Branding for content films extremely important: Tannishtha Chatterjee

“That is why certain branding is important. The National Film Development Corporation (NFCD) has a branding having made iconic films like Mirch Masala and now Chauti Koot, Lunchbox and Masaan. So, that branding needs to grow.”

Tannishtha’s upcoming film Island City, which marks the directorial debut of Ruchika Oberoi, has been produced by NFDC. The actress says even the government in India should step up like they do in other countries, and back more of such projects.

“I request NFDC to grow in their branding and tie up with the government and showcase the films and figure out how to reach the audience. Everywhere in the world, the government supports arts and cinema. We have those options here but they are not tying it together.”

Tannishtha’s Island City co-star Vinay Pathak says despite the Indian film industry being so huge, the percentage of filmmakers trying to make and support content-based films are not high, which is sad.

“There is nothing wrong with mainstream. It is fantastic as it is bread and butter for the industry. Our film industry is very self-reliant that way. But the percentage of people supporting films like Island City is not high. It needs support from the industry.”

For both Tannishtha and Vinay, Island City is a passion project and they are hoping that the film strikes the right chord with the audience.

“It is a passion project for all of us. We really believe in the film. We wanted it to be as good as the script and I think it has gone beyond the script,” the actress said.

Vinay added, “It is said that only 90 percent of the script comes in the film but in this case, 110 percent of the script has been shown in the project.”

Tannishtha, whose last release was UnIndian, is gearing up for Island City to hit theatres this Friday. The actress’s film Parched is also set to release this September.

“I am having quite a back-to-back release phase. Besides Island City and Parched, I also star in Lion, which will release at the end of this year. I can’t talk much about the film but Nawazuddin and my segment are set in India. It is the only portion not there in the book and so it is a surprise.”

The actress is also set to star in a biopic which is based on India’s first female doctor’s life Vinay’s next release post-Island City is Chidiya.