As film aficionados eagerly anticipate the release of The Miranda Brothers, renowned director Sanjay Gupta finds himself reflecting on the evolving landscape of the entertainment industry. Known for his gritty depiction of the Bombay underworld in films like the Shootout series and Mumbai Saga (2019), Gupta now embarks on a new venture that diverges from his established genre. The Miranda Brothers, starring Harshvardhan Rane and Meezaan Jafri, is a football drama peppered with the realities of modern filmmaking challenges—ranging from casting decisions to navigating digital platforms in a rapidly changing socio-political environment.
The anticipation for The Miranda Brothers is palpable, especially as it underscores the ongoing discussion about the industry’s shift from star-driven narratives to story-centric ones. But Gupta, a veteran in the world of cinema, warns against the naiveté of this assumption. “The on-ground reality is completely different,” he asserts, elaborating on his experiential journey of creating a film with a story-first approach.
Breaking Away From Convention
Gupta’s decision to cast Rane and Jafri was strategic and necessary, intended to bypass the conventional delay associated with star-name dependency. “To pull off such a film isn’t easy. I started my digital wing because we cannot ignore OTT,” he explains. This choice underscores a pivot to accommodate stories ready to be told, even when big-name stars aren’t available or interested in direct-to-OTT releases. “I wanted to make the film immediately. If I was to approach [top tier stars], I would have to wait a year, at least.”
Shooting in Goa rather than the typical crowd-heavy Mumbai sets, Gupta discovered a newfound independence. Free from the extensive crew typical of his previous projects, he realized, “You can be a big-ticket director and yet make a movie that you feel for. Every film doesn’t have to be with mega stars.”
Decline of Law and Order Reflections in Filmmaking
Yet, the shifting landscapes are not confined to logistics alone. Gupta points to troubling socio-political climates as inexorably influencing contemporary filmmaking. With concerns about law and order peaking—evidenced by incidents like Baba Siddique’s murder—the director candidly discusses the constraints on depicting the underworld realistically on screen. “These times cannot be chronicled because everything is state-controlled, even crime.
. We have super criminals like Lawrence Bishnoi, broadcasting from jail. It’s a show of law and order collapsing,” Gupta remarks with palpable frustration.
The implications extend into Gupta’s well-known franchise. Working with Ektaa R Kapoor on the third edition of the Shootout series, the decision emerged to relocate the story from its Mumbai roots. “We are researching to do [a story] outside of Mumbai,” says Gupta. This choice represents a pragmatic acknowledgment of current uncertainties and reflects broader creative challenges filmmakers face today.
Navigating the Atmosphere of Fear
The reality of cinematic storytelling now entails maneuvering through a labyrinth of fear and preemptive censoring. “If you’re an intelligent filmmaker and not too stubborn, changes become inevitable,” he explains. He describes how scripts face both legal scrutiny and creative editing due to OTT platforms wary of potential backlash. “It’s an atmosphere of fear. You cannot have fearless storytelling anymore.”
For Gupta, this censure fundamentally alters the voice of filmmaking. His upcoming show, grounded in a true, unsettling Mumbai event, must undergo alterations to succeed in current times: names and contexts must change to avoid repercussions. He laments for the new generation of storytellers—those bursting with ideas yet stifled by stringent media constraints. “I feel disillusioned on behalf of the new generation of filmmakers. They all have a voice. But how many of them will be able to express what they truly want to?”
Gupta’s candid observations serve as a clarion call to acknowledge filmmaking’s complexities today. The landscape is not solely about the shift to digital narratives but also about grappling with restrictions imposed externally, redefining the essence of storytelling itself. For those following Gupta’s work, both The Miranda Brothers and his forthcoming projects echo the industrious efforts of a filmmaker attempting to persevere through evolving challenges while refusing to sacrifice the authenticity of narrative artistry.
