Capturing the Pulse of Friendship and Raw Nostalgia, an Exclusive Interview with Noopur Bora, Director of Teen Paayancha Ghoda.
Embarking on a cinematic odyssey shaped by the mentorship of acclaimed filmmakers such as Marco Amenta, Devashish Makhija, Vijay Maurya, Nachiket Samant, and Suhas Desale, Noopur Bora’s journey into filmmaking is a testament to passion, perseverance, and a keen eye for storytelling. Before steering his own directorial ship, he navigated the creative realms as an assistant to these visionaries. However, his directorial debut, “Teen Paayancha Ghoda,” unveils not just a coming-of-age narrative but an exploration of Pune’s nightlife and an homage to the raw essence of early 2000s friendships. In this exclusive interview, Noopur shares the inspiration behind his film, the joys of working with promising debutants, and the bittersweet experiences of navigating the film festival circuit during the challenges of the pandemic.
Please introduce yourself and share your journey into filmmaking.
– Noopur Bora. I assisted filmmakers like Marco Amenta, Devashish Makhija, Vijay Maurya, Nachiket Samant, and Suhas Desale before I was lucky to get direct my own film that I wrote.
What inspired you to become a director?
It was Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday really. Saw it in my Engineerimg days. The closeup of Tiger Memon’s (incredible Pawan Malhotra) eyes and Indian Ocean’s ‘Arey ruk ja re bandey’ kicking in. I felt heavy. That’s when I told my friend that’s what I want to do. I want to try and make people feel what I’m feeling just right now.
-“Teen Paayancha Ghoda” is your debut feature film, and it’s making waves at film festivals. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind this project and what you aimed to capture through the film?
– Like most debutant filmmakers I had a coming of age story of my college time with friends, to tell. But I also had a lot more stories I wanted to tell. Of the Pune nightlife never experienced in films before. And like many young filmmakers, I also was very influenced by Alfonso Cuaron. And all those stories just fit into this film very naturally. And the film became anxious, funny, and beyond just a coming of age drama.
-The film is described as a “raw, unhindered homage to the friendship of the early 2000s.” Could you delve deeper into the film’s themes, and what message or experience you intend to convey to the audience?
Yes, it is mainly about friendship. Universally, not bound to any particular time. The year of 2000s just adds more to the rawness. A time without easy internet and smartphones and all that. But at the core, the film is about friendship and the thrills and aftermaths of the mistakes that come with it.
-This film features three promising debutants—Ria Nalavade, Kunal Shukla, and Avinash Londhe. What was it like working with these young talents, and what did they bring to their respective roles?
We found Avinash in a gym. Kunal had done stage before. Ria was the Times New Face. Her first audition was bad and I stupidly judged her prematurely and didn’t spend time correcting her. She came back after 70 other girls we auditioned, and then blew everyone off.
Working with the three was maybe one of the best times of my life. Easy, frustrating, surprising all in absolutely very energetic way. And thus, so much fun. One would just mimic me, the other had his own routine from stage, and the third was like a studious student with immense grasping powers. So raw that you could mould them in any shape and so infectious that you would mould with them too.
-“Teen Paayancha Ghoda” has already garnered attention at various film festivals. Can you share some memorable moments or experiences from the festival circuit, and how it feels to have your work recognized and appreciated?
-Sadly we came to the circuit in Covid. No festival happened physically. All were online. So we never experienced the live audience. We were nominated for best debut film, best director, but couldn’t be there in person. That’s my only complaint. Thata why we never got a good price for the film too. A regional film stuck in the bottleneck of massive films that got stuck due to Covid. Add to it the younger audiences at the festival absolutely loved the film. But maybe the older studio heads were not bold enough to embrace the notoriety of this youthful film. Amd that’s the sad part of this type of filmmaking. But MAMI have been brilliant to call us back in the Recap section and give us a dose of the real audience finally. Very grateful.
Prittle Prattle News composed this article as an Interview.
