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?

I started my career as an assistant director when I was 14. I am a fourth-generation filmmaker in my family. My great-grandfather, grandfather, and father have been involved in this field primarily as distributors and producers. My great-grandfather was a director but my father was mainly into production and distribution. I have grown up on film sets, locations, preps and post-productions. It’s a world I have known and been familiar with from a young age. We had a single-screen theatre called Alka Talkies in Pune, which was famous for releasing English movies. I used to spend a lot of time in the theatre as a kid. The culture of filmmaking, film distribution and exhibition was imprinted on me at a young age. So, when it was time to choose a career, this path was the organic and obvious choice.When did you decide to make your first movie?I started making my first movie, Uladhaal, at 21. It was in Marathi. I was 23 when I released it. My family had strong connections to the Marathi industry. Marathi cinema was experiencing a revival at that time, with many young filmmakers making films. Audiences were going to theatres to watch Marathi cinema. It was an exciting time to make my first film.

Since your family has a filmmaking legacy, what are the key lessons that you’ve learned from your father and your grandfather?The key lesson was watching them work and sustain themselves for many years. They were disciplined and honest in their approach to their work. I understood that those with these qualities survived longer in the profession. I learnt to deliver on time and stand true to my word, because this is an industry with many ups and downs.
My elders always put the craft before themselves, which was a big lesson for me.Which genre is the most challenging to direct?I have loved directing action thrillers, but not the dark ones. I’ve enjoyed making adventurous films. I have always tried to maintain a sense of adventure in most of my films. It’s a genre that isn’t often discussed, as people assume that the goal is to set out on an adventure to defeat the monster. I also made a detective film called Faster Fene, which did very well. It was based on the comic books of that character, which are popular in Maharashtra.
It was a detective film, but it was also an adventure. All my movies, even Zombivli, were adventures. So I have always tried to maintain a sense of adventure in my films.In Munjya, what strategies did you employ to ensure a seamless blend of comedy and horror?There are a couple of tricks that you need to use when making a horror movie. The trick is that people often watch horror movies in groups. When they are scared, the immediate reaction afterward is laughter. You laugh at how scared you were. The idea of making a horror comedy is to follow comedy immediately with a moment of horror, and vice versa. This balance is crucial when writing a film like this. These films rely heavily on timing. Timing becomes essential in writing, performing, and editing. You have to ensure the timing is right; a joke doesn’t land if it’s too late, and a horror moment doesn’t build up if it’s mistimed.Munjya is eventually going to be related to Stree and Bhediya in your horror universe…I have given clear indications of that. The film ends with a link to Varun Dhawan and Bhediya. I felt that the audience came to the theatres wanting to see the connection. It’s important for people to have these talking points. Yes, Munjya will be connected to Bhediya, but you have to wait and watch to see how the connection develops. It’s a plan in action, and Bhediya definitely has a sequel planned.Tell us about your casting. How did you choose Abhay Verma for the lead role?Abhay was chosen through auditions. We wanted to cast a 20-year-old who looked and behaved his age. I was clear about this and didn’t want to cast an older guy and make him look young. I feel that’s where many of us go wrong, casting a more well-known face in an age group where they don’t belong. We did over a hundred auditions and found him.

Suhas Joshi also came on board…I always imagined her as Ajji. Her aura gives a certain warmth to her character. I needed someone who could connect with the audience from the moment they appear on screen. She fit the role of the sweet grandmother I envisioned. Plus, she is a terrific actor. She is immensely talented and a legend in her own right.Will we see any spin-offs of the supporting characters from the movie in the future?I don’t think so because we already have sequels planned. The main characters we’ve built, like Munjya, Bhediya, and Stree, are already interconnected in their narratives. You may see one of these characters enter another’s world.
You will see a progression of all these liked characters from Munjya in the sequels that follow in this universe. I wouldn’t say just Munjya, but in the universe that follows after Munjya.

How challenging was it to work with CGI?It was a challenging process. We didn’t have any precedents or references in India to follow, as no one had done a CGI character with emotions, dialogues, and as a full-fledged protagonist in a film. We had to make him believable. The main challenge was to make him look aggressive yet sweet and a little mysterious. We brought in one of the best VFX supervisors from LA, who had worked on films like Justice League and Aquaman. He came to India and was involved throughout the process. We collaborated with companies to bring our vision to life. We had a large team of animators, compositors, and 3D artists who were passionately working on the film.Were there scenes that were difficult to shoot?Yes. The most challenging part was the climax, where Munjya reappears from within the tree. There’s nothing there when you shoot in real life. When you shoot with such an element, you have your actors reacting and fighting against a non-existent creature. You imagine attacks and dodge them. It required alignment among the entire action, VFX, camera, art and other teams involved in the film to achieve the envisioned outcome. It was tricky but we had good preparation, so it fit perfectly.Munjya and your recent directorial, Kakuda, are two horror-based projects. Are you looking to establish yourself as a horror director now?(Laughs) No, I am not. Kakuda is a spoofy horror comedy. It jokes about the world of horror comedies. Our creature is also comedic. The intention was never to focus only on horror comedies. I’ve been fortunate to get good ideas and scripts. I’m getting to tell some really good stories through these horror comedies. We are also working on another horror comedy.Any memorable moments from Kakuda’s shoot with the cast?We shot the movie during the pandemic in Gujarat.
I had really talented people onboard for the movie, like Sonakshi Sinha, Riteish Deshmukh, Saquib Saleem and Aasif Khan, who were extremely fun to work with. They are amazing actors and very professional.