Of hills, hash and Gen Y

Director of M Cream, Agneya Singh on the controversial outing finally being released in India.

M Cream, which won many international awards, including one at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, is finally up for a theatrical release in India, two years after its completion. The movie follows the story of four rebellious youngsters on a road trip through the hills in search of hash and debutante director Agneya Singh speaks intensely about his movie, revealing that releasing an indie film in India is not a cakewalk.

However, he is overwhelmed by the response the film garnered internationally. “International critics were surprised to see a unique attempt like this one. Because generally Indian films that go to the west are mostly Hindi films. The other festival films from India deal with poverty packaged in a way that it is appealing to the West. So, they were surprised to see young Indian people in the film wearing jeans, drinking alcohol, and reciting English poetry,” he states.

When asked whether he always wanted to head towards indie cinema, he says, “I was interested in the counter-cultural aspects of society. I am drawn to things people don’t want to put out in the open. So, I eventually gravitated to the indie world because these subjects don’t have space in mainstream films.” Agneya stresses that Indian mainstream cinema purposely avoids taking up issues like marijuana legalisation, since filmmakers have the obligation to recover their money. On an optimistic note, he adds, “But the scene is changing and the border between regular cinema and crossover films is getting blurred. Many sensitive issues like homosexuality have been dealt with in recent films. I don’t think Udta Punjab would have been possible here four years ago!”

The Central Board of Film Certification didn’t spare M Cream either. Agneya recently took them on for forcing him to insert ‘smoking is injurious to health’ disclaimers for the scenes where characters were actually smoking marijuana! He argues that it is akin to misleading people. “It is false information. There is a lot of evidence amounting to the fact that weed cures cancer, apart from helping deal with anxiety issues. Establishments should consider these, because saying ‘smoking weed causes cancer’ is false.”

He actually wants to do away with the disclaimers altogether — “People aren’t dumb. The government thinks people are dumb. If someone replicates a violent act from a film in real life, then the problem is with the person not with the film. These warning signs kill the cinematic experience. It is unheard of in other countries. They wouldn’t tolerate something like this.”

Ira Dubey, the lead actress of M Cream, has a similar stand — “It shouldn’t be a problem to depict something that is the reality. If some youngsters choose a lifestyle experimenting with drugs, there is nothing wrong in portraying it.”

Ira also talks earnestly about the film, stressing on the special place the film has. “It was a unique experience to work with such an eclectic crew. And I fell in love with Agneya. I secretly love him,” she laughs. She plays the role of Jay, an ideologically driven activist in the film. Ira says she is grateful to have landed the role. “I was happy to play the role since Jay is like me in many ways — I am also idealistic in life and a romantic at heart.”

Ira’s filmography is unique. Before M Cream, she played a pivotal role in Aisa Yeh Jahaan, which is India’s first carbon neutral film. She denies choosing it was a conscious decision, “I go by my instincts. As an actor and as a human, I do what I feel is right. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.” However, she is open to commercial ventures and particularly comedy films like her debut film The President Is Coming. “If I get an opportunity in a Salman Khan film, I would never say ‘No’! I wouldn’t even mind draping a saree and lip syncing for a song,” Ira grins.

Next, she will be sharing the screen with Shah Rukh Khan and Alia in Gauri Shinde’s Dear Zindagi. M Cream has had a modest release this week. The film hit 50 to 60 screens across all metro cities and The filmmakers also have plans for a DVD and an online release.