FILM INTERVIEW: VISHAL BHARDWAJ

Bollywood apparently never had it this good, according to filmmaker and 7 Khoon Maaf director Vishal Bhardwaj, who recently spoke with the Indian media about the current state of mainstream Hindi film and popular Indian cinema. Specifically, Mr. Bhardwaj pointed out that Bollywood movies are much more representative of the complete India experience due to its peaking viewership, and is more reflective of present-day Hindustan than ever.

 

Apparently the driving force behind Bollywood’s current position, according to Bhardwaj, is the advent and growth of the multiplex.

 

“This is the best of times for Bollywood,” Mr. Bhardwaj told the press during last weekend’s Penguin Spring Fever Festival in New Delhi. “The arrival of the multiplex has changed the culture of movie viewing. The multiplex is bringing the audience back to theatre, and film viewing is like a picnic. The malls, where most of the multiplex cinemas are located, have food courts and shopping enclaves providing for complete entertainment. After all, movies need audience."

 

Participating at the Penguin Spring Fever Festival’s panel discussion on “Lights, Camera and Action” along side Ruskin Bond, who authored the book that inspired 7 Khoon Maaf  in Susanna’s Seven Husbands, Bhardwaj went on to say how various new trends are driving Bollywood.

 

“New kinds of movies are being made in Bollywood, unlike before. The movies are real--based on real-life characters,” Mr. Bhardwaj publicly observed. “The audience is seeking entertainment in realistic cinema. Movies like No One Killed Jessica are getting good audience. The audience has changed, and it is a reflection of the country’s new sensibilities.”

 

Some of those new sensibilities were portrayed by Priyanka Chopra, the star of 7 Khoon Maaf, as well as in Mr. Bhardwaj’s other films, such as Maqbool, Makdee, Omkara, and The Blue Umbrella.

 

Mr. Bhardwaj observed that Bollywood has to keep up with its domestic and international audiences, who are much more savvy than in eras past, especially when it comes to films such as 7 Khoon Maaf.

 

“People are reacting to it with gusto. The reactions vary between extremes--some love it, and some hate the movie for its audacious portrait of a woman,” Mr. Bhardwaj announced. “The audience cannot accept this kind of genre because we spoon-feed our audiences. The character of the protagonist, Susanna, is shocking. People still can’t think of girls in Bollywood movies dumping their boyfriends.”

 

Alas, Mr. Bhardwaj does see the role of women changing in Hindi film and Indian cinema.

 

“Women are gradually coming out of the stereotypes and are talking about some issues pertaining to identity, freedom, and abuse openly. Women are becoming real characters and finding a voice in Bollywood,” Mr. Bhardwaj poignantly stated.

 

Speaking of women, one woman Mr. Bhardwaj hopes to continuously work with is the very lady who inspired his latest film: Ms. Bond.

 

While he resisted the urge to reveal specific details, Mr. Bhardwaj said he would definitely want to adapt some of her other stories into film.

 

“What sets Ruskin Bond’s stories apart from the rest is that they are real people. The stories portray drama and conflict in everyday lives, and are visually rich,” Mr. Bhardwaj confessed to the press.

 

Mahmood Farooqui, writer of Besieged: Voices from Delhi 1857, led the discussion involving Mr. Bhardwaj and Ms. Bond at the New Delhi Festival last weekend.