Producer Guneet Monga is dubbed as the most successful saleswoman of Indian movies abroad and she takes pride in it. She tells Karan Bhardwaj that she was once insecure about not knowing enough about world cinema
Rarely do we see a film celebrity exchanging business cards at a gathering. But that’s quite a normal thing for Guneet Monga, producer of movies like Gangs of Wasseypur and The lunchbox. Known to be the strongest saleswoman of Indian movies abroad, she has the knack of taking small movies to internationally acclaimed platforms. “That’s my job. I love networking. And I am proud to be dubbed as the biggest saleswoman of Indian movies because I have worked hard for it. Today if I am well-connected with people, that’s because I have hounded and shaken people to see the content I have believed in,” she tells us after she addressed a session at Yes Bank’s I Am Change contest.
Monga has now partnered with international players such as Karen Tenkhoff (The Motorcycle Diaries). Her next movie as a producer is Side Hero, directed by Vasan Bala. She’s also co-producing filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan’s Ud Jayega (Fly Away Solo). Its script was a finalist in the Sundance-Mumbai Mantra Screenwriters lab. She is also in talks with Karan Johar to co-produce the Hindi remake of French hit movie The Intouchables.
“I am fostering these films because of my desperation to do what is not being allowed otherwise. I mean what would you do if you cannot release your film in a traditional manner because there’s nobody out there to support or distribute it for theatrical releaseIJ My actual journey began when I got Peddlers released through crowd funding. Now I am creating a network of distribution for cinema which finds difficult to reach out to the audience,” she says. Monga, who is partner with Anurag Kashyap at Sikhya Entertainment, is also launching a digital distribution network, Cine Caravan, for indie films. After the success of The lunchbox, she is expected to ride on a fresh wave but she is going slow. “There is surely a demand to do more. There’s a willingness among co-producers to experiment with subjects. But I am still trying to figure out distribution in India. In the last five years, I have produced some 20 odd movies and each of them had a huge impact on me and my learning. Though I am not in hurry, there are lot of scripts I am in love with,” she tells us.
While dealing with global distributors, the biggest challenge is to make them believe in the content. According to her, Indian movies face stereotype called Bollywood. “Everything is painted on the canvas of Bollywood, which is not the reality. I am explaining them that there’s an emergence of vibrant and striking cinema in India. A new generation of filmmakers, who have grown up watching the best of world cinema like from Korea, Hong Kong and Iran, are actually pushing the envelope. So when foreigner distributors get hold of movies like Wasseypur or lunchbox, they ask where it is from. I tell them this is new Indian cinema. Having said that I believe a lot of change has happened in the last five years. The growing participation of Indian movies at prestigious film festivals have led to increase in awareness,” she says.
Ask Monga about her hardships as a producer and she talks about her age, not gender. She comes from a humble background and never had money overflowing to be taken seriously. In fact, for Monsoon Shootout, she had to sell her house. “At 21, I made my first movie. I have had tough time in sharing the space with senior producers. At a young age, it was unbelievable for them to accept me as a producer. So I had to look like a 35-year-old woman which I am not even today. I coloured my hair, wore saris and behave maturely just to be taken seriously. Now it’s an attempt to look younger (laughs),” she says.
Does she have a plan to direct moviesIJ “No, I am a passionate producer. I think this country needs more producers who can be part of director’s journey and help them nourish their cinema. It’s a serious job of facilitations and I am happy investing in fresh directors,” she says.
Monga’s mentor Anurag Kashyap has played an instrumental role in shaping her cinematic aesthetics. For somebody who was only exposed to commercial masala entertainers, the world of different cinema was a revelation.
“I have grown up watching Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan movies. All my learning has been at ground by talking, interacting and exchanging ideas with brilliant minds like Anurag Kashyap and Vasan Bala. For a long time, I was highly insecure of not knowing world cinema. When I met Anurag, I told him I am miles away from his understanding of films. How would I fit inIJ He said we just need to compliment each other. He put faith in me and made me a part of his journey,” she says. However, she is not averse to masala films. She says the success of such movies is important to strike a balance in the business of movies. “Because of the success of a movie like Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Karan Johar would be happy to recline towards The lunchbox. I am trying to learn a system which can run both ways,” she ends.
photo Pankaj Kumar