Nehha Pendse: I am not over-indulgent of the privilege that comes with being a producer

In 3 Idiots, Aamir Khan's Rancho says, "Kaamyabi ke peeche mat bhaago. Kaabil bano, kaamyabi jhak maar ke peehge ayegi." In her 2.0 avatar, actor-producer Nehha Pendse is implementing exactly this. It took many years and a change in perspective for the actress to take this route but now that she's on it, there's no looking back. In a chat with us, Nehha speaks about associating with stories she identifies with, the female gaze in filmmaking and more. Excerpts:

An extended break from the big screen

Nehha's last film was the National Award-winning Marathi project June, which had a direct-to-OTT release in 2021. It's been a while since the actress had a theatrical release and Tighee marked her return to the big screen. "It has been quite an extended break," she agrees, adding, "But it was a conscious decision to return with a film that I truly resonated with. So, the wait, although long and sometimes painful, was worth it." Speaking about it being a conscious decision, Nehha shares, "Over the last few years, I’ve become very conscious about the kind of stories I want to associate with. When things weren’t shaping up the way I envisioned, I decided to pause and realign. June happened because of that realignment. After that, I had to wait again to connect with something meaningful, and that’s when Tighee came along."

'Conscious about my power as a producer'

Nehha, who turned producer with June, says that doing films she associates with wasn't something she always had in mind. "In the three decades that I have been working, I have done projects that were offered to me," says the Natsamrat actress, adding, "I now have a certain amount of power because I’m also producing films. But I have realised that just because you have the power doesn’t mean you forget that a film is ultimately about storytelling. You have to first see whether you truly have a place in that story, and only then decide how to move ahead." And does producing give one greater liberty and freedom as an actor, we ask. To that, Nehha replies, "I won’t shy away from admitting that I became a producer partly so I could create more opportunities for myself. But I try not to be over-indulgent with that privilege."

On the female gaze in filmmaking

Citing the example of Tighee, which also features Sonalee and veteran actress Bharati Achrekar, and is directed by Jeejivisha Kale, Nehha says that female gaze in filmmaking changes the perspective entirely. "Storytelling comes from lived experiences. I’m not taking away the importance of male storytellers, but men can’t truly experience the challenges faced by the opposite gender. They can offer an external perspective, but going through something first-hand changes the way a story is executed — the nuances, the sensitivity, everything. I believe Jeejivisha is the reason why Tighee is what it is," she shares.




On measuring a film's success...

Ask her about the current state of Marathi cinema and how she views success as a producer, and Nehha replies, "At the end of the day, the lens through which a film’s success is judged is its commerce. That said, over time, working with some really good collaborators, I’ve realised that if you have conviction, every story is worth telling." The key, according to her, is to be objective about how much money should be spent on telling that story. "Once you achieve that clarity and execute it properly, a film can't be called a commercially unsuccessful idea," she adds.

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