The 46th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) has offered a memorable and learning experience for cinema lovers and aspiring filmmakers. This year, the festival introduced a special series titled “In Conversation” to bring the audience and filmmakers closer and create a platform for discussion on films and filmmaking. The series offered film lovers a unique opportunity to travel down the memory lane with path-breaking Indian directors like Rajkumar Hirani, Madhur Bhandarkar, Shyam Benegal, Vettrimaran, Kaushik Ganguli, Priyadarshan, Anand L Rai and Singeetham Srinivasa Rao among others.
The following are excerpts from the series:
Speaking to an aspiring filmmaker, Rajkumar Hirani, the director of popular films like PK, 3 Idiots and Munna Bhai MBBS said, “A film is made on a writing and editing table. An editor is an unsung hero because his work is not visible to a general audience. A good editing creates an emotional impact in the audience’s mind and sometimes an editor creates such emotions out of random shots. Needless to say that a good script is the soul of a film. Therefore, one should collect all the right information and do a deep research on the film’s subject and theme.” He also expressed his interest to make an animated film in near future.
Sharing his journey of becoming a filmmaker, the promoter of realistic cinema and National Award winning director Madhur Bhandarkar said, “I come from a middle-class family in Khar. Though I have not studied much, I was always an avid reader. Before stepping into filmmaking, I worked as a video cassette delivery boy for 4 years. I would watch films on DVD at one of my friend’s house.” He added that success ratio in the film industry is 99% failure.
Talking about his next project, the director of cult films like ‘Raanjhanaa’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, Anand L. Rai said, “My new film is about a boy from Meerut and a girl from Delhi who is a dentist. I find stories in small cities and create characters that can connect well with the audience. Both the actors in my films will play vertically challenged characters. This film is going to be a real excitement for me as to make the story look real, I am technicality challenging myself and going beyond my comfort zone.” He added that filmmakers should keep challenging themselves with each film.
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