Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Reporting Live director Dhruv Tripathi has opened up about working with Parineeti Chopra and why the actor never had any reservations about taking on the role of Sandhya. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, the filmmaker also spoke about Parineeti’s potential as an actor, the criticism surrounding the film, and whether he faced any pressure to tone down its sensitive subject.
advertisement
Parineeti Chopra’s performance in Reporting Live has been one of the talking points surrounding the film. Asked whether Parineeti was sceptical about any aspect of the film when he first approached her, Dhruv said, “Not at all. Parineeti understood Sandhya’s ambition and determination right from the start. More importantly, she understood the humanity and authenticity that the character needed in order to feel real and grounded.”
He explained that Parineeti also drew from her own experiences of interacting with journalists over the years. “She’s interacted with a lot of reporters over the years, and she brought some of those observations into Sandhya. There was never an attempt to make her feel like a larger-than-life journalist. She’s ambitious, impulsive, she makes mistakes, she faces the consequences of her choices, and she keeps going,” he added.
Praising the actor, Dhruv said, “Parineeti really connected with the script and the character, and for me she has become the soul of Reporting Live.”
Over the years, Parineeti has experienced different phases in her career, including periods when she was relatively absent from the big screen. When asked whether the industry had fully explored her potential or underestimated her abilities, the director chose to speak about his experience of working with her.
“Parineeti is an extremely talented and established actor. I can only really speak from my experience of working with her. Having an actor of that calibre was a joy, and it gave us the opportunity to bring something special to the film,” he said.
He added, “She commits herself completely to the process. With Sandhya, she understood both the strength and vulnerability of her character, and was willing to make her feel completely real and authentic. I’m sure, as an experienced artist, Parineeti knows the kind of scripts and characters she wants to pursue in her career. We were just very fortunate that she connected so strongly with Reporting Live and with Sandhya.”
Apart from Parineeti’s performance, Reporting Live has also drawn attention to its subject, which explores journalism against the backdrop of illegal sand mining.
With films dealing with sensitive issues often facing censorship or pressure, Dhruv opened up about whether he had been advised to tone down certain portions to avoid upsetting powerful individuals or organisations.
“Not really. We were always mindful that we were making a fictional film inspired by multiple real-life incidents, and we never wanted to point towards or name any particular person, organisation or incident,” he said.
The director added, “It isn’t a simple black-and-white story either. A lot of the film exists in the grey, and that was important to us. The studio and producers backed us in telling the story we wanted to tell and believed in our vision.”
The film also received mixed reviews, with some critics suggesting that a subject as serious as illegal sand mining deserved a more hard-hitting treatment. However, Dhruv remains comfortable with the approach he chose.
“That’s the beauty of making films. Once you put a film out into the world, you can’t dictate what somebody should take away from it. Everyone is entitled to their own response. We’ve had journalists, investigative reporters and audiences around the world connect very strongly with the film, and that’s been wonderful to see,” he said.
For the director, the story was always about its central characters rather than just the issues it addresses.
He said, “The world of sand mining is the arena in which the story takes place. At its heart, Reporting Live has always been about Sandhya and Vinod, about journalism, and about what happens when ordinary people find themselves close to something much larger and more dangerous than they expected,” adding, “There are real consequences to the choices these characters make, which ultimately lead to the deeper question: what is the cost of truth?”
Dhruv concluded, “This was the treatment that felt truthful to us and to the realities of journalism that inspired the film. We made the film we believed in, and I’m very comfortable with the choices we made. Now the film belongs to the audience.”
Reporting Live is available for streaming on Netflix
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
