'Went through anger, frustration, depression'—Dibakar Banerjee on Netflix shelving 'Tees'
What's the story
Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee has opened up about the emotional turmoil he faced after Netflix shelved his film Tees.
The streaming giant had backed the project all through its production before deciding against its release.
The decision left Banerjee with "anger, frustration and depression."
He revealed in an interview with Moneycontrol that he sought therapy to cope with these feelings.
The film stars Naseeruddin Shah, Neeraj Kabi, Divya Dutta, Shashank Arora, and Huma Qureshi.
Emotional journey
Banerjee's daughters noticed his anger
Banerjee revealed that his emotional state was so bad that even his daughters observed a change in him.
"I went through anger, frustration, depression and at that time, I couldn't tell. But both my daughters kept saying that 'papa, you are always angry.' After that, I started therapy, and I was fine."
Production details
Banerjee discussed Netflix's support and subsequent shelving
Despite the dispute, Banerjee credited Netflix for its support during Tees's production.
He spoke about a minor disagreement over casting but said he won three out of four such battles.
The director also revealed that he had prepared a list of cuts and "self-censored" the film as per Netflix's advice to approach it from a "position of strength."
However, things reportedly changed when Netflix underwent an internal team change.
External factors
'Tandav' controversy and its impact on 'Tees'
Banerjee also believes that the release of the controversial show Tandav on Amazon Prime Video around the same time also influenced Tees's fate.
"If you file a case against executives or they have death threats against them or troll them or file a few non-bailable cases against them push them into paying ₹20-30 lakh to lawyers in political cases they will get scared and people will start self-censoring."
Despite these challenges, Banerjee remains undeterred and now "enjoys fighting."
Self-perception
Banerjee sees himself as 'damaged and partially insane'
When asked how he sees himself, Banerjee said he was "damaged and partially insane."
"Until the time I see myself as crazy and blind, I won't be able to see that I am a part of the society. As a society, we are now blind and crazy, and deaf."
Tees recently had its world premiere at the Dharamshala International Film Festival, where it received encouraging reviews.
Complications with the film
Banerjee hopes someone will buy the film
While speaking on Unfiltered with Samdish earlier, Banerjee said, "[Netflix] told us that they are not sure if this is the right time to release the film. Later, they gave a statement in an interview and said that the film didn't fit their slate."
"Now I am knocking on all doors, begging people to buy the film from Netflix."
"I have not been able to move on from the film because I am entangled in it."