logo

Its not everyday that a bunch of filmmakers I like, get together and converse on the medium. For such occasions I always had to depend on film festivals or even take a trip back in time during those glory days of DD. Most such occasion are fruitful when the moderator/interviewer is as well versed or at least someone who can hold his/her own amongst such august company.

Imagine, the thrill when Sudhir, presented the link to this gup-shup between Anurag, Navdeep, Rajat conducted by none other than Bharadwaj Rangan.

All about Old vs New Parallel Cinema - a lovely read this.

Excerpts

Nearly two decades after the demise of what was called Parallel Cinema, three filmmakers from a new age of non-mainstream cinema open up about then and now.

B Rangan: What is your personal opinion of the Parallel Cinema movement of the 1970s/80s?

Rajat Kapoor: I think great beginnings were made. There was more integrity then. People made films they believed in. What pisses me off today is that even with the New Indian Cinema and all that, people don’t know if Kumar Shahani is alive or dead. Saeed Mirza has not made a film in 12 years. Mani Kaul has not made a film in seven years. There’s something wrong here if these filmmakers don’t even have an opportunity to work and make a living.

B Rangan: Why, in your opinion, did the Parallel Cinema movement die out?

Anurag Kashyap: It died out because there was nothing left to say.

B Rangan: Directors like Benegal and Nihalani developed a solid body of work at that time, with concerns that were uniquely theirs. Do you see that happening today, what with all the genre-hopping?

Navdeep Singh: The current films are decidedly less political than those from the Parallel Cinema movement and at that level, less personal. There are commercial pressures that see the filmmakers mining genres. However, as the scene matures and stabilises I think we’ll begin to see distinct individual voices.

B Rangan: Where do you see filmmakers like yourself a few years from now? Is this a passing phase? Or something that will yield bigger and better things — a new identity for Indian Cinema perhaps?

Anurag Kashyap: It’s not a passing phase. This movement will continue and become bigger. There will be a newer generation of filmmakers tomorrow and we will become old school. Maybe we’ll run out of ideas, maybe even sell out. But as far as I am concerned, if I’m not in the grave, I’ll be making films.

Navdeep Singh: That’s a tough one. I vacillate between “passing phase” and “bigger and better” from week to week. However, the answer really lies with the audience. A new identity for Indian Cinema isn’t going to happen for a while. The mainstream will always be led by crowd-pleasers. All I’m hoping is that the definition of mainstream becomes a little broader in the next few years.

Rajat Kapoor: I hope it isn’t a passing phase. We have the opportunities, and now it’s up to us to stand up and deliver, to make what we really believe in, to stretch the boundaries – otherwise the audience will abandon us. If we end up making crappy films, all is lost. In the next five years, I would like to be in a position where I continue making my own films as well as producing scripts I believe in. (I am currently producing Saeed Mirza’s film.) To support the kind of cinema that one believes in, that would be my dream.

Catch the whole interview on Desipundit Bharadwaj Rangan’s page

The Buzz — PFC is powered by your submissions. Send in your news, tips, scoops, hot topics