Did Shoojit Sircar Ghost-Direct Pink????

Though we all know that the reputed Bengali director Aniruddh  Roy Choudhury has  directed one of last year’s  most celebrated films, the  question now being asked is, how much  did the film’s producer Shoojit Sircar invest creativity-wise into the project.

While Aniruddh rightfully takes the awards for best director it is Shoojit whom members of the cast refer to as  director.

Says an actor from Pink, “While Aniruddh was the director on the project, Shoojit was present every day on the sets.Yeah , you  could say Shoojit was a co-director.”

When asked who actually  directed Pink Shoojit doesn’t mince words. “That’s a tricky question,” he says. “You could say I was the head coach of the team. It was all a team work. I had  a vision and I made sure that  that the film shaped up accordingly. If you want it put bluntly, then yes you could say I  interfered in everything.And  yes , there was a lot of me  in Pink.”

Explaining why the interference was seen to be necessary  Shoojit says, “I have to admit this was an extremely sensitive subject and I decided I wouldn’t let it go out there in the public domain like the other films that I had produced but not directed. Since Tony (Aniruddh Roy Choudhury) is a friend he and the Pink writer Ritesh Shah didn’s mind me calling the shots.”

While opinion is divided on how ethical  it is for a producer-director to intervene in his production when he  is   not directing, critic Raja Sen feels it’s unfair for Shoojit to walk away with the credit for Pink. “I believe Aniruddh directed Pink simply because I’d like to believe the film’s makers. That said, Shoojit has taken  too much credit for the film while identifying himself as someone who is  not the director of Pink.”