Shireesh Khemariya thinks ‘Now’ is a good time for ‘Independent films’

Shireesh Khemariya has tried his hands on short films and assisted in documentaries. Then, he decided to give his luck a big shot and made his first independent film which traveled to various international film festivals. He bagged best Director Award at Washington DC South Asian Film Festival 2022 and he is right now preparing for two big projects.

Discussing the fate of independent films, he said, “This is a good phase for independent films. Though there may be so many lobbies and production houses but good thing is films get a window to release nowadays which was not the case earlier. My film Who Am I is an independent film, with good but lesser-known actors, producer whom I met through Facebook and everyone in the crew is under 25 years. We shot it in the interiors of Madhya Pradesh. Now, we plan to release it in theatres or maybe OTT — whatever might be it fate?”

In an interview with Hindustan Times, he shared that he was just 13 when he started his directorial career. He said, “It started around 2013, when mobiles had become smarter with good cameras. So, I directed my first short film Uday that reached the semi-final round at Lake City film Festival, Nigeria. It fuelled my desire and eventually I joined Subhash Ghai’s institute. In between, I started getting industry opportunities and became associate creative producer at a production house where I was involved in films like Habaddi, Chaman Bahaar, KD and Kanpuriye.”