‘If Shah Rukh Khan Can Do It, I Can Too’

‘My
family
are
the
mainstream
audience
and
think
I
am
wasting
my
time.’
‘Until
I
make
a
Rs
100
crore
film,
they
won’t
be
convinced.’

Coming
from
humble
beginnings
without
any
ties
with
the
movie
industry,

Sohum
Shah
lives
by
the
philosophy:
‘Jahan
chah
wahan
raah
(Where
there’s
a
will,
there’s
a
way).’

That’s
how
he
made
his
way
from
Sri
Ganganagar
in
Rajasthan
to
Mumbai
to
pursue
his
acting
dreams.

Years
later,
he
established
himself
as
notable
actor
and
producer
in
Bollywood
with
titles
like

Ship
of
Theseus,
Tumbbad,
Maharani
and

Dahaad
under
his
belt.

His
latest
film

Crazxy
sees
him
in
experimental
mode
as
he
plays
Dr
Abhimanyu
in
a
one-character
suspense
thriller.

Sohum
reflects
on
his
journey
as
he
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com,
“I
started
from
zero,
when
we
did
not
have
any
money
at
home.
I
left
home
to
explore
something
new.
But
my
mother
thought
I
was
going
on

vanvaas.”

Crazxy
is
getting
positive
reception.

A
lot
of
love
is
coming
our
way.

People
say
it
is
such
a
gutsy
movie,
how
did
you
make
it?
A
one-character
movie
must
have
been
challenging…

People
also
talk
about
the
tyre-changing
scene.
They
loved
it.

Somebody
told
me,
I
was
with
you
in
that
Range
Rover.

In

Tumbbad
also,
we
tried
to
achieve
that
audience
should
feel
the
incessant
rain
once
they
step
out
of
the
cinema
hall.

Your
production
house
is
responsible
for
backing
unique
content.
What’s
the
creative
strategy?

I
grew
up
watching
Hindi
cinema.
I
was
never
had
exposure
to
world
cinema
or
literature.

I
came
here,
met
a
few
people,
liked
their
stories
and
thought
I
should
make
films.

Slowly,
it’s
becoming
our
brand
with
Sohum
Shah
Films.

People
now
expect
something

atrangi
with
the
films
we
make.

VIDEO:
Why
the
English
dialogue
in

Crazxy
was
‘very
tough’
for
Sohum
Shah.

You
came
to
Mumbai
from
Rajasthan,
without
any
prior
experience
in
acting.
What
gave
you
confidence
to
take
this
leap?

I
am
from
Sri
Ganganagar.

I
am
from
a
trading
family;
my
father
was
a
trader/broker.

It’s
not
about
confidence
but
we
say,
‘Jahan
chah
wahan
raah‘.

I
think
God
has
made
us
capable
to
make
things
happen
in
our
life.
It
was
in
my
destiny,
and
luck
has
favoured
me.

Were
you
always
inclined
towards
cinema?

Yes.
I
was
a
big
fan
of
Shah
Rukh
Khansaab.

He
was
my
hope
when
I
thought
of
becoming
an
actor.

He
was
the
only
person
at
that
time
who
came
from
Delhi,
a
complete
outsider,
and
became
successful
in
Bollywood.

There’s
Akshay
Kumar
also.

The
industry
used
to
be
close-knit
then.
Only
people
related
to
the
industry
would
get
work.

But
SRK
gave
me
hope.
I
told
myself
if
he
can
do
it,
I
can
too.

Was
it
easy
for
you
to
leave
your
hometown
behind
and
come
to
Mumbai
for
work
without
any

filmi
connections?

We
didn’t
have
much
money
at
home.
As
a
result,
there
were
responsibilities
on
me.

My
acting
dream
was
on
the
backseat.
I
wasn’t
sure
if
I
could
actually
go
to
Mumbai
and
pursue
my
dreams.

I
fulfilled
my
responsibilities
and
created
a
safety
net
for
myself.
Then
I
came
to
Mumbai.

Your
first
film

Baabarr
came
out
in
2009
and
it’s
interesting
how
you
once
credited
Nawazuddin
Siddiqui
as
your
‘acting
guru’.
How
did
you
two
become
friends?

Yes.
Nawaz
was
also
struggling
at
that
time,
so
he
would
teach
acting.

I
didn’t
come
from
NSD
(National
School
of
Drama)
or
FTII
(Film
And
Television
Institute
Of
India).
I
didn’t
have
an
experience
of
theatre.

Somebody
suggested
Nawaz’s
name
and
I
contacted
him.

Interestingly,
he
came
to
Sri
Ganganagar
and
stayed
with
me
for
a
month.
During
that
period,
he
taught
me
a
lot
about
acting.

We
shot
the
film
in
Lucknow
and
Nawaz
was
present
on
set
the
whole
time.

How
did
you
get
into
production?

It
happened
on
its
own.

Anurag
Kashyap
tried
very
hard
to
make

Tumbbad.
Guneet
Monga
also
put
in
effort.

People
were
trying
to
make
this
film
happen
since
2005
but
studios
would
reject
the
idea.

They
would
ask,
who
makes
horror
these
days,
why
are
there
no
item
songs…

Nobody
wanted
to
make

Tumbbad.

When
the
script
came
to
me,
I
thought
it
was
such
an
Indian
story.
I
immediately
decided
to
make
it.

Director
Hansal
Mehta,
with
whom
you
worked
in

Simran,
recently
said
that
the
Hindi
film
industry
needs
a
reset.
As
actor
and
producer,
what
about
Bollywood
needs
to
change?

Bollywood
should
stop
the
process
of
star-making.
We
need
real
talent.

We
are
living
in
times
where
audiences
are
not
interested
in
watching
stars.
They
want
to
see
good
content.

As
a
producer,
it
is
our
responsibility
to
invest
in
good
actors
and
stories
that
people
can
relate
to.

VIDEO:
Why
Sohum
Shah
feels
validated
after
the
re-release
of

Tumbbad.

Nowadays,
we
are
seeing
content
that
is
based
on
numbers,
statistics,
a
star’s
market
value
and
things
like
that.
How
difficult
is
to
make
films
that
are
experimental?

Very
difficult.
So
many
people
told
me
to
directly
release

Crazxy
on
OTT.

I
refused.

From
the
business
point
of
view,
it
is
tough
to
make
these
decisions.

But
I
thrive
on
this.
I
have
so
much
fun
taking
such
challenges.

WATCH:
Sohum
Shah
spills
the
beans
about

Tumbbad
2.

Does
your
personal
philosophy
‘Jaha
chah
waha
raah‘
reflect
in
your
business
decisions?

Yes.
I
was
someone
who
would
travel
50-60
km
just
to
see
a
film
shoot.

Today,
it
is
because
of
my
will
power
that
I
managed
to
have
my
own
production
house
in
Mumbai.

I
am
making
the
films
that
I
want
to
make.

This
is
not
less
than
a
miracle.

How
do
people
from
your
hometown
look
at
your
success?

They
find
it
very
nice.

I
will
tell
you
something
funny.

They
have
seen
me
in

Ship
of
Theseus
and

Tumbbad.

But
the
most
fun
they
had
was
when
they
saw
me
in

Maharani.
It
was
easy
for
them
to
connect
with
that
character.

Their
favourite
work
of
mine
is
still

Maharani.

Is
it
true
your
mother
cried
when
you
told
the
family
about
your
acting
dream?

Yeah.
My
business
was
set
in
my
hometown.
I
started
from
zero,
when
we
did
not
have
any
money
at
home.

I
left
home
to
explore
something
new.
But
my
mother
thought
I
was
going
on

vanvaas.

At
what
point
were
they
convinced
that
you
took
a
right
decision?

They
are
still
not
convinced.

They
are
the
mainstream
audience
and
think
I
am
wasting
my
time.
(Smiles)

Until
I
make
a
Rs
100
crore
film,
they
won’t
be
convinced.