MUMBAI: Her debut film "Liar's Dice" was India's official entry to the Oscar and won two national awards but director Geetu Mohandas says it was not easy to get her next film "Moothon" financed even though it featured top Malayalam star Nivin Pauly.
"Moothon", which was the opening film at the 21st Jio MAMI Mumbai Film festival had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, has already earned praise from critics.
"If you are an independent filmmaker, so it takes time to get finances. After all the acclaim for 'Liars Dice', I thought it is going to be easy to secure finances for my second film but it wasn't. It had all the big names associated with it but still it was difficult as it is all about box office numbers. I am hopeful about the next time," Geetu told PTI in an interview.
"Moothon" is the story of a young boy from Lakshadweep, who comes to Mumbai in search of his elder brother but gets trapped in the underbelly of the city.
Even "Liar's Dice", at its heart, was about the search of a person.
Geetu said as a storyteller she is drawn to real stories and real characters.
"Something that is real attracts me. I want to continue to tell my expression of cinema. My films are very subjective, they don't have to be everybody's cup of tea. As a filmmaker, I try to stay true to my craft and enjoy the process of filmmaking. I do not get bogged down by the sensibilities of anyone apart from me and my team."
Pauly is seen as a vulnerable gangster in the film and Geetu says she isn't concerned about how the audience will perceive him in "Moothon".
Her idea was to show a different side of him as an actor onscreen.
"We had a great time making it. As an actor, he is sensible enough to understand that he has to step outside his comfort zone and explore (different things). I hope in the coming years, we get to see him in varied roles and push the limit of his own expectations."
The Hindi dialogues are penned by Anurag Kashyap, who also came on board as a producer.
"Anurag came as a dialogue writer for the Hindi version and when he saw the film he liked it and said he wanted to be one of the producers. What Anurag has done for the film is mind-boggling and making the film so accessible for the right kind of people to watch it. I look up to him as a filmmaker. He has paved the way for a lot independent films to be marketed and appreciated globally," she said.
The film is scheduled to release in November in theatres.