Aditya Sarpotdar is the fourth generation of the N D Sarpotdar who directed one of the successful films of the silent era – Chhatrapati Sambhaji starring Parshawnath Altekar. The next generations Gajanan Sarpotdar and his son Ajay Sarpotdar made a mark in the Marathi film industry with popular subjects, but nobody really was adventurous to take on the world of different genre and language. They did many advertising films and Ajay makes them. And Aditya, Ajay’s son too stepped in the industry as an assistant to his father for advertisement films and continues to do so.
A born optimist, Aditya, however, believes in looking at the future and moving ahead in speed. His latest film Thamma is an example.
How does it feel to be the fourth generation active in the business of films? “Being the fourth generation in the business feels like a responsibility to take all of those collective dreams and collective aspirations ahead. You know, it is because in my family, honestly, among all brothers and all cousins I am the only one doing this,” admits Aditya Sarpotdar.
For Aditya it was not just passion that brought him to the industry, but it was almost like that it was the only thing knew to do when he was growing up. “Like in doctors families you see where generations after generations there are only doctors. So it becomes like a regular thing, right? It’s organic for them to take up that profession. Similiarly, I grew up seeing film-making as a business. My grandfather, father… all were in the same business. We also had this Alka talkies, the movie theater in Pune. So, it is a very natural process of you wanting to kind of get do it to if you like what you see,” Aditya shares.
Aditya is the first one to step out of the comfort zone to try his hand at horror stories, his first one being Zombivili in Marathi.
“Zombivili happened during the pandemic,” shares Aditya. “During a conversation with the producers of the Zombivili we started talking about everyone is feeling like a zombie sitting at home… and one thing led to another where we realized that there were no Marathi zombie films… and then Zombivili happened.”
Success of Zombivili was high for Aditya. He knew that he carved a niche for himself in a zone that was yet unexplored, especially in Marathi language. Munjya was next on the list.
“That’s when I also realised that this is something I really enjoy making. This world is a very fascinating world, especially horror comedies,” Aditya says. “Also, basically these are the films that are fantasies, these are films that are you know, make belief world you are creating and really going into a a genre of cinema where a director can do a lot more. You are building new worlds and creating these stories. So, it just became something that I really put drawn towards and I wanted to explore more and more and that's what has led me to Thamma.”
Then how did Secrets of Shiledars happen? “That I was more of a passion project, you know, that is something that again on the OTT space, I wanted to, I had read this book and the producers had approached me about it and I had known about this book and I being a massive Indiana Jones fan, I wanted to always attempt something on those line. That, again, was a genre that nobody had done earlier on that platform. In south a few treasure hunt films were done. But in Marathi or Hindi or OTT, nobody had explored this genre,” Aditya informs.
“So, when I read the book Pratipaschhandra, I felt that this story was something that had to be told… told to the world. It’s a story close to every Marathi person’s heart. And leaves you thinking… ‘seriously, what if the throne is still there?’ and that’s what I wanted.”
Taking the horror story forward, you said it is not part of the ‘Stree’ universe, but yet you admit that it’s a lot like Avengers going forward. “Yes… like you see the Bhediya in Thamma, in the next film you will see Thamma, Bhediya and maybe some other familiar characters as well… we are not yet revealing that!” he says with a smile.
Making horror films is Aditya’s calling. So, what kind of films does he watch? “Anything else!” comes a prompt one. “I watch any other genre than what I am shooting.” What do you unwind with? “Films!” again Aditya answers without hesitation. “But I watch something totally different from what I am working on. That’s my unwinding and relaxation.”
You have worked in the horror comedy genre for quite some time now. Who according to you has the best timing? “Abhishek Banerjee. He is a brilliant actor to watch out for.”
Despite being the fourth generation in the industry, your legacy is never spoken about. “Because we are not a family of actors,” says Aditya. “If you notice, the film families that are talked about for legacy for generations are mostly actors; eg. Kapoors.”
Do you feel low about it? “Not at all! I know my legacy and I am proud of it. My great-grandfather directed his first film exactly 100 years ago. And trust me, in 2027, when his production house completes 100 years, I will make a film that will make him proud!”
