Friend philosopher and guide executive producers add extra dimension to quality cinema

By Radhika Sharma
     New Delhi, Mar 7 (PTI) It could be helping new talent navigate the turbulent world of the movies, offering financial guidance or just lending their names to add heft. From Alfonso Cuaron to Priyanka Chopra Jonas, a host of celebrities have found a new role for themselves – executive producers.
    The term is finding increasing currency in the cinema lexicon of today, a trend that has resulted in different kinds of films being showcased in forums they may not have accessed otherwise. So, if Oscar winning director Cuaron lent his name to Chaitanya Tamhane's Marathi film "The Disciple", India’s very own Chopra Jonas joined Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay as EP for Netflix film "The White Tiger".
    Whie a producer is someone who finds the story, puts together the project and is on it full time on a day-to-day basis, an executive producer adds a different dimension.
    "An executive producer is someone who takes the journey of the film forward and adds value to the current team. An EP can be either someone who invested or someone who brings expertise to the table or an element that is crucial for the film to happen or get highlighted,” explained Guneet Monga, who has backed acclaimed films such as the “Gangs of Wasseypur” series and “The Lunchbox”.
    "What an EP brings can be much beyond just the financial support - it can range from their contacts, network or even a cut in their fees, as done by many actors who are in return credited as executive producer on their films," she added.
    Monga is an EP on "Bittu", which has advanced to the next round of Oscars 2021 in the best live-action short film segment.
    Besides being trailblazers in their own right, many new age EPs are handholding new talent. From arranging funds and sharing contacts to providing visibility to the project, many artistes have branched out as EPs in more than one manner.
    Chopra Jonas, along with DuVernay, has lent her name as EP to Netflix film "The White Tiger", an adaptation of Aravind Adiga's Booker Prize-winning novel.
    DuVernay is known for the historical feature drama "Selma" and Emmy-winning Netflix limited drama "When They See Us". In 2017, she became the first black woman nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary featur, for her film "13th".
    When she first read Adiga's book, Chopra Jonas said, she remembered it as a "page-turner". She chased it after she heard it was being adapted into a film.
    "I wanted to be an executive producer so I could put my support behind it. I wanted to be able to help push the film for it to get the biggest it can be and get the maximum attention that we can provide it," the actor-producer told PTI.
    Cuaron, the Oscar-winning director behind "Gravity" and "Roma", last year boarded filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane's "The Disciple" as an EP.
    Starring Aditya Modak, the Marathi feature film looks at the world of classical musicians on the fringes of success. Its global rights were recently acquired by Netflix,
    The Mexican filmmaker joined "The Disciple" just after it was selected for the main competition of the 77th Venice Film Festival. The film also became the first movie from the country since Mira Nair's "Monsoon Wedding" (2001) to compete at the prestigious gala.
    Tamhane met Cuaron through the Rolex mentorship programme and was part of most of the making of the 2018 multiple Oscar-winning "Roma" when he shared the idea for "The Disciple" with the Mexican director.
    "I met Chaitanya through a mentorship programme where I had the opportunity to watch his very superb debut film, 'Court'. I was immediately impressed by his sense of cinema and fearless confidence to tell stories," the director said in a statement last year.
    Ahead of the film's Venice screening, Tamhane had spoken about how Cuaron helped him become more fearless in expressing himself.
    "It's surreal that someone of his stature has shown faith in the film. It changes the profile of the film and gives it international attention because Alfonso is involved. I'm super excited but I also feel a sense of responsibility," the director told PTI at the time.
    Cuaron's belief in the film, Tamhane's second directorial venture after the National Award-winning feature "Court", yielded results after its European premiere.
    "The Disciple" received the prestigious FIPRESCI award, given by international film critics, a day before the film won the best screenplay award at the closing ceremony of the prestigious gala in September.
    The same month, the film made its North American premiere at the 45th Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Amplify Voices Award.
    Detailing her experiences, Monga said she was earlier EP with "Jallikattu", which was India’s official entry to Academy Awards 2021 but did not make the shortlist. She said her hopes are now tied to “Bittu”, a 17-minute short directed by Karishma Dev Dube.
    " 'Jallikattu' was, is and will always be a cinematic masterpiece... I am immensely proud to have been a part of its journey so far. The only lesson in any journey is that of perseverance. I am glad India has representation in round 2 with 'Bittu'," she said.
    In 2018, Monga won the Oscar for the Best Documentary (Short Subject) for "Period. End of Sentence", a film on menstruation set in rural India as an EP. Her production company Sikhya Entertainment was the producer on the short, directed by Iranian-American Rayka Zehtabchi.
    It took her almost a decade to break into the international film circuit.
    "In 2010, I produced a short film 'Kavi' which had won Student Academy Awards in the Best Short Narrative category and was nominated in the top five in the main Academy awards. It has been a motivating journey for me to come full circle in 2018 with 'Period. End of Sentence'," the producer said.
    "Bittu" follows a close friendship between two girls, eclipsed by an accident at their school and is presented by Indian Women Rising (IWR), a cinema collective recently formed by Monga, Ekta Kapoor, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, and Ruchikaa Kapoor.
    "IWR is established with a purpose to amplify the work of Indian women filmmakers across the globe and we are glad to begin our journey with Karishma Dev Dube. She reached out to Guneet for guidance around Bittu and it was an instant yes from there on," the founders told PTI in a joint statement.
The final nominations for the Oscars will be announced on March 15. PTI RDS BK
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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)