Want complete control on my films: ‘Dhuin’ director Achal Mishra

Leh, Oct 2: As a director-producer, Achal Mishra says he wants “complete control” over a project even if it means telling stories on a limited budget with a small crew.
The 27-year-old, who started his filmmaking journey with 2019’s “Gamak Ghar”, has made his second film “Dhuin” with three people and no predefined budget. He is also the editor and producer of the movie, which was screened on the second day of The Himalayan Film Festival here. “When making a film like ‘Gamak Ghar’, a lot of creative decisions, I realised, were being defined by how I learnt filmmaking… That became a decisive thing in understanding a budget.
“With budget, I’ve realised it also defines your process of how you are going to make a film. And, I don’t want to write a film first and go on the floor and shoot it. I want to keep it as open as possible. Having a small budget and small crew allows that,” Mishra told PTI in an interview. Asked if he would like to have a producer on board, Mishra said that’s a question he was still finding his way around.
“While shooting, I want complete control. Even after shooting the film, it’s the authority that lets you have control over something as simple as the duration of a film,” the photographer-director said.
Mishra gave the example of “Dhuin”, which at 50 minutes runtime doesn’t traditionally fit under the category of either a short film or a full-fledged feature film.
“There was no one else involved (as producer on ‘Dhuin’). Had there been anyone else, it would have become 30 minutes or 1 hour 30 minutes (in length). If somebody lets me have that sort of freedom, then definitely (I’ll take on a producer),” he added. With a bigger crew, the Darbhanga-born filmmaker said there’s always a possibility of second guessing one’s instincts. (PTI)