My films reflect my life lessons, says director Shoojit Sircar

Director Shoojit Sircar says his filmography is a reflection of the lessons he has learnt in life, and his upcoming movie "Gulabo Sitabo" is another such film in his repertoire.

Starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana, the film is the first big ticket feature to directly go for a digital release amid the coronavirus-induced shutdown.

A Rising Sun Production, the Lucknow-set satire will start streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video from June 12.

"My films, sometimes, have my own reflections of life. They have life lessons I've had that I put across in a humorous or satirical way.

"When I made 'Vicky Donor', people said it's not a family drama, it is for youngsters. But families also went and watched the film. Same happened with 'Piku' and 'October'," Sircar told PTI in an interview.

The director said, like his previous films -- Kashmir in "Yahaan" to New Delhi's CR Park and Kolkata in "Piku", the location will play an important role in the story.

"Gulabo Sitabo" is penned by his frequent collaborator Juhi Chaturvedi, who hails from Lucknow.

"Lucknow is going to be a very important character in this film. We have tried to showcase the film taking a lot of inspiration from the ethos and culture of Lucknow," Sircar added.

Chaturvedi, Bachchan, and Khurrana working with the director on the upcoming film was both a first and a reunion of sorts.

While Sircar previously directed Bachchan in "Piku", Khurrana debuted in Bollywood with the director's "Vicky Donor". Both films were written by Chaturvedi.

"Ayushmann is family, Mr Bachchan has become a dear friend. Juhi is writing again after 'October', Ronnie is producing in a row. My cinematographerAbhik Mukhopadhyay is coming back and Shantanu Moitra is returning as music director," he said.

"We understand each other very well, our camaraderie is very good on the sets. That is what makes it most important that you enjoy the process and method. You talk, you debate," he added.

Sircar said they had barely started the post-production work on his next directorial "Sardar Udham Singh" biopic, starring Vicky Kaushal, when nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24.

"We will restart work whenever the guild tells us. It's a difficult film and it needs a long post-production time," he said.