Most people picture a film director as the one person on set who has all the answers. The genius with the vision. The one everyone waits for. But after hosting filmmaker Amarpreet G.S. Chhabra on The Supreet Singh Show, I walked away with a different idea entirely. The best directors, he told me, know something most people miss. And it starts with a dangerous trap. Falling in love with your own script.
The Trap of a “Perfect” Vision
Here’s the thing about believing your script is flawless. The moment you do, tunnel vision creeps in. You stop noticing the gaps. You stop really hearing feedback, even when it’s good. And slowly, quietly, the film starts to suffer from it. Amarpreet was clear about this. A good director never treats their own vision as untouchable. They stay open. They keep questioning. Because the second you decide you’re right about everything, you’ve already stopped growing.
Great Ideas Don’t Care About Job Titles
One thing stuck with me from our conversation. The best directors listen to everyone on set, not just the big names. The lead actor has an opinion. So does the assistant. So does the technician stand quietly in the corner. And honestly? Some of the sharpest ideas come from the people you’d least expect. A title doesn’t hand you a monopoly on good judgment. It never has.
The Hardest Question a Leader Can Ask
It’s easy to give orders when the whole room is looking for answers. That part feels natural. What’s hard is pausing in the middle of it all and asking yourself, “Am I actually right about this?” That kind of honesty isn’t comfortable. But Amarpreet believes it’s exactly what separates a memorable film from a forgettable one. The director who only directs makes an average film. The director who listens makes something people remember.
This Isn’t Just About Cinema
The more I think about it, the more this applies everywhere. In any team, the person with the title isn’t the only one carrying vision. The best ideas usually come from the people we forget to ask. The quiet ones. The junior ones. The ones who don’t have “leader” in their designation. So, here’s a question worth sitting with.
When was the last time your best idea came from someone you least expected?
Catch the full conversation with Amarpreet G.S. Chhabra on The Supreet Singh Show, available now on YouTube and Spotify.
