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Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee didn’t mince his words as he reflected on the state of the Hindi film industry, which he feels is lagging behind its South Indian counterparts. The acclaimed filmmaker said that Bollywood is so out of touch with its roots, in order to ‘make money’, it resorts to remaking a Marathi film mounted on a low budget.
In an appearance on the Honestly Saying Podcast, Dibakar–known for films such as Khosla Ka Ghosla, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Shanghai–was asked if the South Indian film industry has impacted the way Bollywood has made films in the last four years.
To which, the filmmaker said, “Yes. It is not a four-year issue, it has been 10-15 years, we have just been slow to read the signs. Over the last decade, decade and a half, they have come up with new interpretation of old superstars, they have invested in stories, invested in subversion in the superstar genre…
“In addition to that, the independent film industry, let’s say, the Kerala film industry, has kept the vibe because they have kept theatrical alive. They have not let their budgets get bogged down by astronomical star fees. They have also been intelligent about trying to increase the number of theatres.”
The director said the South Indian film industry has also invested in “local stories” and added how disconnected filmmakers in the Hindi film industry are from stories around them. “Powerful people in Bollywood like us read English novels, Crossword bestsellers, we don’t know how to read Hindi, Bengali, are unaware of Gujarati stories and stories of our roots. A Marathi filmmaker mounts a film on a low budget, and then we remake that and make money. Our ability to jump into our own stories is reducing, so South is definitely ahead of us,” he added.
Dibakar Banerjee is currently awaiting the release of his latest film, Love Sex Aur Dhoka 2. The film is gearing for a theatrical release on April 19.
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First uploaded on: 13-04-2024 at 20:09 IST