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Join UsYou can have all the right ingredients necessary for a recipe but if you don’t know how to use them in the right amount and in proper succession, then you don’t know how to cook! The end product turns out to be drab, tasteless or absolutely inedible. In the film Ratatouille, Chef Gusteau had said ‘Anyone can cook…’ but can anyone make a great film? What does it take to be a great filmmaker?
Bollywood filmmakers have been experimenting with new things in the past years. Some have succeeded while others have not. Here is a look at directors who did not play safe. Check out the nominations for Best Director with a Difference (2016) here:
Anu Menon: Waiting
Anu Menon has surely done a commendable job in Waiting. It’s not so easy to make two people of different generations, bond, especially when they have absolutely nothing in common. And yet the friendship happens. The complexities of life, the so very common problem of being alone in a crowd are subtly and beautifully portrayed by the writer cum director. What’s more admirable is that the film lacks any possible kind of melodrama – something which Bollywood specialises in.
Hansal Mehta: Aligarh
Timing is a very important aspect while choosing a subject in cinema and that’s what Hansal Mehta did with Aligarh. Bollywood filmmakers often hesitate to foray into contemporary history especially if it is controversial. The film is based on the true story of Professor Shrinivas Ramchandra Siras who was expelled from Aligarh Muslim University in 2010 for allegedly engaging in consensual sexual intercourse with a rickshaw puller in his quarters. The maker of films like Citylights and Shahid, Hansal Mehta excelled in Aligarh. The film was critically acclaimed.
Leena Yadav: Parched
Parched was a good attempt but failed somewhere in its execution. Too much brutality is not something which everyone enjoys watching. Even though some scenes are disturbing, the film is definitely thought-provoking as a package. It surely addresses some critical issues about women which need serious attention and points a finger at society’s double standards.
Mudassar Aziz: Happy Bhag Jayegi
Numerous films have been made on Indo-Pak camaraderie but Happy Bhag Jayegi stands out in a way that it only entertains. The film is full on entertainment, light hearted and has a perfect choice of cast. Even though a bit absurd and illogical, (this is a must factor for Bollywood films) there are scenes in the film which actually make you laugh out loud. At the end, you leave the theatre feeling happy.
Ashwini Iyer Tiwari: Nil Battey Sannata
Nil Battey Sannata is a very inspiring film which sends across a strong message emphasizing the importance of education in our lives. This is a film which makes you cry and then leaves you smiling. Ashwini Iyer Tiwari should be applauded for taking up a topic that strays from the typical love, romance, masala or action films Bollywood normally offers. This is a film, which is very relatable and which you would love to watch again and again.
Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury: Pink
Kudos to the director for making a film like Pink! Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Pink is a tight slap on the face of a society that judges women and holds them responsible for any kind of violence or harassment that they face. It also highlights a very important message, that a woman is solely responsible for her sexuality and no one else but she has the right to take a decision on anything regarding it. The film is not made out of imagination but it’s something which almost every Indian woman faces. Pink is very real, relatable and gritty.
