"I am enjoying all the attention due to Phoonk" - Wilson Louis 
By Joginder Tuteja, August 26, 2008 - 12:16 IST
While distributors of Phoonk are laughing all the way to the bank, courtesy it's surprise success at the box office, one man who is secretly smiling is Wilson Louis. For the uninitiated, Wilson is a filmmaker who made Ho Sakta Hai which is touted to be the first film on black magic ever when it comes to mainstream Bollywood flick on this part of the century.
Even though Ho Sakta Hai had met with quite some critical acclaim prior to it's theatrical release (it visited numerous international film festivals and even won a few awards for it's technical finesse), it couldn't create much ripples at the Indian box office due to poor marketing, bad promotion and random theater placement. While Wilson went on to get his other projects on floors, most of them being horror thrillers (a genre that he specializes in), he is back in news currently due to Ram Gopal Varma's 'Phoonk' which revisits the black magic theme. In his own words, Wilson is quite thrilled with the kind of response that 'Phoonk' is fetching all over.
"I can't be happier with the kind of attention I am getting now, courtesy Phoonk. To be honest, I don't mind it at all because once again Ho Sakta Hai is back in news", says Wilson Louis whose film on black magic had released in India more than two years back, "I have been inundated with phone calls ever since the promos of Phoonk stated coming on air. As the release date approached, there was quite a renewed interest in Ho Sakta Hai which was visible. Though some people were challenging whether the subject of both the films was visible, I don't think that can be the case. In any case, the genre of black magic hasn't been explored much in Bollywood and some eyebrows are bound to be raised."
Truly believing in Ram Gopal Varma to be the reason behind his entry in the world of making movies, Wilson admits that if not for the maverick filmmaker, he may not have decided to take the plunge. "Arrey yaar, Ramu is the man who has made filmmakers out of people like me. I saw Satya and knew that I had to make my own film one day. The man has walked against all odds and made movies at his own will. He has been a non-conformist throughout his professional career and it is an inspiration good enough for a filmmaker like me. I am happy to see his Phoonk do well at the box office. At least it has managed to bring to fore the subject of black magic for a good chunk of audience to see", confesses Wilson.
Doesn't he feel that he missed the bus when it came to his filmmaking an impact? Is there any regret whatsoever that he had made a film on black magic years back and still couldn't reach out to the audience in the same way as Phoonk? Because his film was a first in this genre, perhaps he may have been showered with all the adulation over all these years if only his Ho Sakta Hai would have turned into a success?
"See, to be honest, these are all ifs and buts; you can't really control destiny", says Wilson in a philosophical tone, "One never makes a film thinking that it won't work at theaters. Everyone wants his or her film to reach out to the masses. Now of course I was disappointed that Ho Sakta Hai never got a proper release in spite of finding worldwide acclaim en route to its arrival in India."
He goes on add, "It was made at a time when technology was still in its nascent stage in India as far as the special effects in Bollywood was concerned. With the kind of limited budget that I had in hands and no stars to boast of, the only strength that Ho Sakta Hai could boast of was a tout narrative, some hair raising moments, great creativity by my crew and of course the subject by itself which was hitherto unexplored till that time."
Getting nostalgic about his first baby which is now expected to find a momentum for itself on the DVD circuits, Wilson says hopefully, "I am sure that it will catch on well on home video front because of so many avenues opening up. A success of a film these days is not just restricted to it's theatrical outcome. Acceptance of Phoonk means that while Bollywood has been under this misconception that only feel-good or light hearted entertainers work at the box office, audience is still willing to be entertained through some scary moments. I am glad that Ram Gopal Varma has done all that for me which my producers couldn't do for Ho Sakta Hai."
Some of the milestones for Ho Sakta Hai over the years have been:
- The film was screened at Cannes 2005
- Won the best sfx sequence for Seagate technical awards and got nominated in three categories
- Got nominated as the best sfx film in the top three films of the year at the FICCI awards
- Screenplay officially selected for 'MARGARET HERRICK OSCAR LIBRARY'
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'Phoonk' goes international
