This week we talk to Satyajeet Dubey about his short film, his biggest regret, the best piece of advice he’s ever received and his plans for the future.
Tell us something about the process behind the making of Love, Bites?
So I was travelling to Dehradun for an ad shoot for a car, and I quite liked the place. I told myself that I would love to come back here, and shoot for something. And while I was about to get in the aircraft, I got this call and by the time I got down, I absolutely loved the script and said okay, let’s do it. Within 15-20 days, I was back in Dehradun shooting for Love, Bites. The thing is I have always been getting calls for parts where the character is straight out of college – that kind of a zone. Boy-next-door, chocolaty kind of a thing. Over here, it was about this artist who lives away from the city with his wife or partner. This guy is an eccentric artist, and after a point of time the line between the reality and his imagination gets blurred.
It had a little bit of an abrupt ending. What do you have to say about the ending?
A lot of people ask me, “Can you please explain me the ending?” I’ll tell you a very interesting part. A lot of women who saw the film, they had so many interpretations and so many things to say, about the film and I didn’t get that kind of reaction from the men. The ending is open to interpretation.
Do you look into the mirror a lot? Do you work on your expressions by looking into the mirror?
Look, at the end of the day, you have to understand that it is a visual medium. No matter how much you’re great at your craft, you need to look in a certain way. I am not saying, ‘Become a bodybuilder’. But do look after yourself. You have to have a reality check, and mirror is the best reality check you can ever have. Not to the extent of megalomania though. You need to know that it’s looking alright, but at the same time, when you’re performing, you need to get away from that. In life, if I am having a conversation with you, I can’t keep thinking about how my hair is. The conversation will go for a toss. I used to work on my expressions by looking in the mirror, but not anymore. When you do a scene, in those shoes of the character, you surprise yourself with the kind of things that come up.
What is your biggest regret?
I am a product of my grandmother. She is my guru, she is my godmother, she is my mentor and she is no more. My biggest regret would be, that whenever she used to call me up, she used to say, “Tum kab aa rahe ho?” And I always used to tell her that, “Oh Daadi, I have got another audition. These people might call me.” She was not keeping well, and when I used to talk to her she would say, “No no, tum apna kaam karo. I am completely alright.” And when I got the news that she is no more, I was like, ambition is important, money is important, work is important. But if you’re not able to spend time with people who love you the most, and you love the most, then what is life all about?
What is the one skill every man should have?
Time-management.
What is your major flaw?
Laziness.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
My grandmother told me. Whatever decisions you take in life, you’ll always be liable for it. Good or bad. We always end up pointing fingers at other people. I would have been here, or I could do this, because this person stopped me from doing this. But at the end of the day, it’s all about you. It’s all about your will. It’s all about how much you have faith in your potential and capacity.
What are your plans for the future?
There’s this another short film called Love Handles. It is a series of five shorts, and the first short film is mine. It’s called Chori, Chori Pyaar. It’s a very light romantic take on two maniacs working in a corporate office. It’s releasing of February 14th. Then there’s another short film called Harshit, which is an adaptation of Hamlet. The duration is some 24 minutes. There’s another feature film.
