How many times have you read a review or hear an opinion about a Hindi film that describes it as 'good, by Bollywood's standards'?
Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, whose latest film Mirzya hits theatres this Friday, reiterated a point he has made several times in the past in an interview published in The Times Of India this Sunday. When asked if he thought the industry was "creatively richer" now, he responded by saying that it was certainly moving in "the right direction", albeit "at a snail's pace".
"When I look at films like Dum Laga ke Haisha, Queen and Vicky Donor, I am thrilled. These films have made more for their producers and investors than other bigger films, which is proof that we are moving in the right direction."
But where he really hit the nail on the head is in the point he made later on, where he spoke about how we can no longer be insular in the way we approach Bollywood (or Indian) films.
"We also need to realise that today we are finding our place through our cinema across the world. I am not competing with Hindi or Indian cinema, because now my children are watching everything. I can't enter the house and say I made a shitty film because I didn't have the money. It is a lame excuse. They will turn around and tell me not to make a grand folklore that needs that kind of scale and budget. I've heard this for a very long time — that we don't have budgets. We must change now. Let's not make those movies unless we have the resources and let's not make anything which is of second-grade quality. At least, whatever I make has to be made like any other movie in the world."
Hear that, 'Indian cinema is like this only' enthusiasts?
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