In 2010, Jaideep Varma’s Leaving Home: The Life and Music of Indian Ocean became the first documentary to get a theatrical release in India. It then went on to win a National Award in 2011. But nothing has come easy for the filmmaker, who made his feature film debut in Bollywood with Hulla in 2008 and then switched to making documentaries for practical reasons — they were cheaper, more flexible to shoot and needed a smaller crew. He’s also written a novel Local, and created the widely used alternative cricketing statistic, ‘Impact Index’. His upcoming documentary I am Offended looks at the stand-up comedy scene in India against the backdrop of a society quick to take offense but slow to laugh at itself. Varma talks about making documentaries on a shoestring budget in Bollywood-obsessed India and on the fine art of sticking it out. Excerpts from the interview:

Leaving Home was the first documentary to release commercially in Indian theatres, paving the way for many others. How tough was it to pull off?

It was very tough, enough to put me off meeting business people for the rest of my life. It also scarily showed up my fundamental lack of patience and my utter inability to think of money over and above everything else. And how devoid of logic and heart the film business in India is for the most part.

How did you get interested in the stand-up comedy scene in India?

I have two good friends in stand-up comedy — Andy Zaltzman in London and Varun Grover in Mumbai. Through their work, I got into the stand-up scene. I am Offended is a lively conversation through interviews and show footage with clips from TV shows and internet acts. The film is as much about humour and its mechanics as a portrait of a modern-day young India, warts and all. We spoke to people like Anuvab Pal, Vir Das, Gursimran Khamba, Tanmay Bhatt, Johnny Lever, Raju Srivastav, Rajeev Nigam, Aditi Mittal, Sorabh Pant, Ashish Shakya, Papa CJ, Sundeep Rao, Vikram Sathaye, Sundeep Sharma and Nishant Joke Singh.

Why do you think we are so defensive and so quick to take offense?

We are just a thin-skinned race, lacking irony and the ability to laugh at ourselves as much as we should, given our diversity. If the minority that is not like this can influence some part of the majority which is, that would be a great change. But tolerance is sadly not our strong suit and doesn’t seem to be a priority either.

What is the biggest challenge facing documentary makers in India?

Showing the films once they are made. And having the audience pay for them. The internet is the best bet, of course, but those who want their money back have to struggle.

What advice would you give to an aspiring documentary filmmaker in India?

Do it yourself. You can now — filmmaking is getting cheaper every single day. Make your first two-three films by yourself and have something to say. Most importantly, focus on that more than how you shoot. The craft will take care of itself when you concentrate enough on having something to say. Filmmaking, contrary to what a lot of people like to project, is not rocket science.

(Kalpana Nair is a Mumbai-based journalist)

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