Sippy School of Films
Related
Top Stories
- Nagrota attack: Two armymen killed as terrorists storm Army camp
- PM Modi asks BJP MPs and MLAs to submit details of bank transactions to Amit Shah
- Samba infiltration bid: All three terrorists killed by BSF troops
- I-T law to be changed to raise penalty, lock funds for ‘welfare of poor’
- Pak's complicity in mutilation of jawan's body in Machhil: Army
All you need is love and passion for cinema, and a little bit of luck," smiles veteran filmmaker Ramesh Sippy, when asked about the successful stint of Sippy Films in Bollywood. His son, Rohan Sippy, nods in agreement. "There is no formula to stay put in the business. You need to have the drive and the temperament," he states, as he readies for the release of his next film Nautanki Saala. It is, perhaps, this conviction that has kept the production house afloat for over six decades.
The Sippy Films banner has made big-budget blockbusters such as Sholay, Shaan, Saagar and Kuch Naa Kaho. However, over the years, they have also chosen to make medium-budget films such as Taxi No 9211, Bluffmaster and now Nautanki Saala. So where a Sholay, with stalwarts such as Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar, took over two years to complete, Nautanki Saala with newcomers — Ayushmann Khurrana and Kunaal Roy Kapur — is a product of 33 days of shooting. "If you are running a production house today, a balance between the big and small has to be achieved," says Rohan, whose latest film is a story of two theatre artistes who get trapped in a real-life situation. The banner is also producing another small-budget film called Sonali Cable, which will be directed by television veteran writer Charudutt Acharya.
The Sippy Films banner first made its presence felt in 1951, when GP Sippy produced the Dev Anand-starrer Sazaa. The film's success prompted him to invest more in filmmaking. As both director and producer, GP gave the industry some popular films, including Marine Drive (1955), Shrimati 420 (1956), Mr X (1957) and Brahmachari (1968). Ramesh, who grew up on the film sets, took to the craft naturally. Although he was sent to the London School of Economics for a masters programme, Ramesh returned almost immediately. "When I first stepped into a film set at the age of six, I did not know how my life would turn out, but something enamoured me," says Ramesh, who marked his directorial debut with Shammi Kapoor-Hema Malini starrer Andaz. His winning streak continued with Seeta Aur Geeta, Sholay, Shaan, Shakti and Saagar. His television series, Buniyaad, also garnered critical as well as audience acclaim.
... contd.
Screen Awards 2014: The stage is set
