Sujoy Ghosh, Director: Failure Can Follow Success, Stay Sane

Sujoy Ghosh, Director: Failure Can Follow Success, Stay Sane

I  wish I hadn’t started my career with a hit. I was an outsider who dared to make an offbeat film like Jhankaar Beats and it worked. Suddenly, everyone praised me and wanted to know what I was doing next. That was 2003. What happened after that was the worst phase of my life. Two years later, Home Delivery: Aapko…Ghar Tak hit the theatres and it tanked. “Everyone gives a dud once in their career,” I rationalised.

So I decided to take time with the next project, Aladin. It took four years. And that tanked too. That was devastating. Now, no one believed in me. Even I started questioning my abilities as a director. Dejection was too real in Mumbai where people called me a one-hit wonder. I had a family to feed, so I had to take a call whether I wanted to continue or not. That is when I decided to go back to Calcutta.

At that point, Kahaani was still a concept in my head. Everyone I discussed it with said that it was everything a Bollywood film shouldn’t be. But I was in love with it. So I needed to walk away from the detractors and just write.



The scariest thing at that time was the fear of rejection, again. But I couldn’t give up. I didn’t have the luxury of another job. The exact thought in my head at that time was “If I sit and wallow, who will take care of my family?” So I kept moving ahead with Kahaani. 

Slowly I knew I was on to something good. But people urged me to make something more commercial. I thought that was a bunch of baloney. I eventually released Kahaani last year after struggling for seven years. I fought to keep my family afloat, fought the critics, faced rejection after rejection but eventually came out triumphant. Kahaani was a success and so I am successful today. But I am as good as my last Friday. The story continues… But I will never give up.

Scorecard
1 Everything in life is a great learning experience – good or bad.  Nothing comes easy. If you want something, work for it.
2 Your family should be your priority. Don’t get so blinded by your dream that you ignore the ones who love you and care for you the most.
3 Let your work speak for you. And if you mess up, be prepared for criticism.
4 If you keep your expectations real, it is much easier to deal with rejection.