"We launched the first part of 'Munkeeman' last October.
We will now launch the second part. The story shifts from
Delhi to Kanpur, where Munkeeman meets his nemesis. The
first part has been well-received so far," Sharma said.
However, the filmmaker said that unlike movies, it is not
easy to earn instant money as new comics take time to become
popular.
Hollywood is known for adapting comics into successful
films like "Spiderman", "Batman" and
"Captain America". This trend is not prevalent
in Bollywood and Sharma blames this on the disconnect between
publishers and producers.
"There is a disconnect between publishers and producers.
Such films are quite expensive to make. Moreover, there
are few characters today which could be adapted for the
big screen," he said.
"The 1980s and 1990s saw characters like Chacha Chowdhary
and Nagraj ruling the roost but today, there aren't any
characters who can impress people. Hence there is hardly
any audience for such films," Sharma added.
Another factor is that people only think of big stars in
superhero roles and as a result, such films become very
expensive to make.
"In India, there have been superhero movies like 'Krissh'
and 'RA.One' with actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik
Roshan playing the lead roles. However, in Hollywood it
is completely the opposite. We are behind that but we are
gradually progressing," Sharma explained.
Sharma's 2010 film "Tere Bin Laden", titled after
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, dealt with the situation
in the US after the 9/11 attack -- in a satirical and humorous
manner. The director says he likes to tell stories that
people can relate to.
"I love to entertain people with relatable issues
with satire and farce, something which people can connect
with. It brings me closer to my audience and I enjoy working
on socially relevant issues," he added.
To that extent, Sharma's comic strip his also deals with
a social issue but he has no plans to turn it into a film
anytime soon.
"I would love to make a film on 'Munkeeman' but I
am not trying to be over-ambitious I am enjoying the storytelling
part and hope it helps contribute to the revival of comics,"
he said.