The theme of taking risks is close to film maker Jaideep Varma?s heart. In his short Bollywood career?he directed Hulla, about the travails of living in a housing society in Mumbai, in 2008?Varma pushed boundaries and found it difficult to find a producer to back his project. Two years on, he is back with his first non-fiction film, and he is pushing the envelope further. For, this is a rockumentary?a documentary on one of India?s premier bands, Indian Ocean. The film, Leaving Home, showcases the band?s music for the first time and tells the story of four individuals who made sacrifices to get out of the comfort zone. ?This theme of taking risks and eschewing commercial considerations keeps coming back and in many ways is the main theme of the film,? says Varma, whose film is releasing on April 2. BIG Cinemas will be released it at select multiplexes, bang in the middle of IPL. Excerpts from an interview with FE:

What made you want to do a documentary on a rock band? That?s not a genre that?s very popular in India, is it?

In 2006, I was in a position in this company I?m in (Cartwheel) to set up a small entertainment project within a small budget. The budget grew over the months and years. I?d had a connection with music for a while; had written on music for a magazine, and been a music film fan for years. I had dreamt of being able to do a project like that. I also knew the Indian Ocean guys, so approaching them was not difficult. More (documentaries on music) aren?t made because more aren?t made. This country thrives on precedent; very few have the confidence to produce something without precedent.

What is it about Indian Ocean that you wanted to bring out?

Indian Ocean?s music makes me proudest of being Indian than any other entity. I set out to communicate why I feel so strongly about this through the film.

Tell us what is unique about their music?

Their music is relevant in every corner of India, and everywhere else too. They are rooted and yet universally contemporary. And, it does not age. Their music will be heard hundred years from now with even greater interest.

They scored for Black Friday. Do you think Hindi film music has prevented independent music from doing well or is that changing now?

Hindi film music and Bollywood in general has been detrimental to independent music, especially in Mumbai. I?m not sure it is changing much. What may be changing is that independent music now finds place in Bollywood.

How long did the project take? What are some of the hurdles you faced… on finances, etc?

There were only hurdles. We produced the film (Cartwheel Features, which I run). There was never any question of anyone producing a film like this. Releasing the film was the biggest hurdle; no one thinks this is worth any time because there is no precedent to it. The film took 45 days to shoot, spread over five months. The release took three years.

What are your expectations from the film? Do you think the Indian audience is changing? Did you expect your film to get a multiplex release?

I don?t know if the Indian audience is changing. The trick is to find a core audience for the film and I hope we can reach them. I always hoped and even expected to get a big screen release; now let?s see if the audience responds to the film. They have a responsibility too if they want different kinds of films. For those who don?t know Indian Ocean, they are likely to be stunned when they see this because the fact that an entity like this has survived for 20 years doing their own thing, in its own vacuum, is incomprehensible in these times. For those who know Indian Ocean?s music, this helps them get to know their story comprehensively and entertainingly. It?s a highly entertaining film at the end of the day.

What is the Indian music scene like? Tell us about the trends.

The Indian music scene is fairly depressing in my opinion, as very little beyond Bollywood shows signs of surviving. Rabbi, Raghu Dixit and Swarathma are artistes I like. I hope Lucky Ali comes back and new young voices emerge. But I don?t know how they can in these times. Very few can be Indian Ocean.