Anand Pandit, film producer and real estate developer recently joined NewsX as part of the NewsX India A-list series. He has an upcoming Bollywood film titled, Chehre.
When asked about the USP of the film, he said, “It is not a typical Bollywood thriller. It is a nice psychological thriller set in the northern part of India. There were 3-5 friends who were part of the judiciary, who get together every day and try to solve some cases. This has got the fabric of Hollywood. It has a lot of English elements and people will really connect with that.”
Talking about his experience in working with Amitabh Bachchan in the film, he said, “It is like a dream come true working with Bachchan sahib especially when he is your main star cast and a co-producer alongside me. It is always a pleasure to work with Mr. Bachchan. Even when he is 78, his thinking is of a teenager. His enthusiasm is always keeping him on toes.”
When asked about why he waited for so long to release the film in theatres instead of OTT platforms, he said, “If you see Mr.Bachchan on laptop or mobile you will not enjoy that. So, we decided that we are going to release it on the bigger screen only. Also, the way we have shot and the kind of budget that we have used, that grandness and fabric of the film is completely different. If you don’t watch the film on a bigger screen you are not going to enjoy that. Also, the theatre experience is a completely different thing.”
He continued, “Also, we wanted to help our cinema circuit. This whole institute was struggling. Almost one million people are directly or indirectly connected with them. So, we thought why not bring it to the theatres so that workers will come back and they will start getting their salaries again. Cinemas, that have given us survival for more than 40-50 years, I think we should help them.”
When asked if there is a curiosity to see Rhea Chakroborty on the big screen and preparedness for trolling he said, “As far as Rhea is concerned we were very clear that we signed her much earlier than whatever controversy happened in her personal life. She acted very well. Everything she did was fantastic and professional. Unfortunately, in her private life, these issues happened but we have nothing to do with her private life. That’s why we thought that we will give her space to come out of it. As soon as she was comfortable we brought her in the trailers.”
Commenting upon his career shift from being a real estate developer to a filmmaker he said, “It is not a switch. It is my parallel business and I love that business and that is my passion. I always wanted to create a manner for myself in the entertainment industry, especially in the space of films. Also, I have an advantage. The majority of Bollywood and Tollywood are my clients. I have cordial and good relationships. So, that also helps me in building my projects.”