring OTT offers for direction. I am certainly not opposed to acting but I have become more choosy about it. I have been getting a fair amount of acting work and now there are a couple that I am considering. So hopefully you will see me in front of the camera too. For the last few years, I have been busy directing films which have been all-consuming. But I did manage to squeeze in a guest appearance in Shaad Ali’s Call My Agent and in Venu Udugula’s Virata Parvam.
What is your next directorial venture?
Now that I have embraced direction less hesitantly, I have slowly begun working on a film. But it is in the very early research stages. There is no dearth of work, but not all of it is good. After all, it is one life, so I want to make sure I use my time well on this planet! But over the years, and more so after the pandemic, I have also learnt not to plan too much and be open to surprises and change.