Abhishek Basanth, who owns an MBA in general management and MS in public policy and human resources, found himself at a crossroads with two distinct paths before him. One involved delving into organising MMA fights, while the other involved directing films and writing.
“Around that time, when writer and filmmaker Agni Sreedhar’s The Gangsters Gita book was released and director Govind Nihalani came home to meet Agni Sir. He had read The Gangsters Gita, wanted to know the writer, and about the book, especially the last chapter. By then, I was intrigued by their in-depth conversations about films, and that’s when I started my film journey.
This was toward the end of 2019. I then worked as an associate director in Head Bush and marked my directorial debut with Kreem,” says Abhishek ahead of the film’s release on March 1. The film, which is about human sacrifice, sees Samyuktha Hegde as the lead and also features Achuyth Kumar, Arun Sagar, Ashwin Haasan, and Imran Pasha among others. The music is by Rohit Sower, and Sunoj Velayudhan has handled the cinematography.
The debutant filmmaker wanted his first film to be as gritty as possible, and he believed that one writer who could bring that to the table was Agni Sreedhar. “When a story comes from Sreedhar, it’s usually realistic, based on facts, and gripping. When we considered Kreem as a subject, we never saw it as a woman-centric film. We just went with the story. However, it is from ‘her’ perspective, through the protagonist, Samyuktha Hegde,” says the first-timer, adding,
“As a teenager, I was exposed to Puttanna Kanagal films, and I realised that most of the films he dealt with revolved around females and incidents from their perspective, which inspired me. They were two underworld subjects, and I chose Kreem for its horrifying and non-supernatural elements. Secondly, these are incidents that are happening around the world, and lastly, the technical aspects we could bring around it, something I wanted to explore in my first film,” he explains.
While Abhishek had a well-prepared reference point, he delved into research from various sources, including CERN, the European organisation for Nuclear Research in Geneva. “My most cherished beverage in the world is black coffee, iced and strong. I do research with coffee beans as well. Theoretically I like to be strong. So, my preparation before going on set was very robust. On the day the shoot started, my job to think creatively was only 10%, with 90% problem-solving.
Even though it was my first film, with the support of the team from actors, technicians, and Agni Sreedhar, who was open to ideas, it went on smoothly. The only factor that was not in my control was Samyuktha’s injury. It was painful, and she had to undergo surgery and take rest for 6 months. We had to reconstruct the sets. It was fate. She exerted 200%, and naturally, when someone gives that effort, challenges are inevitable,” he shares.
Looking ahead, Abhishek wants to explore crime dramas for some time. “I want to make gritty crime drama and action. As an audience, I connect with romantic and comedy genres. Even when I try to write, it will somehow navigate to crime,” he concludes.