Nandita Das: Kapil was the best in the anger scenes

In Zwigato which we guess is an amalgamation of Zomato and Swiggy TV host and comic Kapil Sharma plays a bluecollar worker who loses his job in the pandemic and is forced to work as a food delivery rider Directed and written by Nandita Das who last directed Manto in 2018 the film is set in her hometown of BhubaneswarThe food delivery executive is an individual we all got to know better during the pandemic as we leaned on them for daily needs As Das says ldquoWe as consumers have much to reflect on as we want things quicker cheaper and with least effort We donrsquot pause to think of those who provide the services we take for granted I do feel that the film will create a small shift in the way people perceive those who form our world but remain invisiblerdquoEdited excerpts from the interviewThe movie is described as one about the ldquorelentlessnessrdquo of life What was your thought when you conceived itThe relentlessness of life is more acute for those who are more vulnerable Especially during the pandemic consumers became more and more dependent on gig workers and less aware of their struggles Zwigato began as a short film about a day in the life of a delivery rider Then Sameer Nair CEO of Applause Entertainment who was to produce it nudged me to expand it into a feature film As I delved deeper I was drawn to the human aspects of this collision of new technology and the lives of workers who are just cogs in the wheel I began exploring the impact it has on them and their families With the rise of the gig economy the struggle between man and machine which Charlie Chaplin depicted in Modern Times has now shifted to one between man and algorithm But within all this relentlessness people find shared moments of joy The film is also about the small things hidden from plain sight The biases of class caste and gender that are increasingly being normalised They have all subtly found their way into the film making the invisible a little more visibleShahana Goswami plays Kapil Sharmarsquos wife in the movie PicAshish RajeDid Sharma surprise youKapil has a natural charm and genuineness so it was not difficult for him to get into the skin of the character He told me that playing an ldquoordinaryrdquo man reminded him of his days of struggle he drew from that part of lifeHe brought vulnerability and authenticity to the character He is not conscious of his body he wasnrsquot as fit then as he is now nor his looks in front of the camera which is a rare quality for stars Also he is a very generous actor and friendly with his coactors disarming He completely submitted to my process but it ended up being a collaborative effort since he has a very sharp mind that questioned what didnrsquot make senseThe one thing that surprised me was that for a person who laughs easily and is a comedian he was best in the scenes where he had to be angry We all have various sides to us but sometimes perception overwhelms realityDescribe your researchhellipThe research took about two years and as I delved deeper I became increasingly fascinated and disturbed by what I learned about the gig economy Before the film I understood the world of incentives and algorithms as little as my protagonist did We gathered both facts and personal stories by interviewing many riders Their struggles dilemmas fears and aspirations We also spoke to exemployees of food delivery companies and in confidence with senior managers in the analytics departments of food delivery apps We also had to adapt the script to the changing rules of the food delivery apps right up until the shoot The real challenge was how to translate all this statistical information into a human story The mind and heart must come together for a film to really impact the viewer in a deeper way What moved me the most was their daily strugglemdashthe slow chipping away of dignity They cannot say or demand anything as they are in the service industry and the customer ratings make them vulnerable But I was also surprised to see how many of them are still so hopeful amidst so much despairDuring COVID we saw many bluecollar workers shift jobs It disrupted the flow of things but also brought a sense of ldquowhen in trouble do what it takes to surviverdquo Was this movie meant to be about hopeMy films are born out of deep concern and as responses to things that trouble me However I do believe that we must never lose hope So while it is a rollercoaster ride for most we also know that human beings are intrinsically resilient I donrsquot seea contradiction between remaining realistic and continuing to be hopefulItrsquos also about love and the true test of a relationshipYou are right Love doesnrsquot exist in isolation context impacts a relationship When there is anxiety to make ends meet it impacts everyone in the family For me the film is not only about the protagonists but about the world I set them in and how layered I could make it I donrsquot put my ldquoheroesrdquo on a pedestal because they too are flawed They are conditioned by the patriarchal system and therefore there are some rifts despite closenesslsquoI related to the character as I have been therersquoHow did a star comic play a food delivery app staffer Easily says Kapil Sharma lsquoit wouldrsquove been far tougher for me to play a millionairersquoWhat were your first thoughts about the characterBeing a comedian it has become really difficult for the audience to perceive an image of me that isnrsquot always smiling So when Nandita marsquoam told me what my character is going to be I was more than happy As prep I didnrsquot have to do much Once you put on the costume and go on set the ambience and creative energy starts flowing and puts you at ease it does most of the job for youWhat do you want audience to take awayTo say thank you and be empathetic towards those who work hard to make our lives comfortablemdashlike our house helps delivery personnel It makes a huge difference to them I became more sensitive towards them after doing the filmWhat were the rolersquos challengesHonestly it would have been a bigger challenge to play a millionaire businessman Manas Mahto is a simple workingclass man it was easier for me to get into his skin Back in the day I worked jobs that were similar in nature so in a sense I understood where he was coming from