Director Shaad Ali Dicussing Movies With The Film Critics At IFFI
The Internation Film Festival Of India (IFFI Goa 2018) also saw some of the leading film critics of the country engage in a conversation on the new age of cinema & how the lines between commercial mainstream cinema & alternative cinema are blurring. This elite panel included film critics like Bhawana Somaaya, Rajeev Masand & Anupama Chopra along with trade analyst Komal Nahata & filmmaker Shaad Ali (of Bunty Aur Babli & Saathiya fame) & Ankur Mehra (of Facebook fame) moderating the session.
This is especially true in a year where some of the biggest films have been those without stars but with amazingly fresh storylines. These include films like Badhai Ho, Stree & Raazi.
Starting of the panel on a light note Komal Nahata said that, “Because we don’t pay for our tickets & popcorn, we try to save other people’s money by giving a fair opinion.” Rajeev Masand added that “a lot of people don’t know what we do”, to which Komal Nahata retorted, “Even I don’t know what we do.”
Things soon took a serious turn with the conversation veering to how films are judged in India. When asked about his opinion filmmaker Shaad Ali mentioned that, “Films should not be judged by how much money is spent on them. Everyone works equally hard on their films.”
Throwing light on the role of the exhibitors & their perceived knowledge of what works & what doesn’t, Komal Nahata said that, “All the exhibitors understand is that ‘if the film gets an opening, then it will be a hit & if it doesn’t then it will flop.’ I don’t agree with that. That is why I like to see the film with the audience. The opening day figures of a film are not as important as the feeling & mood of the audience when they are watching a film.”
Speaking on the on-going audience evolution & their changing tastes as far as cinema is concerned, Anupama Chopra said, “There is no art-house cinema or mainstream cinema. What is Andhadhun? What is Badhai Ho? What is Sriram Raghavan? Is he an art-house filmmaker or a mainstream filmmaker? Now the lines are blurred, almost extinguished”.
Rajeev Masand added that, “It’s really an exciting time. Ideas & themes that wouldn’t usually be touched upon by the mainstream are today getting funded.” Komal Nahata added, “The audience has evolved, they see world cinema on their smartphones, they are receptive to different themes now. Therefore they appreciate films without a star-cast or middle of the road.”
The audience peppered the panel with questions on what the future holds for Indian cinema and how they see the market evolving further.
