dailyO
Art & Culture

Anushka Sharma and brother Karnesh on films, family and more

Advertisement
Suhani Singh
Suhani SinghMar 10, 2017 | 10:33

Anushka Sharma and brother Karnesh on films, family and more

Siblings Karnesh and Anushka Sharma didn’t grow up on a diet of Hindi films. In Bangalore, Bollywood was “looked down upon”, says Karnesh, who was more inclined towards cricket than Bollywood.

Instead his fondest memories with cinema involve catching Hollywood films — action films True Lies, Rambo, The Thin Red Line and Saving Private Ryan — at the mess. (Their father was an Army officer.) Only Rangeela and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge were “cool” enough to be seen.

Advertisement

Karnesh’s interest in cinema grew most while he was away at sea working in the merchant navy. Here, he was introduced to world cinema.

In 2014, brother and sister came together to establish Clean Slate Films. By then Karnesh had quit and joined Yash Raj films to gain experience in film production; Anushka, then 25, was asserting herself in Bollywood.

With their first production, the powerful dramatic thriller NH10, the duo made a strong impression, making it clear theirs was not a banner for formulaic, tried-and-tested stories.

anush_031017102715.jpg
With their first production, the powerful dramatic thriller NH10, the duo made a strong impression.

“Our vision is to create cinema which is offering something to audiences that they have never seen before,” said Anushka. “The idea is to not make a statement but to push the envelope because that is the kind of films we like and we feel will be accessible to our audience too.”

It was a rare day in the Sharma household in suburban Mumbai for the brother and sister were both at home after months. “I haven’t seen a film in over four months,” said Karnesh Sharma, older by four years.

While Anushka has been busy promoting the banner’s second film, Phillauri, and shooting a cameo in Rajkumar Hirani’s Dutt biopic, Karnesh has been at work ensuring that the sound mixing and visual effects are wrapped in time for the March 24 release date.

Advertisement

Simultaneously he has also been developing other projects including a web series and a big budget film. “I trust him with every aspect,” said Anushka of Karnesh. “The fact that we know each other so well makes it easier to work. If I’m taking a decision on something, I know he will be ok with it or not, and the other way too.”

It explains why there is no demarcation of duties between the siblings at Clean Slate. They together decide which project to green light. “I would say I understand things creatively better than let’s say administration or management,” says Anushka. “But he is also a creative mind.”

The script is given the biggest emphasis, with ample time devoted to develop it. Phillauri was in the works since 2015, the year NH10 released. It marks the directorial debut of Anshai Lal (assistant on Chak De! India, Dostana) and is written by Anvita Dutt. “Our philosophy is to promote new talent,” said Karnesh, jokingly adding that it only helps they are lighter on the pocket.

Phillauri’s list of first-timers includes composer Shashwat Sachdev, singer Romy, and Life of Pi actor Suraj Sharma, who makes his Bollywood debut and shot the film during his college break in US, where he is studying filmmaking.

Advertisement

The two-film-old production house’s future plans are to be more prolific including doing more ad films and strive to emulate Yash Raj Films in “ethics and fairness”, said Karnesh. But quality and not quantity is how they would best like to be remembered.

“Money has never been a deciding factor for us,” said Karnesh. “By god’s grace we have a good family, a few cars, a good home and a good dog.” Woof!

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)

Watch: 

Last updated: March 10, 2017 | 13:26
IN THIS STORY
Please log in
I agree with DailyO's privacy policy