In the 2012 Bollywood romcom Vicky Donor, there is a wedding sequence where the protagonist Vicky (Ayushmann Khurrana) ties the knot with his lady love Ashima (Yami Gautam). “The cost of putting up a set for a wedding sequence in any other Bollywood film would be equal to the entire budget of Vicky Donor,” says Shoojit Sircar, the director of the film and others such as Piku (2015) and October (2018) which have the essence of both offbeat and mainstream cinema.

“We planned to shoot the movie during the wedding season in December-January and met some people who help organise weddings in the lawns in and around Delhi,” explains Sircar. “One of the organisers informed us of a wedding planned for later one night and we re - quested them not to dismantle the setup after the ceremony was over, since we would come in the next day and shoot there.” Sircar stands apart in that he not only tells a tale well, but has an eye for economy—so important to the success of movies where the real hero of the film is the script based on bold topics. Vicky Donor, which revolved around sperm donation and the taboos associated with it in India, is a case in point. It went on to win a national award.

It is remarkable that most of the movies he has been involved with have enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success. The returns on investment (ROI) from some of Sircar’s films have been higher than some big banner films headlined by stars. For instance, Pink, which was made on a budget of Rs 21 crore, earned an ROI of 224%, which is higher than that of films such as Dear Zindagi (featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt) that released in 2016. Aamir Khan-starrer Dangal, which was made on a Rs 90 crore budget, saw the highest ROI that year—330%.

Piku, a 2015 dramedy that explores the relationship between a daughter and her ageing and grumpy father obsessed with his bowel movements, yielded better returns than Salman Khan-starrer Prem Ratan Dhan Payo. In addition to box office collections, these films earn through ancillary avenues such as digital, music and satellite rights.

While 50-year-old Sircar, who is inspired by the work of Satyajit Ray (posters that adorn the walls of his office include those of Ray’s films such as Pather Panchali along with his own), pursues his creative vision, it is Ronnie Lahiri, Sircar’s friend of two decades, who strategises ways to keep production costs to a minimum. The 44-year-old is a partner along with Sircar at their production house Rising Sun Films.

“Shoojit takes two to three years to finalise a script and once he is ready, we take another six months for pre-production research to see where we can avoid unnecessary spending,” says Lahiri, sitting with Sircar at the Rising Sun Films office in Mumbai’s western suburb of Juhu.

“The other philosophy is to not spend too much on things that aren’t seen on screen. We don’t want to travel in a Mercedes or stay in suites while filming. We would rather have basic, clean rooms to stay in as that helps save a lot of money,” adds Lahiri.

Minimising costs is something that Sircar confesses that he learned from his stint as an ad filmmaker for more than two decades. Advertising teaches you to work in a tight, time-bound manner, says Sircar. Sneha Rajani, deputy president and head, motion pictures, at Sony Pictures Networks, which co-produced Piku with Rising Sun, describes Sircar as an “honest filmmaker”. “Not only does Shoojit tell simple stories purely without falling into the trap of commercialisation, he is also a blessing when it comes to keeping production time and costs in check,” says Rajani. “He will never take a day more than needed to complete the shoot even if the producer offers it.”

Prem Ratan Dhan Payo

Shoojit Sircar: The bankable storyteller