It's pretty ironic that Milind Dhaimade's debut offering, Tu Hai Mera Sunday, which essentially talks about finding space- both geographically and psychologically- struggles to find right space for itself at the ever-dynamic box office.
The film features an ensemble cast including Barun Sobti, Vishal Malhotra, Avinash Tiwary, Jay Upadhyay, Nakul Bhalla, Shiv Subramanium, Shahana Goswami, Rasika Dugal, Maanvi Gagroo and Pallavi Batra. Despite revolving around events of an everyday life, Tu Hai Mera Sunday is not a routine film and can easily be termed one of the simplest yet finest films of 2017. The filmmaking aspect is amusing in a way that the simplest message seems the toughest to convey- and that's what the film gets right. It sends out a beautiful message without being preachy, bossy or pretentious in its tone.
Mumbai is the city of and for films and filmmakers have tried their hands in carving a character out of it many a time. But in this particular film, the city of dreams breathes a life of its own and comes alive as the story progresses. The storyline is as basic as a tale of 5 (read 6) men who struggle to find a space to play football. Just that, there's a lot more to this film than what meets the eye.
The space isn't just a reference to the lack of geographical area in the largely crowded city of Mumbai but also an indication of a person's state of being and to finding that peaceful mind space that helps one escape the daily grind. And football isn't just a sport, but a mere opportunity to involve in something other than routine chores and a chance to keep the hustle-bustle of the week gone by at bay. That Sunday perhaps is not just a day in a week, but an emotion waiting to resonate with viewers across the country.
The film, which has received rave reviews from audience and critics alike, saw the light of the day on October 6 alongside Saif Ali Khan-starrer Chef. And ever since then, there's been a battle for makers and a struggle for viewers to find the right time slots and enough theatres to watch the film.
Dhaimade, a veteran in the advertising industry, feels that his maiden film had lost the battle even before it released as the concept of stardom and big banners still holds a strong ground at Bollywood's box office.
"The might of big studios and the perceived value of stardom will constantly block good content from surfacing. As a debut filmmaker, my only conclusion is to make sure that kind of clout also accompanies you in the future."
"I think we lost the battle even before the film released. Maybe with a better-timed release date or stronger distribution partnerships, things would have been different," he shares.
He further adds that despite having this amazing noise and positivity about the film, it's just getting lost and that "it'd be phenomenal if a big studio picks it up and re-releases the film."
Shahana Goswami, who has bagged the Best Actor (Female) award at the Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival for her portrayal as Kavi, shares how there should be a fair distribution of halls- based on films' performances.
"I think it is important to support a film and give it a little more space so that people have the liberty to go at reasonable timings to watch it. All we ask for is a fair redistribution of halls based on a film's performance. There are other films that are running empty with 3-4 times more the number of screens and this film is doing well even at the limited screens it's being shown at."
She also adds that despite the hailing reviews, it's unfair that the film has to struggle so much to bag an appropriate number of shows.
"Earlier we used to say that a film's fate is hard to decide as there are so many factors affecting it. You may make an excellent film but people may not like it, everybody puts in so much hard work to make any film and it depends on the audience and one cannot predict how the audience will react."
"But here we have it all- the audience is loving our film, flocking and filling up the halls for more than any other film that is currently running. They are making efforts to go for shows at odd timings. It's unfair," she rues.
While she's grateful to all those who've made efforts to catch on the film in theatres, she also hopes for the availability of more screen spaces and opportunities for people to watch the film.
"It's something we're really trying to fight and push for, but still our spirits are uplifted by the wonderful response we are getting from across the world- from random strangers who've just chanced upon the film and are now fighting for it and spreading the word so vehemently. That success no one can take away from us but yes, of course, we would want more screen spaces and opportunities for people to watch the film."
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