Kunal Kohli: There are no egos in filmmaking

IANS April 6, 2025 259 views

Renowned director Kunal Kohli advocates for a collaborative and ego-free approach to filmmaking. He believes in giving actors the creative space to explore their performances through multiple takes and spontaneous moments. Kohli argues that restricting artists can create unnecessary tension and limit the potential of a film's artistic expression. His philosophy centers on mutual respect, creative freedom, and the magic that emerges from unexpected artistic spaces.

"There's no ego in filmmaking. And where there's ego in filmmaking, it's a mess" - Kunal Kohli
Kunal Kohli: There are no egos in filmmaking
Mumbai, April 6: Director Kunal Kohli likes to keep an open door policy on his sets. He lets the actor do the number of takes to their heart's content.

Key Points

1

Director encourages multiple actor takes for authentic performances

2

Collaboration trumps rigid control on film sets

3

Silences can create magical cinematic moments

4

Allowing creative freedom enhances artistic expression

Kunal recently spoke with IANS, and said that there is no place for egos in filmmaking, and the essence of telling a cinematic story lies in collaboration.

He told IANS, If an actor comes up to me, and says, 'I want to do one more'. And I say, 'No, I've got what I wanted too. Let's move ahead'. Then they won't say anything. But somewhere in their mind they'll be like, 'Why didn't he let me do it?' They'll be unhappy or creatively unsatisfied. The next time they want to do something, they know that I will l say no to it, and then they won't ask. There's a rift created between actor and director. And when that happens then it's not a good thing".

He further mentioned, "And how much more time will it take? One more take? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? 15 minutes? So what? It'll take an hour. Take an hour, do it. Let the actor do one more and let him sleep better. Okay, if they find out they'll do something else which you would like. Great. If you as a director didn't like what the actor did in that extra take, you can always remove it from the edit. Move on. There's no ego in filmmaking. And where there's ego in filmmaking, it's a mess"

Earlier, Kunal had said that he likes to be surprised while working. He has said that the magic in the performances of actors often comes from the most unusual space of silences.

Kunal recently spoke with IANS, and shared that it's not always good to have a solid grip or sense of control on a film set because it restricts the artists from exploring the unknown space.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul P.
This is such a refreshing perspective! More directors should adopt this collaborative approach. The best performances often come from actors feeling safe to experiment. 👏
S
Shreya M.
While I appreciate the sentiment, I wonder if this approach might lead to schedule overruns? Some actors might take advantage of unlimited takes. There needs to be balance.
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Ankit K.
Kunal Kohli gets it! Film is a collaborative medium. Some of my favorite movie moments were probably discovered in those "extra takes" he's talking about.
P
Priya S.
"Let the actor sleep better" - what a beautiful way to put it! Creative satisfaction matters so much. This is why his films always feel so organic.
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Vikram D.
Interesting take, but not every director can afford this luxury. Big budget films with tight schedules might need more structure. Different approaches for different projects maybe?
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Neha T.
This explains why actors love working with him! That trust between director and performer is everything. More power to directors who understand this 💫

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Tags:
Kunal Kohli Bollywood Filmmaking Film Direction Actor Collaboration Creative Process
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