‘The film industry is a superficial place’
National-award winning film-maker Madhur
Bhandarkar (left) is always on the lookout for subjects that give the audience a feel of the real world. Be it Chandni Bar (2001), Page 3 (2005), Fashion (2008) or Corporate (2006), Madhur has always shown keen interest in making films with strong content. He points out that the protagonists in his films usually hail from middle-class families. “This is because I came from that background. My films are commercial hits, critically acclaimed and have even won National awards. I feel content with the brand of real and topical films that I have created. I am happy in my zone,” he says.
The film-maker, who has come a long way from his first film Trishakti (1999), says there has been no looking back since the success of Chandni Bar. “I have evolved as a film-maker. I love watching movies and documentaries, and travelling — in an attempt to grow as a person and director. Today, when I look back, I am happy with my career and success. I lived my life the way I wanted to, and made the films I liked. I didn’t have diktats to adhere to or stars to pander. I am happy with the success of my films, the National awards, and even the Padma Shri I received last year. I was a school drop-out, who worked at a video-cassette library. The film industry is a superficial place and one has to go with the flow. When people ask me, ‘Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?’, I have no answer. I never plan, which is why I never thought I would reach this stage in my life. I am an optimistic person and I don’t believe in planning too much,” he says.
Madhur is glad that people relate to his movies. He says many people tell him how they recall the prayer meet scene in Page 3 whenever they go to one, or how they have stopped buying strawberries at traffic signals, referring to a scene in Traffic Signal (2007). “I think every film has its own charm and element. I enjoy making a film. I don’t make proposals,” he says. While there have been talks about a sequel to Chandni Bar and Fashion, the film-maker says he isn’t in a hurry to make one. He admits he has an idea for the sequel to Fashion but says “it needs some work”.
Madhur is working on the post-production of his next film, Indu Sarkar, which is based on India’s Emergency period. The film-maker, who is aware that it is a “sensitive and volatile” topic, says, “The youth of the nation needs to know about our history. I have always been fearless when it comes to choosing subjects for my films. The events in my film are based on real incidents. This [story] needs to be told,” he says.
He feels that while reading and listening about a famous personality helps, when “one watches a film on a celebrated personality, it stays [with you]”. “That’s why biopics are in demand. You relate and connect with a person when you see their journey being enacted,” Madhur says.
Recently, the Information and Broadcasting ministry moved its film certification system online. Speaking about the move, Madhur says he is very happy about it. “Digital is the future. We go online for many things in our lives, so why not for the censorship and certification of films? It is a good step, but I hope the process is clear and doesn’t create clutter.”