Twin strands The debut directors reveal how they settle their differences and why two brains work better than one

Twin strands

The debut directors reveal how they settle their differences and why two brains work better than one

The hot seat of a director can be a lonely place as he calls the shots on the sets. But Shantanu Ray Chibber and Sheershak Anand, who are donning the hat of director together for 3G, reveal how their dream of a decade bore fruit finally, and the challenges of directing together. “We are as different as chalk and cheese. Sheershak is a soft-spoken, well-mannered boy and I the crazy one. But these opposite traits lend balance to our work,” says Shantanu and adds with a grin, “Sheershak’s wife often complains that I am married to him as we spend so much time together in brainstorming for ideas.” As writers of the films ­—Aa Dekhen Zara, 3G, Table 21 and Rambo Rajkumar, the duo assert that their journey towards recognition hasn’t been easy. Their own personal story is perhaps as engaging as the stories they write. A decade earlier, when Shantanu decided to ditch oceanography and Sheershak, mathematics, and entered the uncertain world of filmmaking, their families were little apprehensive. “I still remember the night 10 years ago in Delhi when both of us got drunk and decided to let go of our settled careers. Our families thought that we were idiots!” Shantanu says. Talking about their work, they disclose that they want to do “high-concept films that have fresh and exciting plots.” 3G, with which they are making a debut, is a psychological thriller based on a haunted cellphone that delves on what happens when technology turns on you. The film stars Neil Nitin Mukesh in the lead role.