Director Kaushal Oza faces a tough release for Little Thomas on October 23 as it clashes with eight other films. He said, “Have you ever seen 9 films releasing on a Friday?” Oza urged multiplexes to show patience, noting that word-of-mouth success now takes longer to reach the audience.
At a time when films are becoming increasingly violent and A-rated, writer-director Kaushal Oza attempts to bring innocence back to cinemas with Little Thomas. Starring Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Dugal, the film's trailer is sure to bring a smile to viewers' faces, thanks to its simple yet heartwarming premise. Interestingly, despite its seemingly innocent subject, Little Thomas has not received a ‘U’ certificate from the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). Instead, it has been passed with a U/A 7+ rating. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Kaushal Oza spoke about the certification, Anurag Kashyap's involvement as a producer, the challenges of releasing an independent film and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Little Thomas director Kaushal Oza on CLASH with 8 other films on October 23: “Have you ever seen 9 films releasing on a Friday?”; urges multiplexes to show patience: “What used to be 2nd Saturday for word-of-mouth films is now 3rd Saturday”
Little Thomas looks like such a sweet film, and yet it has been awarded a U/A 7+ rating instead of a ‘U’ certificate. Your thoughts?
I guess very few films now get passed with a ‘U’ rating. The guidelines have completely changed. A U/A 7+ rating means that children below the age of 7 need parental guidance. Anyway, anyone who's below 7 years old would naturally go to the cinema with an adult. Hence, this was the best certification we could have hoped for.
How did Anurag Kashyap come on board as one of the producers of the film? Did he offer any creative inputs?
I was pitching the script, and one of my friends had met Ranjan Singh. This friend recommended my script to him, and Ranjan absolutely loved it. This was around the time when Phantom Films had come apart, and Ranjan had started his own production company. We instantly connected and started working on it.
When I met other producers, they had commercial considerations regarding recovery. Ranjan was the only one who said, ‘I love this script. This kind of film should be made. Let's work in reverse. We'll make this film and then figure out how to release it and make money from it’.
Meanwhile, he joined Anurag Kashyap's Good Bad Films. Anurag was one of the partners, and they all loved the script as well. Ranjan was initially supposed to make Little Thomas independently, but when he joined the company, they told him, ‘Make this film with us. We'd like to be involved’.
And to answer your second question, Anurag was very chill. He doesn't give gyaan or tell you, ‘Aisa kar, waisa kar’. He was clear, ‘Tu teri picture bana. I have a certain way of making films. You make it the way you want to. I'll support you in whatever way I can and help get it out’.
The film premiered at festivals in 2024, but its theatrical release took a while. What led to the delay?
The film premiered in Melbourne and Toronto in 2024. Last year, we also had a screening in New York. So, we had a great festival run, and that was important for a film like this. You can't just come out of the blue and expect people to notice your film, especially when there are bigger stars and bigger films around. It makes sense to have already shown it to an audience, as that helps you earn validation. It also makes things a tad easier when pitching the film for a theatrical release.
The festival run ended last year, and after that, the challenge was finding the right release window. We wanted a Friday that wasn't too crowded. But now, ironically, we're releasing on a Friday that's extremely crowded (laughs).
As many as seven Hindi films and two international films are releasing on October 23, including Little Thomas...
When we announced our release date, way back on September 11, we were the only film scheduled for October 23. We knew some other films would come along, but nobody really expected so many! Have you ever seen nine films releasing on a single Friday? This must be a record (laughs). Anyway, I think we have a very specific audience.
Do you fear that cinemas might not give Little Thomas sufficient shows? After all, multiplexes often reduce shows as early as the second day if a film doesn't perform well. This is despite films like Main Vaapas Aaunga and Hanuman Ansh picking up significantly after their opening weekends...
I have a theory that what used to be the second Saturday for word-of-mouth films is now the third Saturday. We need more patience from exhibitors. Hanuman Ansh also picked up in its third week. So, word of mouth is going to be very important for us. We're hoping that our promotional assets generate enough interest among the film's target audience.