Films have the power to break boundaries

Vikash Verma with His. Excellancy Shri. Ajay Bisria

No Means No is the first Indo Polish film ever made? You were conferred with the prestigious Bihar Government Award for the same. Recently, G7 Productions Poland also won the Showbiz Award for the best trailer. How do you feel about it?

I am beyond elated and extremely proud that I got to make this film a reality. We gladly faced logistical, stunt and other creative challenges head on to make a film that is raw, explosive and huge in scale. I would like to dedicate this award to the cast and crew of the film for their tireless efforts. It is incredible to receive so much love but it wouldn't have been possible without their support.

Vikash Verma with Piotr Glinski, Hon. Dy. Prime Minister of Poland

Tell us more about your film.

It's a story of an Indian ski champion (played by debutant Dhruv Verma) who goes to Poland to participate in a ski championship and falls in love with a Polish girl. However, things soon take an unexpected turn and he has to fight with all his might to save the girl he so deeply loves. The film is about the female empowerment complimented by a love story.

What was your process like while directing the film?

Directing the film of this scale was always going to be a challenge. Nevertheless, with a talented crew that supported me, I took this challenge head on.

How supportive had been the Polish government as you shot the major portion of the film there?

From the early on, the Polish authorities realised that this film was special and it was going to do wonders in promoting brotherhood, harmony and understanding between our two nations. Therefore, I was honored by they supported the whole shoot in Poland. We had absolutely no problems there whatsoever and the local authorities were extremely helpful. I would also like to mention Małgorzata Pępek, Member of Parliament, Poland, and chairwoman of the Polish & Indian Parliamentary group, Jaroslaw Klimaszewski, President Bielsko-Biala, Poland, Adam Rusniak, Second President Bielsko Biala, Poland Tomasz Lukaszuk, Former Ambassador of Poland in India, Leszek Brenda, Former Consul General of Poland, Damian Izryk, Consul General of Poland, J.J. Singh (President - Indo Polish Chambers Of Commerce & Industries), Janusz Polowniak, Consul & Michel Lason at Embassy of Poland in Mumbai, & Michal from Skola Tanca Swing, Zywiec, Leszek Adamcyzk who stood beside me and have played a key role in the movie's making.

Many Bollywood celebrities have mentioned the film on social media. How do you feel about it?

Getting a shoutout from fellow industry titans always fills me with gratitude and positivity and this support is a benchmark in our industry as a whole. I am really glad that Subodhkant Sahay (Former Minster of Home & Tourism), Sanjay Dutt, Shah Rukh Khan, Manyata Dutt, Preity Zinta, Suniel Shetty, Hariharan (Music Maestro), Neetu Chandra, Vijay Kalantri, Rajkumar Kohli, Armaan Kohli, Shiamak Davar, Akshay Hariharan, Hitesh Desai, Sandeep Singh, Urvesh Patel, Ajay Arora and many others have supported my film. I believe that this collaborative attitude is very important in the continued development of our industry.

In the past, Raj Kapoor tried to rekindle the bond between Indian and Russia. It looks like you are also trying to do a similar thing with India and Poland.

I believe art has a unique way of bringing diverse cultures and countries together. Films, in particular, have the power to break down boundaries and stereotypes thereby bringing people from two different parts of the world on the same page. I am sure this film will enhance the relationship and keep on promoting the love and understanding between the two nations. Continuing my quest to dive deep into Indo Polish relations, my next film, The Good Maharaja will tell the factual story of how the Maharaja of Jamnagar, Gujarat helped save 1000 Polish children from Nazis.