18 minutes agoAuthor: Virendra Mishra
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The film ‘Babita Singh Reporting’ is based on the life and struggles of a female police officer. While talking to Dainik Bhaskar, director Ambika Pandit and executive producer Sudeep Sharma talked about the film. Ambika told that she found Babita’s journey of recognizing her voice special.
Sudeep said that more than crime, the female perspective and the reality of everyday life attracted him. Both of them talked about the preparation for the character of Nimisha Sajayan, coordination during the shooting, studying law and the possibilities of bringing the story to the big screen.
Ambika Pandit said that Babita’s journey reflected the story of every woman who finds her voice amidst responsibilities.
Question: After reading the story, what did you feel so special that you should direct it?
Answer/Ambika Pandit: I found Babita’s character very beautiful. She is trying to become a police officer and is struggling with many things along the way. He has domestic responsibilities. She is a daughter-in-law and a daughter and is trying to do a good job amidst all this. But sometimes he has to take leave and go home. This journey of Babita, where she starts out and then learns to hear and recognize her own voice, is what I liked the most in the script.
Question: How was the decision taken to choose Nimisha Sajayan for the role of Babita?
Answer/Ambika Pandit: This decision was taken together. We all loved Nimisha’s work. She is a very good actor. Her face and behavior have the honesty and simplicity that we needed in the character of Babita. That’s why we felt Nimisha would be perfect for this role.
Question: Apart from crime, what was the thing in this film that attracted you the most?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: For me, the female perspective of the film was most fascinating. It is written meticulously and honestly. There is no artificiality in this. This story seems to have come from someone’s real life. I felt that seeing it on screen, many people would be able to connect with it, because it is the story of life in and around our homes.
Crime comes later. Even if there was no crime in the film and the story was about something else, it would still have been equally interesting because its perspective is very different.
Question: In your previous works also, a different aspect of society is seen along with crime. How challenging was it to make it look different in this film?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: This was not a challenge for me, because Ambika’s writing was already different. Reading the script, it didn’t strike me as just another police or murder mystery. The most important part of this film is Babita’s journey. The story of his life, relationships and home is more important. Crime here is just a medium through which a different story is told. This is what I found most smart.
‘Babita Singh Reporting’ will release on Prime Video on 28 August 2026.
Question: How challenging was it to cast Nimisha in the character of Babita?
Answer/Ambika Pandit: It was easy for me. The real challenge was for Nimisha. He had to gain 14 kg weight for this character. He traveled this entire journey and I saw it closely. This was quite challenging for him. However, it was easy to pull off the character because Nimisha is a very emotionally intelligent actor.
During this time we both became good friends. We are both women, so it was not difficult to understand this story. It seemed to us not someone else’s story, but a part of our own life.
Question: Was there any such occasion during the shooting, when you and Ambika had different opinions?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: Nothing special happened. When you are a filmmaker yourself and are producing another filmmaker’s film, you have to keep your vision behind. My job in this project was to support Ambika. It was my responsibility to provide the necessary resources or support for his vision. Our entire process was cooperative. The script was also clear, so there was not much scope for difference of opinion.
Question: Did anything change during the shooting that was not in the script and seemed better later?
Answer/Ambika Pandit: It’s hard to say whether what changed was for the better of the script or not. When a filmmaker works on a script, he has his own interpretation. Ambika wrote, I made the film and Sudeep Sharma is the executive producer. All three of us have different thinking.
Our sensibilities match each other, that’s why we are working together, but it is not necessary that if all three of us make a film then it should be exactly the same. Therefore, it is natural for there to be some difference between the script and what appears on the screen.
Question: How did your law studies help you in filmmaking?
Answer/Ambika Pandit: Studying law has always been useful in my life. It is also beneficial in film making. Law taught me the difference between right and wrong as well as justice and injustice. Studying law gave me a perspective to see the world and society. For me as a filmmaker, vision is the most important thing. Even in law, one has to understand the conflicts between humans and in filmmaking too, it is important to understand humans and their conflicts.
Sudeep Sharma said that crime is just a medium for the story, the real story is Babita’s life and her perspective.
Question: Many films and series have been made on crime. How challenging was it to make this film stand out?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: For us, there was no question of how to differentiate it from other crime stories, because Ambika’s story was different from the first. This is not a typical murder mystery. The real story is of Babita’s journey and life. Crime is just the medium through which its story is told. This is the specialty of this film.
Question: You travel a lot and work on different stories. Do you meet characters like Babita in real life?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: Absolutely. We see such characters all around. The advantage of being a filmmaker is that you get a chance to meet and understand people whom you might not meet in your personal life. I love this part of filmmaking. This gives us a chance to see the world from a new perspective and understand ourselves better.
Question: After being associated with successful projects like ‘Paatal Lok’ and ‘Kohra’, is there pressure to do better work in future?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: Get good sleep. For me, there is no pressure to be more successful than before, because success is not entirely in our hands. Yes, there is always pressure to do good work. Whether you are making your first film or your 100th, the responsibility should be that whatever you make, you yourself like it. If you look at your work after two years, it won’t seem like what I had made of it. In filmmaking we present our thoughts and views to the world. It feels bad if people don’t like it. It still feels bad if no one laughs after telling a small joke. It takes years of hard work to make a film. That’s why it hurts when people don’t like it. But we have chosen this work ourselves, so we cannot complain about it.
Question: You have been a writer, producer and director. What feels the most freedom and challenge?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: Freedom lies in becoming a monk. There is no complete freedom in filmmaking. You always have to be accountable to someone. However, in the last few years, freedom in filmmaking has increased. Earlier the only measure of success was considered to be box office, but now getting good appreciation for the film also has its own value. This change is a good thing.
Question: Could ‘Babita Singh Reporting’ have been made for the big screen also?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: Absolutely. I don’t understand which story is for the big screen and which is for OTT. A few years ago, we were making similar stories on the big screen. Then people accepted that now these stories would not play in theatres. But if the story is good, if it is made and marketed well and gets the right support, then such stories can still run on the big screen.
Ambika Pandit and Sudeep Sharma said that the truthfulness of the story and the female perspective made the film different from other crime stories.
Question: How do you see Ambika’s direction?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: He has done a very good job. She is a very good director. If I had made this film, I probably would not have been able to make it as good as Ambika has made. If I had written it in the same way, I would not have been able to write it as good as Ambika. I consider myself lucky that I got the opportunity to work with such great talent. He has made this film with all his heart. Hopefully the audience will like it equally.
Question: After studying law, when did you decide to pursue a career in filmmaking?
Answer/Ambika Pandit: In law, when there is a dispute between two people, an attempt is made to understand right and wrong. Struggle is important in filmmaking also. What is happening among humans, why we cannot get along with each other, how we live life – all these things are part of the story. That’s why I always felt a connection between law and filmmaking. I loved law, but there was a creative side inside me that was not being completely satisfied. After getting into filmmaking, I felt it was a natural way to fulfill that creative part.
Question: If you had a chance to spend a day with one character from any of your shows, who would you choose?
Answer/Sudeep Sharma: This is a difficult question. When you write a character from your heart, you yourself become a part of his journey. If I had to spend a day with any one character, I would choose Hathiram Chaudhary of ‘Paatal Lok’. I have spent a lot of time with him.
It took years to write it and then it took a lot of time to make it too. He has been a part of my life for the last 10 years. Therefore, if I want to spend time with any one character, I will take the name of Hathiram Chaudhary only.
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