Filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, who are awaiting the release of their next collaboration, the streaming coming-of-age film ‘The Archies’, have shared how they tackle creative disagreements and the trick to keep the filmmaking machinery working.
Zoya and Reema are undoubtedly the creative powerhouses and have made a deep impact on Hindi films given their understanding of the subject and the subtext that comes along with their stories.
Talking about how disagreements are dealt with on Zoya Akhtar or Reema Kagti sets, Zoya, who is the director of ‘The Archies’, told IANS: “We are very simple and logical. Over the years, we have realised that there’s no point stretching a creative difference or a different perspective too far.”
They have set a clear rule, as Zoya said: “When Reema is directing something, she has the last word because it’s her vision and conviction, and it’s the same when I’m directing. Having said that, if she tells me if something is not working, I will make it a point to understand where she’s coming from. One of us has to convince the other.”
Reema added: “If something is memorable, it stays with you. Earlier, we were like ‘is cheez ko aaj hi solve karna hai (this needs to be solved today)’. But now, we are like ‘let the solution come to us rather than us chasing it’. Meanwhile we will knock off other tasks on the list, the system has to keep running. A film set can’t afford a halt during work hours.”
‘The Archies’, produced by Tiger Baby Films (Reema Kagti and Zoya Akhtar) in collaboration with ‘Archie’ Comics and Graphic India, is set to stream on Netflix from December 7.
