Ananth Mahadevan: ‘One producer didn’t know who Satyajit Ray was’

Updated On: 24 January, 2025 06:58 AM IST | Mumbai | Upala KBR

As The Storyteller premières online next week, director Ananth Mahadevan recalls his three-year struggle to find producers for the adaptation of Satyajit Ray’s short story

Paresh Rawal leads the film

One would think Ananth Mahadevan would be happy that his directorial venture, The Storyteller, is set to drop on Disney+ Hotstar on January 28. But the director has mixed feelings about his Paresh Rawal-starrer skipping the theatrical route. “It was Jio’s decision to release it on the platform and not have a theatrical release. With the response films are getting in the theatres these days, it’s a question of taking a chance. I would’ve liked it to have a limited release,” says Mahadevan.
Also starring Adil Hussain and Revathy, the film is based on Satyajit Ray’s short story, Golpo Boliye Tarini Khuro. It revolves around an elderly man, known for spinning grand tales. Despite having the foundation of one of Ray’s best stories, Mahadevan says making the film was challenging, with some producers not even knowing of the legendary filmmaker-writer. “It was heartbreaking. Nobody believed in a film on Ray in his centenary year. Producers wanted drama and high-pitched films. One producer didn’t even know who Ray was. I paraded the script in front of six producers over three years till Suchanda Chatterjee came on board. Any other actor would’ve given up, but Paresh stood behind me steadfast.”

Ananth Mahadevan and Satyajit Ray