Director Manish Gupta is finally ready with 'Hostel'

The dark and real fascinate him and his last film, The Stoneman Murders is proof of that. Once again, director Manish Gupta has delved into a subject that’s gruesome, depressing and a truth we’ve been living with. “Hostel life and ragging seem to go hand-in-hand in India and over the years, such instances only seem to be on the rise,” he states.

Hostel, as the name suggests, is about life in a hostel and the menace of ragging that comes unasked for. “As an engineering student 18 years back, while on an industrial tour, I had met a group of students who had mentioned this incident to me of how one of their classmates was ragged every night by his hostel seniors. The poor boy would be stripped, made to the mujra while they drank and then, sexually abused. He was from a poor family and had no option but to tolerate it silently, not wanting to end his career or earn further wrath of his seniors,” recollects Manish.

Over the years, such instances increased and so did the ire in Manish. For someone who has worked with Ram Gopal Varma and scripted films like D, James, Darna Zaroori Hai and Sarkar, penning Hostel didn’t take long. The uphill task began soon after. “First, it was finding a producer and then, a lead actor. I approached the likes of Shahid Kapur, Kunal Khemu and Shreyas Talpade and they all felt that playing a vulnerable character like my protagonist wouldn’t suit them. That’s when I approached Vatsal Sheth even though I knew he wasn’t an A-lister,” he confesses.

Having started off from the Ramu camp, it’s surprising that Ramu has no contribution in Hostel. Quiz Manish and he says, “He was the first person I approached but Ramu wasn’t excited and I had to move on. But that doesn’t change the fact that he was the person who’s responsible for the standing I have in Bollywood,”

In fact, his passion for the cause is such that Manish has also kickstarted an anti-ragging road trip in Mumbai. “We’ve shortlisted 41 colleges to go to and show students clippings from the film and educate them about the evil effects of ragging. There has to be a start somewhere,” he signs off.