Banwari Ki Amma director OP Srivastava: Releasing indie films is tough

Banker-turned-filmmaker OP Srivastava has two films slated to be premiered in Lucknow today. His film Life in Metaphors – A Portrait of Girish Kasaravalli won the National Film Award for Best Biopic in 2015.
The Lucknow-based actor-filmmaker talks about his struggles. “It’s very tough to be an indie filmmaker. After a lot of struggles and putting in all my capital, I made Banwari Ki Amma that went to several film festivals and bagged best film and best actor awards. It has been over a year now, but the struggle for the release continues to be unending,” says Srivastava.
He adds that distribution is the greatest area of struggle. “Theatrical release remains a challenge as distributors ask crores even for small releases that obviously can’t be managed. Major OTT platforms are largely run by international players and films that are don’t star big names are tough to stream. There is no help from the government either. So, the option now is to go for small regional releases or hope some distributor picks them at film festivals,” he says.
Srivastava adds, “Besides putting in my life savings, I shot Banwari Ki Amma at my house to save the location cost which is very high. The actors were all theatre artistes from Lucknow and other parts of UP. The equipment and post-production costs too are high higher but still manageable. But the problem starts thereafter. Film to bana li but release kaise ki jaye. It’s a challenge but to follow my passion I will keep trying and am hopeful kuch accha hi hoga. The appreciation I get from audience and awards at film festivals keep my hope alive.”
He will also screen his documentary Mangalachar: The Welcome Song that’s about the struggles of a cancer patient’s family.
What: Film screening
Where: Novelty Lalbagh
When: September 30
Timing: 7pm