Interestingly, Nidradevi Next Door breaks away from the conventional three-act format. Was he nervous? “Not really,” he says. “The first half sets up the world and makes you wonder why things are happening, while the second half answers everything. Every character carries trauma, and they resolve it differently. The structure is not textbook, and certain sections of audience at the premiere in Mumbai have already given us a big thumbs-up.”
Authenticity, for Suraag, is non-negotiable. “Only when we are authentic can the audience truly connect,” he insists, and agrees that today’s young directors are drawn to emotionally complex stories. “Cinema shouldn’t be about formulas, it should be about experiences,” he adds.
Backing him is producer Jayaram Devasamudra, who has invested heavily in both performance and craft. “A big chunk of the budget went into actors and VFX,” Suraag explains. “We had to create dream worlds in black and white, and those visuals required technical precision. Jayaram, as producer, gave us that freedom.”