Exclusive! The idea behind the Kaagaz series of films is to highlight fights against social injustices: VK Prakash

Filmmaker VK Prakash does not like to be bound to a region or language, which is why he makes movies in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and even Marathi. “The emotions of filmmaking are the same in any language, and as long as you can present that onscreen effectively, you can work anywhere,” says VKP (as he is popularly known), who is currently in Lucknow, shooting his comeback cinema in Hindi Kaagaz 2, which comes a good 6-7 years since his last.

Kaagaz 2, he says, is not a sequel, but a new film in a franchise. “Actor-filmmaker Satish Kaushik had directed a film called Kaagaz, starring Pankaj Tripathi in the lead, about a poor farmer’s struggle to correct some governmental paperwork, after he is declared dead. This film that I am making, follows a similar pattern, in the sense that it is based on bureaucracy and governmental paperwork. The idea behind this series of films is to highlight the fight against social injustices. Here, a father and son work together in a case about human rights violation. Satish is producing and acting in the film. It will have Darshan Kumaar of Kashmir Files fame and Anupam Kher as well as Neena Gupta, Anant Desai and Kiran Kumar on the cast,” says the filmmaker.

The Malayalam original, written by Bobby-Sanjay, revolved around a National Defence Academy student, who helps his father, an advocate, in a case involving someone’s death. The team of the Hindi film, meanwhile, is currently on a 30-day schedule in Lucknow, following which they will head to Dehradun to shoot at the Indian Military Academy. “We will be shooting in Dehradun and Mussoorie for about 10 days,” adds VKP.

The filmmaker tells us that he is enjoying working on his new Hindi project. “As a filmmaker, I understand the importance of working with good (read big) actors. Moreover, there is a more professional approach to the work – they schedule shoots properly, cast actors who are right for the roles and don’t just go by star value. You also get to work with new crews; so, it is an exciting process,” he says.

VKP’s last release was the Navya Nair starrer Oruthee, which was widely appreciated. A sequel to this in the works, as well as a few other projects that are yet to be announced. “There is a Hindi web series that I have done for Amazon Prime Video, which is ready. I am waiting eagerly for the platform to announce its streaming date.

But what’s the status on his Kannada film Vishnupriya? “The film is ready, but has some minor issue with the censor certification. Once that is cleared it should be in theatres soon enough. I am not sure why the team is delaying it, but from what I hear, lead actor Shreyas Manju is currently focusing on the release of Raana, which is a hardcore commercial entertainer. Vishnupriya is not like that and will show the world what Shreyas is capable of as an actor. I had told the team to release it before Raana, because then, even if my film doesn’t do well, he has the Nandakishore directorial to bank on. However, if it is the other way around and Raana doesn’t do well, then it adversely affects my film too. I am hopeful that they will figure out what’s best for Shreyas and bring the film to theatres soon,” says VKP.