CHILLS & THRILLS

Director ADITYA SARPOTDAR is in the news for making the cult Munjya. SRIJANI ROY CHOWDHURY charts his journey

-  SRIJANI ROY CHOWDHURY

Aditya Sarpotdar’s father Ajay Sarpotdar, was the former president of the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal, his grandfather, Vishwas Sarpotdar, was a renowned Marathi filmmaker, famous for social drama. Aditya’s great grandfather, N.D. Sarpotdar, was a pioneer in Indian cinema. As we begin the interview, he waxes eloquent about growing up in a family which lives, breathes and dreams cinema. He was just 21 when he directed his first Marathi film Uladhaal. He followed it with thought provoking, as well as entertaining films in Marathi like Satrangi Re, Narbachi Wadi, Classmates, Faster Fene, Mauli, Zombivli, and Unaad. The films touched a variety of genres, ranging from drama, comedy to horror and showcased his versatility. After making a pioneering movie The Sholay Girl in Hindi, on stuntwomen, he segued into the horror genre with back-to-back release, Munjya and Kakuda this year. While Munjya is a sleeper hit and has connections to the wider Stree universe, Kakuda didn’t get the same amount of appreciation. Aditya, however, feels that there’s much scope for horror in India, especially in the horror-comedy subgenre. Over to him on a refreshing take on his brand of cinema.

MUNJYA HAS BEEN RECEIVING GREAT LOVE FROM THE AUDIENCE...

The last two months have been crazy due to the response we’ve received at the box office. We have received really good feedback from the audience. It’s been a whirlwind as Munjya is receiving so much love from all over.

YOU STARTED YOUR CAREER AT A YOUNG AGE. WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO ENTER THE FILM INDUSTRY?