| Films not made to be viewed on phones, laptops: Mehta |
Chandigarh | 16th Nov 2013
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A still from Midnight’s Children
amed filmmaker Deepa Mehta possesses a distinct approach in the field of filmmaking. With critically acclaimed films, like Earth, Water andFire, she has brought stories from different worlds together on the film medium, translating them into universal tales that need only be experienced.
In a tête-à-tête with Guardian20 during her short sojourn at Chandigarh thanks to the Chandigarh Literature Festival 2013, where her movie Midnight's Children was screened, Deepa speaks about her Oscar nomination, the Punjabi film industry and the raging controversies that surround her.
Q. How do you respond to controversies that some of your movies have invited?
A. They really don't matter to me. There were times when I used to get irritated with the sort of inane questions that were posed to me, but gradually, I have learnt to stay cool and composed, as also to handle them efficaciously. I am sick of such absurd controversies and rumours that have no substance. I find them ridiculous and boring.
Q. After having made so many movies, what do you think sets apart the Indian film industry from say Hollywood?
A. When it comes to work, I strongly believe that while in Canada I get more freedom to do my job better and deliver the best, whereas passion reigns supreme in India.
Q. How have you matured as a director?
A. I have come a long way and I definitely find myself as a changed person and there are good reasons for the metamorphosis, the dominant being my growing older with time. Exposure to cinema all across the world has also contributed significantly to this gradual makeover. Now, I don't compromise on the reinforcement of the guiding subject!
Mehta at the Chandigarh Literature Festival
Q. What kind of movies do you love to do?
A. I love to do musical films and I want to do more like my earlier movie, Bollywood Hollywood.
Q. How do you think cinema has changed over the years?
A. The Censor Board has matured with time and has broadened its spectrum. People, too, have started accepting things that used to be taboo a couple of decades back.
Q. With Punjabi cinema spreading its wings the world over, do you have plans to make a comeback after Heaven on Earth?
A. I like Punjabi cinema and recently loved watching the Irfan Khan-starrer Qissa. But, I have no plans to venture into it right now half-heartedly as I am working on a script that needs a whale of a time. I want to dedicate myself to Exclusion (about Kamagata Maru), which is a film based on a strong theme and I don't want to bind myself to deadlines as that might reduce the charm and the thrust of the final product.
Q. What is cinema to you?
A. Cinema, to me, is making movies and viewing it in the theatres when the lights go off. Cinema is nothing without spectators and movies are not made to be screened and viewed on mobiles phones, laptops or other gadgets. Cinema doesn't exist by itself in isolation.
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