Amol Gupte - interview

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I have 17 scripts: Amol Gupte

Just when you thought he was working on the script of his directorial venture "Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte", the multifaceted Amol Gupte reveals he has a bank of 17 scripts ready with him and that his next movie is "Stanley Ka Dabba".

"I have 17 locked scripts with me. I have written and completed them all. Some of them are 'Happy Diwali', 'Underbelly' and 'Stanley Ka Dabba', which is my next," Gupte told IANS in an interview here.

But wasn't "Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte" his next?

"The script for 'Sapno Ko...' is yet to be locked. I think that will take a backseat as of now. The film is about the large economic disparity among children and I want it to be told. It should transcend barriers; therefore I want to start shooting it once everything is in place," added the scriptwriter-director-actor.

There were reports that Gupte, who made his acting debut with "Kaminey", was trying to rope in Salman Khan for "Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte". Asked about it, he said: "I won't comment on that, but we need a star for the film."

"Stanley Ka Dabba" is already on floors, said Gupte, who was here for the 11th edition of the Osian's Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema.

"I have started directing it. I won't like to reveal anything about the film except that I am also acting in it to give it some value with a few actors from the industry," he said.

Gupte is planning to release "Stanley Ka Dabba" next year "when children could watch it during summer holidays".

Just like "Taare Zameen Par" that was initially directed by Gupte before Aamir Khan took over, both "Stanley Ka Dabba" and "Sapno Ko..." are also children-oriented films.

Gupte, who used to earn Rs.30 per day once, is producing "Stanley Ka...".

"Production is not such a big deal. With your wits in place, you can get it through. And money is no problem, when a film brings in Rs.140 crore ('Taare Zameen Par'), then every second person looks into it (considers you) because of an unfortunate herd mentality," said Gupte, who is also a painter and musician.

Asked about his bent towards children's films, he said: "Nobody works for them; so someone will have to. I'd like to address children cinema and pay respect to the children friends I have. It's a continuous experience with them and all my films will be around them," he said.

He recently made a 10-minute documentary "Aansu Bane Moti" with, for and by children.