The 7th edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC) hosted by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA) was held in Mumbai. Speaking at the event, Masaan director Neeraj Ghaywan observed the notable distinctions between South Indian cinema and Bollywood.
The filmmaker, who also directed two episodes of Made in Heaven and the ‘Geeli Pucchi’ segment of the anthology Ajeeb Daastaans, attributes the success of films made in the South to their level of authenticity. “I feel the reason why the southern industries are doing so well is because their lived reality is so authentic, and their characters are rooted and real,” he said.
Neeraj added that Bollywood “doesn’t feel real” because of its proclivity for going “via Bandra” and creating “sanitised” characters to appeal to a certain section of audiences and, in doing so, they might “lose what is real”.
Another concern for independent filmmakers, Ghaywan observes, is the lack of funding.
“The challenge is to make what you want with the studios while keeping your integrity intact. Recovery has to come from music or casting a particular actor. You have to battle your way through to achieve your vision,” he said.
The panel also consisted of filmmakers Kanu Behl (Titli, Agra), Shoojit Sircar, and Megha Ramaswamy. Behl expressed pessimism at the state of independent cinema today, lamenting its demise and the presence of a “black hole” that makes one doubt the possibility of a project ever coming to fruition.
Shoojit Sircar, director of films such as Vicky Donor, Sardar Udham, and October, feels that independent cinema today has no other option other than to follow the model of “one of them, one for you”.
Notably, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap echoed the same sentiments recently in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. He had expressed disappointment at the deteriorating state of Bollywood, citing reasons such as inflated egos, wrong judgements made by OTT platforms, and the unnecessary expenditure on stars who let their vanity get in the way, leading to disruptive outcomes.
