Entertainment
Even if my films aren’t appreciated, they still make 100 crores: Madhur Bhandarkar
Madhur Bhandarkar on the sets of ‘Heroine’. (Picture courtesy: Wikimedia)
Madhur Bhandarkar, who is the youngest filmmaker to receive the Padma Shri, speaks to Nation Next about his style of filmmaking, which is inspired by real life situations. He also tells us why the box office numbers of his movies don’t bother him.
Excerpts:
Usually your films have big female star cast but in your last movie Calendar Girls, you chose new faces. Can we call it a change in your film making?
When I made Chandni Bar, Tabu was a known face but Atul Kulkarni for that matter was a fresher. Everything depends on the subject and the star cast of your film. Calendar Girls comprised of a story, which was related to a new walk of life. When we look at a calendar, we barely know any faces on it. These face become famous once they get published in the calendar. For Calendar girls, we wanted girls whom people could relate to. Calendar Girls had a lot of edge and emotions. The actresses went through a lot of polishing to attain perfection for their roles.
Your movies generally revolve around female protagonists. As a filmmaker, do you relate more with this genre?
From Chandni Bar to Calendar Girls, I’ve been making movies on the incidents that I have witnessed. My movies are inspired from real life situations around me. I’m satisfied and comfortable with the movies I make. Nothing in this world matches the happiness I get when my movies become successful and recognised.
Your films also deal with the reality of bold subjects but except for your movie Jail, most of your films have been associated with glamour. Will we ever see you making films on the reality of grim issues like farmer suicides in Vidarbha?
It is a very sensitive issue where farmers are giving up their lives for mere basic needs. Many movie makers, especially in Marathi cinema, have made an attempt to bring forward such sensitive issues. If at all, I can show their plight in my movies, I’ll give my best shot for it. I’ll have to show a lot of conviction while making such hard-hitting movies (like the ones that revolve around farmers) because I’ll have to justify the plight of the farmers. In such cases, I’ll have to do a lot of homework. I don’t have to research a lot while shooting for a glamorous movie as I get a lot of exposure while travelling itself. For me, to make a movie on the plight of the farmers, I’ll have to compromise on my lifestyle to understand their hardships. Most importantly, I’ll have to meet the farmers to understand their trauma. I feel this particular issue (of farmer suicides) should reach maximum people. I can think of making a movie on the same in the near future.
How do you see your films financially, in the maze of 100-500 crore films
Even if my films aren’t appreciated, they still make 100 crores. Not all 100 crore films are well recognised. A movie is good only if the audience finds it entertaining. I don’t flaunt my directorial skills and if my fellow directors make good movies, I’m sensible enough to appreciate them. The movies that I make might need specific budgets, which my contemporaries might not need. But, at the end of the day, what gives me immense satisfaction is the fact that my movies break records and don’t rely much on the box office records.
Bollywood
Ram Kamal Mukherjee named ‘Best Director’ for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at IWMBuzz Digital Awards
Ram Kamal Mukherjee (R) whikle receiving the ‘Best Director’ trophy at IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony in Mumbai
Filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee won the ‘Best Director’ award for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at the recently held IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. The film is produced by Esha Deol Takhtani and Assorted Motion Pictures. Apart from winning the award, it was a special occasion for Mukherjee as two other films he directed also got recognized.
Esha won the ‘Best Actress’ award in the popular categories for her critically acclaimed performance in ‘Ek Duaa.’ After accepting the award, Esha said: “This film is extremely special for me, because I turned producer with this film and I would like to give entire credit to captain of the ship Ram Kamal Mukherjee for bringing such a wonderful subject to me.”
Avinash Dwivedi won the ‘Most Promising Debut’ award for his acclaimed performance in ‘Rickshawala,’ a film directed by Mukherjee. Avinash, who was accompanied by his wife and actor Sambhavna Seth, said: “This is beyond my expectation that today I am getting this recognition as an actor amidst all Bollywood celebrities for my role in Ram Kamal sir’s film Rickshawala. To get honoured for a regional cinema amidst such Bollywood biggie reinforced my faith in good content.”
Gurmeet Choudhary won the ‘Most Popular Actor’ award for his performance in Mukherjee’s film ‘Shubho Bijoya.’ Choudhary said: “Ram Kamal is an amazing story teller. When he narrated this story to me and Debina, we knew that this film will click instantly. I am honoured to receive this award, though the competition was really tough. I thank my fans and jury members who voted for me.”
Other winners at the award ceremony included Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Rakul Preet, Raveena Tandon, Huma Qureshi, Dino Morea, Sikander Kher, Sonu Sood, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Manish Paul and other popular names from the Hindi film industry.
The much awaited Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt wedding fans had been eagerly waiting for finally got solemnised today afternoon in the presence of close friends and family members at Ranbir’s residence ‘Vastu’ in Mumbai. Check out some pictures of the same…
Alia took to her social media to write, “Today, surrounded by our family and friends, at home … in our favourite spot – the balcony we’ve spent the last 5 years of our relationship – we got married.
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt
Bollywood
The Kashmir Files should be declared tax-free in Maharashtra, says BJP spokesperson Rajeev Panday
BJP spokesperson for Maharashtra Rajeev Panday, while speaking to Nation Next, said the controversial movie ‘The Kashmir Files,’ which grossed over ₹240 crore in India, should be made tax-free in the state.
Panday told Nation Next, “The movie has managed to depict, if not all, the brutalities on Kashmiri Pandits. It is a bold representation of truth. Kashmiri Pandit community was forced to leave their own homes in the country. Imagine their plight! Maharashtra government should make it tax-free in their state like the BJP did.”
The movie, which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, has been made tax-free in at least BJP-run eight states namely Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Goa, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had also received requests asking him to exempt the film from entertainment tax in the state.
Rajeev Panday
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Meet Gurudas Raut: The physically disabled cricketer who took Sachin Tendulkar’s wicket
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