Over the top and out!
Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta holds forth on the freedom of OTT in times of pandemic, and picks the 10 best shows she has watched this year
“Ihave always been drawn to stories of conflict, and you cannot have a story about conflict without it being a story of love,” says IndoCanadian filmmaker, Deepa Mehta. Deepa was in Delhi a few days ago for the Indian premiere of her new film, FunnyBoy, at the I-View World Human Rights Film Festival.
Based on a 1994 novel by the Sri LankanCanadian novelist Shyam Selvadurai, Funny Boy is a coming of age love story between Tamil boy Arjie and a Sinhala boy. The book is set against the backdrop of Tamil oppression and resistance in Sri Lanka, and Black July, a 1983 massacre that killed and displaced thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils and fuelled a 25-year-long civil war.
FunnyBoy is in the race for the Oscars, 2021, from Canada. And it has been acquired by US filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s independent distributioncompany, Array, whosethrustison black, indigenous, people of colour and women’s cinema.
“FunnyBoy is the story of oppression of the other. I have been through it. I know what it’s like to be the other. And I was interested in the exploration of what it means to be different. Whether it’s class, sexuality or race, innocents pay a price for being different,” says Deepa.
Given that Fire (1996), one of her earlier films, had run into trouble in India for showing love between two women, is she worried about how Funny Boy will be received by the Indian audience?
“My father was a film distributor and when I decided to make films, he told me to always remember two things. ‘You’ll never ever know when you are going to die and you’ll never ever know how a film will be received. So, limit your expectations.’ That’s exactly what I do, so I’m not worried about it,” says Deepa.
But she’s aware that things have changed in India in the last few years. “I watched Article15 (2019) and Mulk (2018) recently, and was surprised and happy after watching them. Filmmakers have the courage now to
HAVE ALWAYS BEEN DRAWN TO STORIES OF CONFLICT; YOU CANNOT HAVE A STORY ABOUT CONFLICT, WITHOUT IT BEING A STORY OF LOVE”
showcase films that are about something. They are taking chances now, because how we define ourselves and our relationships has become very important.”
Streaming for good
While the current pandemic may have thrown our normal lives out of gear, restricting the way we entertain and socialise, it has also allowed the rise of the OTT platform in a big way. Many films worldwide have had OTT releases, and Funny Boy has also been released exclusively on Netflix in the UK and the US.
As a filmmaker, how does Deepa feel about the rise of the OTT platforms? “To be honest, I belong to an era where I would love the film to be shown in a movie hall. When the lights go off, you eat your popcorn and can actually be in the movie for two hours. It’s magic. Compared to this, OTT has made it possible for one to pause the film to make a cup of tea or answer the doorbell. But at a time when the movie halls are empty because of Covid, OTT has made it possible to not just see films, but also to release them and for this, I’m very grateful,” says Deepa.
She’s grateful for one more thing: that the OTT platforms have given films longevity. “Films can now be viewed for a longer time. Moreover, these platforms also encourage filmmakers by paying good money for good stories. As for me, I am greedy. I want the best of both worlds, so for the first two weeks the film can be in cinemas and then it can be put on an OTT platform,” she smiles.
Ironically, given thatFunny Boy is on an OTT platform, Deepa has been too busy 2 making the film to watch the shows on OTT platforms! “But I have managed to watch a few recently,” she laughs. “I really liked PaatalLok andMirzapur. Pankaj Tripathi is a superb actor and has the amazing ability to embody a character. He reminds me a lot of Irrfan Khan whom I really miss. Pankaj’s range is similar to Irrfan’s,” says Deepa.
But Deepa also believes that stories are more important than actors.
“You can have the best dialogues, you can have the best actors, but nothing works without an interesting story,” she says. “It’s quite like the foundation of a house. If the foundation isn’t strong, there’s no point in building a beautiful mansion on quicksand.”
10 TOP OTT SHOWS DEEPA MEHTA WATCHED IN 2020
DelhiCrime: “I loved the way the
1 story of a real life incident has been told. Shefali Shah was absolutely superb.”
PaatalLok: “This is definitely my
2 favourite. The story of a cop who doesn’t want to get involved, but then what gets him to start engaging with life is amazing for me.”
Mirzapur: “Everyone talks about
3 crime stories and about mobsters. What I like here is the way the crime story is told. The take on the Tripathi character is superb. I saw a brilliant film like that, Satya, which still stands out. Mirzapur has substance.
OTT HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ONE TO PAUSE A FILM TO MAKE A CUP OF TEA OR ANSWER THE DOORBELL"
I like the way its set and it has values, even if they are negative values.”
4 Bulbbul (film):
“There are other films that are being specially made for OTT platforms, but this was beautifully done. A beautifully staged story and I love the colour palette. I liked all the performances. Rahul Bose was mesmerising. The young actress, Tripti Dimri, was fabulous. I would love to work with her.”
5
“This was quite pathbreaking for the Indian audience. I quite enjoyed watching it.”
6 Churails:
“I really loved this Pakistani series for showing women in such a bold format. A real breakthrough.”
TheBoys: “It’s very subversive. It’s
7 about superheroes behaving like villains and is beautifully written.”
8 LittleAmerica:
“I worked on a few episodes of this and really enjoyed it. Inspired by the true stories featured by EpicMagazine, it showcases some beautiful stories of immigrants in America.”
Leila: “This is an amazing show. I
9 directed a few episodes and really loved working with Huma Qureshi.”
Pari (film): “I love horror films, dark
10 mysteries and female vampires, and enjoyed watching Anushka Sharma in this. In fact, I’m dying to make a horror film myself! ”
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