The 18th Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation Films featured an insightful In-Conversation session today with Richie Mehta, the Emmy Award-winning director, creator and writer, known for acclaimed series such as ‘Delhi Crime’ and ‘Poacher.’ The session, moderated by the internationally acclaimed radio personality Rohini Ramnathan, delved deep into the intricacies of crime thriller filmmaking.
Richie Mehta shared his profound insights on the craft of filmmaking, emphasizing the timeless importance of a good script and strong acting. “One thing that makes films immortal is good script and acting. Casting and research are very important,” he stated, underscoring the foundational elements of successful storytelling.
The prolific film maker, who is not particularly drawn to the crime genre despite his notable works in the field, revealed his unique approach. “I am not interested in telling local stories that can be better told by local filmmakers. What I am interested in are very big stories, stories that get to the heart of what we are capable of as a species,” he said.
He further said that he uses the crime genre as a vehicle to engage different audiences and to address broader, often more complex themes. “Entertainment is the means to an end. It is not the end,” Richie Mehta noted.
Retracing the genesis of his much acclaimed crime thriller, Richie Mehta said that a crowd sourced footage of an ivory bust collected in the process of his documentary “India in a Day’ sparked his interest in the subject of elephant poaching, leading to the creation of ‘Poacher’.
As an NRI filmmaker, Richie Mehta feels a deep sense of responsibility to give back to his homeland. He highlighted the critical role of research in filmmaking, saying, “We get to talk to people and know them, and it is where we learn everything. I was particular about showing things that people don’t get used to seeing. If I personify animals, I can assure you that their reaction towards humans is fear or indifference,” he explained.
The session also touched upon the technical and linguistic challenges of directing a series in multiple languages. “It was an amazing learning experience. I had to make sure that what I have written in English is accurately captured,” Richie Mehta said.
Looking ahead, the filmmaker is embarking on a long-term project researching tigers and big cats. Addressing questions about his writing process, Richie Mehta expressed his preference for individual research over the writers’ room approach, which he finds potentially distracting. “I love the research in writing so much,” he concluded.
