Always been fascinated by stories of people who defy authority: Tigmanshu

Mumbai: Tigmanshu Dhulia has always been fascinated by stories of people who defy authority and his films reflect that world.

Dhulia, who is known for films such as ‘Haasil’, ‘Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster’ franchise; ‘Bullett Raja’ and ‘Yaara’, is revisiting the world of student politics 20 years after his debut film in the web series ‘Garmi’.

“Crime, gangsters and characters who defy authority, this is something that I have always liked. Even as a child, I used to watch only action films; I used to hate drama. I would tag along with my parents, once they were going to watch a social film, like ‘Anurag’. I used to hate it,” the filmmaker told the top news agency.

He added, “I don't like authority myself; I want to defy authority. So, characters that defy the establishment or authority, like gangsters who like to stay in free space even if they are violent, I have found interesting since childhood. I can’t change this and I like these things even today.”

Dhulia remembers watching Ramesh Sippy’s 1975 classic ‘Sholay’ at the age of eight, which left a huge impact on him. He also loved watching Westerns such as George Roy Hill’s ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’, ‘The Cowboys’ and others.

“I was amazed by the visuals ‘Sholay’ had. I had not seen something like this before. Even the characters and the shooting - I did not know how to take shots - were all making an impact on me. I would like Westerns and war films, so all these films I have loved watching have influenced me,” Dhulia added.

‘Garmi’ revolves around a young man who moves out of his hometown with aspirations of becoming a civil servant but stumbles into the world of college politics, powerplay and crime.

“I started digging into it long back, my first film (‘Haasil’) was on student politics. I wanted to revisit this part of society. It’s been 20 years and it was interesting to explore the world after 20 years, like what has happened in society. The world is volatile and exciting. It is about a boy and they are all young - 22 or 23 years old and how politics affects them. I wanted to revisit that area again of how society has changed. It’s very close to me, my first movie,” Dhulia said.