Inspired by pressing issues

But Pathik believes in going beyond the surface. His Sarfarosh showing terror in all its human fragility catapulted into the big time. His yet to release Cyanide is now set to delve deep into the Rajiv Gandhi assassination that continues to rankle the Indian imagination. Pathik says cinema is life for him. “Cinema is a powerful medium and I use it to comment on the happenings around me. Situations whether social, economical or political are explored and expounded in every film I lay my hands on,” Pathik told Metrolife.  

Pathik struck gold with Sarfarosh. He later worked on some memorable films such as Qayamat: City Under Threat and Cyanide, which was remade in Kannada and now its sequel is being made in Hindi.   

Actually Sarfarosh was born when Pathik spotted a herd of unmanned camels crossing the Indo-Pak border way back in the late eighties. He was shooting around the location and couldn’t help but notice these camels and wondered why they wandered the way they did. “I probed in a little and found out that these well-trained camels were used to carry arms across to Punjab to aid and support terrorism in the region. That was how Sarfarosh was conceived and the movie opened with the scene of camels,” reasons Pathik.  

Cyanide has unearthed the real story behind the Rajiv Gandhi killing — that Prabhakaran must have masterminded and planned the conspiracy. “Indian cinema has a big tradition of dialogues. Every great actor is remembered and has survived because of his dialogues. The dialogues are written keeping the actor’s capabilities and the subject in mind,” observes Pathik.

 His next two untitled films will capture the life of the people living off the streets of Mumbai. “One will be on Parel, a small village in Mumbai where people belonging to three or four generations are displaced because of development of multi- storied apartments and shopping complexes. What happens to these innocent people displaced by mindless development?” avers Pathik.  

Pathik's canvas is growing. His next directorial venture is about how women living in villages are better respected and treated than those living in urban areas.

“ Urban issues are suicidal. People want to keep their own homes neat but wouldn’t mind throwing garbage onto the streets. Women are emotionally exploited in the cities the most. All of this will be brought out in my films," he says.