I am not very happy about my films going unnoticed: Vinay Pathak on his film Opium heading for NY Indian Film Fest

Actor Vinay Pathak, in his career of nearly three decades, has played noteworthy parts in several films, including Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006), the Bheja Fry franchise, and Luka Chuipi (2019).However, one thing continues to bother the actor — that many of his films go “unnoticed”.

“It happens all the time. Majority of the times, the films I am associated with, they face such fortunes and go unnoticed. And I am not very happy about it,” says the 54-year-old.

He adds, “But, one gets used to the way things work, so we prepare. I have no idea why this happens with my movies. Had I known why, I would have tried to change it.”

Pathak believes filmmaking is an art form that “won’t be successful until you seel it”, no matter how good the story may be: “When you make a film, by the end of it, the product itself has accrued so much money in the process of getting made. The only feasible way to break even is that you have to sell it. Unfortunately, this has become a thing. If it doesn’t sell, then it’s no good. I don’t think that it should be that way.”

Citing the example of The Song Of Scorpions (2017), he explains that despite being a beautiful film, it did not do well commercially.

“Sale of a wonderful film should not impact its quality. Small films have their own universe. If they manage to reach a certain audience, or such International [film] festivals, or if they manage to reach people of different countries, it is still important to spend money on the marketing of the film and spreading the word.”

On such film of his, Opium, is headed to the New York Indian Film Festival, bagging nominations in three categories — Best film, Best Screenplay and best Director.

“I feel very happy. The film finally got picked up by such a prestigious film festival. I really hope that our film does wonders. It’s a very well written and performed anthology,” signs off an excited Pathak.