A storyteller who is forever in love with her scripts tells the world wonderful stories set in local-global scenarios
Two-time Oscar winner Guneet Monga Kapoor has made over 35 movies and been around for 15 years in the film industry, but still retains the enthusiasm of a newcomer. With Academy Award-winning films like ‘Period. End of Sentence’, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’, ‘Pagglait’, ‘Kathal: A Jackfruit Mystery’, etc., Kapoor is inclined towards making women-centric movies, believing in the power of the medium to influence the general mindset and society at large.
The Delhi-born producer moved to Mumbai in 2006 in order to pursue her dream of making movies. She worked as a line producer on ‘Say Salaam India’, ‘Rang Rasiya’, and ‘Dasvidaniya’, before launching her production banner, Sikhya Entertainment, in 2008. When Kapoor was associated with Anurag Kashyap’s two-part cult film ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ in 2012 as a producer, being a young girl in her twenties was more challenging than being a woman in the industry. Her struggle was not on the gender equality front, but it was her age that proved to be a deterrent in an industry that strongly endorsed legacy and longstanding associations. She dyed her hair gray and wore saris for meetings to appear old enough so that potential clients trust her with ‘a lot of money’.
“The Delhi-born producer moved to Mumbai in 2006 in order to pursue her dream of making movies. She worked as a line producer on ‘Say Salaam India’, ‘Rang Rasiya’, and ‘Dasvidaniya’, before launching her production banner, Sikhya Entertainment, in 2008”
Kapoor takes a balanced approach to ‘making money while breaking the glass ceiling’ while making films. As someone who’s at the helm of both creative and financial processes, she has earned the reputation of being one of the most successful producers in the movie business, which is all about working in a 100 percent equity industry. So, it is imperative that her investors see money in her production work and are willing to finance her next film. Lunchbox, with its storyline about an old person and voiceover, proved to be a hit in spite of speculation, and the 10-crore film made 100 crore. Recently, she collaborated with Karan Johar on the action-thriller ‘Kill’. It belongs to the extreme action genre, a rarity in Indian cinema. The film Kill made profits even before coming to India. Upcoming projects for the producer include an action film, a series called ‘Gyaarah Gyaarah’, and a Netflix documentary on rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh. While creating her montage of films, she hopes that her journey will inspire young producers to join the Indian film industry.
Kapoor wants to continue telling great stories for the rest of the world while reinventing the wheel. It is a complex process that starts with objectively evaluating the ‘idea’ or the concept and the ‘genre’ that a moviemaker would choose, followed by the ‘fitment’ and knowledge of the ‘market size’. That, in a nutshell, is the craft of producing!
The British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) roped in the acclaimed producer as an ambassador for the Indian extension of its ‘Breakthrough India Initiative’. The initiative, is a part of the institution’s year-round work to support new talent, operates alongside their awards ceremonies worldwide.
Inclusion is the stepping stone to any kind of empowerment. While there is so much work being done with the Black and South Asian communities, Guneet Monga Kapoor strongly advocates that it’s time to talk about the brown community and not stereotype India as the land of snake charmers and cows. She acknowledges BAFTA and Netflix for creating a platform to showcase Indian talent.