I reinvented myself to keep pace with time: Satish Kaushik

Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik believes one needs to come out of his/her comfort zone to stay relevant in today’s world. The Scam 1992 actor feels matching up with youth today is extremely essential.

“I had a realisation that I need to reinvent with time. No one can be bound to a certain time and era, forever. So, I was determined to make some timely moves. I directed a film like Kaagaz and on acting front did a variety of projects which brought me out of my comfort zone. Audience saw a new Satish Kaushik in projects like Udta Punjab, Soorma, Judgementall Hai Kya, Sharmaji Namkeen, Thar and Guilty Minds. This I did to keep up with today’s generation and to repackage myself accordingly,” says Kaushik.

Adding further the director says, “For me entertainment is supreme and my stories always have a direct connect with people. Be it Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain (1999), Tere Naam (2003), or my last film Kaagaz (2021) all had that instant connect with the viewers. For that matter even Roop Ki Rani Chooron Ka Raja (1993), though it was a disaster had a relatable back story. ”

Kaushik’s last film as a director was shot in Sitapur and was a story of Lal Bihari ‘Mritak’, who belonged to Azamgarh. And currently, his next film is again being shot in Lucknow.

“This is part of the same franchise but not an actual sequel. The soul of both stories is same — ‘paper’ or the negligence of system but the story is different and again inspired by true incident. So, as the content is set in Noida, Lucknow and Sitapur so we decided to shoot it here whereas a small portion is also being shot at Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.”

Kaushik will not be seen directing his upcoming project. “A lot of good projects are happening so I can’t be directing everything so this time very experience Telugu director VK Prakash is helming the film. Besides producing, I am doing a very interesting role in the film.”

On shooting back-to-back in Uttar Pradesh, he says, “Actually it’s the story that decides where it is to be shot. UP is the largest state in India (in terms of population) and when we set a film’s backdrop here then it’s like shooting a Hindustan ki kahani! It shows the real India and any emotional, social or political story told gets justified in this region.”

Facilities being provided by the state government is also a draw him. “The subsidy and facilities being offered excites me as a producer-director. During my last shoot here, we used to get lights from Mumbai and transport from Delhi but now it’s all available in Lucknow. So, the ease of making films has gone up and this is a blessing for small budget films.”

The Chhalaang actor will next be seen in the film Chhatriwali that was shot in Lucknow as well as web-series Kingmaker. “Lot of interesting work is happening, let’s wait and watch,” he adds.