My stories are generally observations: Gajendra Ahire

Director Gajendra Ahire’s Indo-Swedish project, Dear Molly, is currently being screened at Los Angeles, USA, as a part of the special jury Oscar screening. The bilingual film has been shot in English and Hindi and will have 21 screenings.

Back home, the Pimpal (2017) director is looking forward to his Marathi film Sohalla, which stars Sachin Pilgaonkar and Shilpa Tulaskar. Gajendra shares that when the senior actor heard the script, he was moved to tears. “My stories are generally observations. This film, in particular, is a love story about divorce. We first had joint families, then we started living in nuclear families and now we have people living alone. I highlight the journey of a couple that is separated and what happens when there is no time to save their relationship,” says the The Silence (2015) director.

He adds that though he brings in the social angle in his films, they are never preachy. Interestingly, he writes, crafts the screenplay, and directs almost all his projects. “I am a writer first, so observing things closely comes naturally to me. I prefer writing, doing the screenplay and directing my films simply because it makes the process smoother. Screenplay is a skill which I have mastered over the years. And, to sum it up, since I have visualised the concept, it is easier to direct,” he says.

Talking about Dear Molly, Gajendra says, “I had conducted a Marathi film festival in Sweden on insistence of a Swedish producer I had met at Film Bazaar. During that time we decided to collaborate and make a film. Everyone liked the story I pitched. We have a mix of Indian and Swedish actors in it.”

His next Marathi film after Sohalla will be Kulkarni Chowkatla Deshpande, which will also see a 2019 release.

First Published: Dec 08, 2018 19:09 IST