‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ director Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari recently revealed that if she gets an opportunity to helm a big-budget tentpole film, her ideal cast would include Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt and Sai Pallavi.During an interaction at the Red Lorry Film Festival, the director said, “I’ve lots of names on my wish list but right now, my wish list is Deepika, Alia, Sai Pallavi. I hope Deepika, Alia, Sai Pallavi are listening. I’m putting it out in the universe.”
Director questions gender imbalance in big-budget films
Ashwiny also spoke about the gender dynamics within the film industry, “Why can’t a woman make a Rs. 100 or Rs. 1,000 crore film, why only a male director has to make? I have one in the house (her director husband, Nitesh Tiwari, known for ‘Dangal’ and the upcoming, ‘Ramayana’) but still.”
Filmmaker says studio support is crucial
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari explained that making a massive project requires more than just creative ideas. According to her, strong support from production studios is essential.Speaking about the process, she said, “I just put it out there into the universe (about her desire to make a Rs. 1,000 crore film) because you need a kind of platform, budget, and everything is there.”She added, “I may have an idea today, but if the studio is putting in money, then they also need to have that much faith and a long-term plan on it. So, it’s a two-way process.” The director emphasized that large projects demand trust between filmmakers and studios.
Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari expresses interest in action films
Apart from her dream casting, Ashwiny also revealed that she is keen to explore the action genre in the future.She said, “I want to make action films. There has to be some sentiment in it.”The filmmaker shared that she enjoys action-driven storytelling. Some of her favourite films include the animated franchise The Incredibles, the superhero saga Spider-Man, and the classic Hindi film Shahenshah.
Director praises Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic and speaks about audience trends
Ashwiny also expressed excitement about Geetu Mohandas’ upcoming pan-India film Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-ups, starring Yash.She said, “I’m very very happy for Geetu to make that kind of film, and also to be an encourager for many more storytellers.” She further added, “Moreover, I feel that it’s all about faith and trust in the maker, so it doesn’t matter (which gender). I always feel that a good storyteller will always be a good storyteller, it’s just that the budgets increase, or are the same.”Ashwiny also praised Yash’s support for the project. She said, “Hats off to Yash to support Geetu, and also to make sure that it gets the right kind of window for film like that, so I think that’s great.”The filmmaker revealed that she watches films in theatres to understand audience reactions. She mentioned recently watching Dhurandhar for that reason. She explained, “For me it was more of a market check to see what makes the audiences happy and that is very important for us.” Ashwiny also shared that she plans to watch the upcoming film ‘Dhurandhar 2’ on March 19. Her previous directorial was the TV series ‘Faadu: A Love Story’.
