"Surti locho, khaja and ghari are my favourite delicacies" - Aman Sukhadia

Surat Times speaks to city-based actor and assistant director Aman Sukhadia. Sukhadia has played assistant director for projects like Short Circuit, Wassup!Zindagi! and Chasani. Q. Tell us about your bond with the city of Surat.
I am born and brought up in Surat . In short, I am what they call a true Surti Lala and Surat reflects in my personality.
Q. What is it about Surat and Surtis that you love the most?
I love Surat for its impeccable infrastructure, delicious food, easy connectivity, humble people and undying spirit for innovation. Surtis are enthusiastic about everything and that's what sets us apart from the rest. We enjoy simple things like dinners on footpaths.

Q. Surat is a city of foodies. What are your favourite Surti delicacies. Also, list the food joints where you enjoy these delicacies?"Surat nu jaman ane Kashi nu maran" is a very famous saying meaning. This means there is nothing more satisfying in the world than food in Surat and death in Kashi. I have many favourites in terms of local delicacies. Surti locho, egg dishes, Surti ghari, khaja and khari biscuit are items I love.

Q. How early did you discover your passion for movies? Were you inclined towards films since you were a child?
I discovered my passion for movies when I was around 14 years old. During my hostel life, every saturday night was movie night. The entire week we'd only wait for Saturday to arrive. I realised how a fascinating story can impact and influence the live of so many people. I'd always wonder about the magic of filmmaking. I also feel that love for films is in my genes. My grandfather has strong passion for films and still continues to watch a film daily and it is his favourite past time. So this ignited the spark of interest in movies in me at an early stage of life.

6. Tell us in detail about your journey in the film industry.My journey in the film industry started as an actor. I was very anxious to know how the whole process of filmmaking worked at the backend. I tried really hard to penetrate the industry but unfortunately was unable to connect with the right people. After some time, I heard of a role in a TV serial for DD National and decided to give an audition only to understand how it all worked. Gradually, I started learning vfx and filmmaking and, at the same time, started doing theatre as an actor as well as in the backstage team. This is when I met many influential people in the industry and started approaching people who directed short films. I also made my first short film during that period in just three hours which got a good response. However, I wasn't satisfied with my work and decided to work with different people on different projects to gain an insight and experience so that I could excel in my career as a filmmaker . One such day, I got a chance to be a part of a backend team of a film called "Gangs Of Ghosts" that was being shot in Surat. I was super excited to be on set and finally I saw the whole process. I stayed on sets for almost 6 days and after getting all my answers, my interest for film making started increasing. This is how it all started and till date I have been part of numerous projects

Q. Talk about Dhollywood, then and now.
Dhollywood then was driven towards the audience of that time but now Dhollywood is more driven more towards the young generation, filling the entertainment requirement and falling in the radar by being equally entertaining as Hollywood and Bollywood. Today, people are enjoying and supporting Gujarati movies because Gujarati films have changed their course according to the need of audience and have filled the generation gap giving the same quality as other industries. Overall concept of regional cinema is all about pride and feeling of ownership. Viewers feel a very strong connection with regional characters, story ideas, locations and regional taste. So it's more and more engaging for all. Maybe this is one of the reasons behind the success of regional cinema and Dhollywood
QUICK FIRE

- Your favourite film (Bollywood and Gujarati)
Bollywood: Rang De Basanti
Gujarati: Wrong Side Raju

- Gujarati delicacies you cannot live withoutLilva kachori, malai cake
- Traits that make you a true blue Gujarati
Love for food and a knack for business.
- Favourite actors in Dhollywood
Jayesh More and Jhinal Belani




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