Yusuf Sairunnissa Ansari - Emotions Drive Our Lives and Unless a Script Has Emotions, It Will Not Be Liked by the Audience (Film Director From India)

It has been great learning for me working in the industry. The most important thing that I have learned is that everything is possible. You say it and it is possible. You have to have a firm belief in yourself and above all in Allah's timing. Putting your faith in the almighty makes your path easier. Trust your caliber and be focused always.

1. Tell us about your background and journey

I am a Bandra-boy by birth. Born and raised in Bandra, I belong to a middle-class family small in stature. I went to school in Bandra and I started work as a costume attendant for the designer Ritu Deora. That is how I got introduced to the entertainment industry. I was a layman who would barely give a damn about filmmaking and creativity. 

To me, my monthly salary was all I longed for. One fine afternoon something happened that laid the foundation of what I am today. As usual, I was taking a nap in the dressing room after the recess at the shoot. Mr. Ajit who was the supervising producer of the show just happened to pass by and he noticed me dozing off on the costume trunk. He took the effort of coming inside and jolting me out of my slumber. 

I woke up with a startle. He told me that I am losing my precious time and life by dozing off. I countered him that what else should I do when I have finished my work. During those days my job was to take the outfits to the artist’s makeup rooms and bring back the used ones for laundry. Then Mr. Ajit retorted your work is not finished, you just have to find it. You can be a part of the direction team and be a director one day. I laughed at this thinking Mr. Ajit was making fun of me. However, he was very serious about his statement. 

He introduced me to two beautiful personalities. They were Mr. Satyam Tripathi and Mr. Nandu Kale. They were directors of the show. They took me under their wings. And that's how my journey in the field of direction began. I worked and kept learning new things. There were many hurdles and I had to surpass them. I did that. I worked on many different shows with different people assisting different directors. And amongst them, I found someone who I would call my Godfather. 

He was my Godfather indeed as even God loved him so much that he called him very very soon. He was Mr. Waseem Sabir, a great creative force. A director by profession, he had a golden heart. A master craftsman who strived for excellence and benevolence equally. Through him, it dawned on me what it takes to be a director. Under his tutelage, I became a director. He became someone who I would confine in. Unfortunately, he is not here to see me excel. 

There are others also who encouraged me and still inspire me to keep the fire in me alive. Amongst them are Rajita Mam, Vivek Sir and Priya Mishra Ji, Baisakhi Banerjee. They themselves are some of the biggest creative minds in the industry. And this is me surrounded by these people who love and guide me and my journey goes on. 

Above all, a child can never grow up to be the man he is today without the love and blessings of his parents. I lost my mother when I was sixteen. She loved me a lot. My father who is the iron man of the family has always been a robust pillar of support to me. 

2. What has been the biggest learning from your job?

It has been great learning for me working in the industry. The most important thing that I have learned is that everything is possible. You say it and it is possible. You have to have a firm belief in yourself and above all in Allah's timing. Putting your faith in the almighty makes your path easier. Trust your caliber and be focused always.

3. Which factors do you consider to determine an actor's suitability?

Above all, an actor has to be unabashed always shedding his or her shyness. When in front of a camera, they should not feel they have a camera placed on them. Their acts should come out naturally. They should not act in the scene rather they should live the scene. 

As far as the suitability of an actor for a particular role is concerned obviously the actor should be in the skin of the character. I don't only consider how they deliver the dialogues but I also consider how they carry themselves under the garb of that character. 

4. What is your biggest pet peeve in the audition room?

When I have to deal with a person who pretends to be an actor, I get annoyed a lot. No offense to anyone. I see persons who are not meant for acting desiring to be an artist. They do not try to be an actor rather they only wish. I feel very bad for them. However, what irks me, even more, is that they waste their precious time and someone else's time as well. 

I have a suggestion for them that not everyone is a born artist. So they should work hard on their acting skills rather than just desiring and wishing. Or they should just choose something that they are good at. 

5. What do you look for in a script?

I look for emotional connection in a script. Emotions drive our lives and unless a script has emotions, it will not be liked by the audience. Build your drama, actions, suspense, or for that matter even comedy around emotions. I guarantee they will always work. 

6. What is the best thing about your role?

This question is very close to my heart. Being a television director, I have to be working for 12 to 14 hours every day. That's very tiring physically and mentally.  However, the best thing about it is you are leading your unit and setting an example for them. You are the so-called "Captain of the ship". Half of my work responsibility is to manage people be it actors, workers or anyone who I have to interact with during the shoot. 

So I am a people's man. And as far as my craft is concerned, that demands equal attention as to how to make a scene work on screen. At times, I have to mold the scripts in my own way based on my perception. A sharp and understanding mind is what you need to have. That contentment after a day's grind makes you a happy man. 

Yusuf Sairunnissa Ansari - Director

Interviewed By: Vanshikha Bagga