Do streamers push data on you?
Data can be a good tool. But clinging on to it is a huge handicap. You cannot create anything new which doesn’t have a precedent because there’s no data on that. This business runs on gut and intuition. A lot of the work we have done — films and shows — did not have a precedent.
Over the years, people’s faith has increased because if it lands, it’s a win-win for everyone. It enables us to experiment more and make more edgy decisions.
How do you land on the right budget for your titles?
Scale and budget are not the right way to look at it. It has to be led by the idea and the story to begin with. You can work around the budget you have, but the idea has to be interesting, and then you figure out how to tell that story and make it feasible.
It’s not a star-led setup that we are chasing. It’s always the idea. For that reason, we work with a lot of newcomers and that has paid us dividends.
Any advice for young producers?
There’s no one way to get it right. But even if you have the best talent, there’s no substitute for a good story. The right emphasis should always be on the story that you’re telling.
What are your production hacks?
The biggest hack we have figured out is planning — extensive planning! Especially when you are shooting abroad — because of cultural differences, language barriers and different work ethics, you have to adapt quickly. One thing we are very clear about is timing and punctuality. It becomes a discipline and then the unit starts moving like clockwork. The clearer you are about what you want, the easier life becomes.
Does the current industry slowdown worry you?
The phase we are going through right now is a very tricky one. We are still regrouping. This is a low that I have not seen ever since we started, barring the pandemic. But I think we are on the mend. The big question has always been what the audience wants, and we will see where it lands.
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