Soft side to Sial

A still from Tikdam

In his growing-up years, Vivek Anchalia used to be bothered about the personal sacrifices made by migrant workers to earn a living in a city. Years later, it became the theme of his maiden feature film, Tikdam. "My friend Animesh Verma had narrated this idea to me. The theme spoke to me because even as a kid, I struggled to come to terms with the fact that so many people around us get to see their kids once a year. They haven't come to the city to follow their dreams; they've come out of necessity," shares the director.

Amit Sial plays a father whose two kids are heartbroken when he leaves his hometown in Uttarakhand in search of better prospects. Anchalia says through the JioCinema release, he wanted to bring the actor's soft side to the fore. "I always felt that there was a vulnerable side to Amit that no one had seen. That's the side I wanted to tap into. We had sent a deck to him and lost touch over time. But he loved it so much that his team reached out and asked if we were still making the film."

Working with child actors has been a joyous experience for the director. "It's not easy to direct kids, but it's also magical. Kids aren't trained [actors]. That's why they are captivating to watch."