‘Not enough audience for art films’

While actorfilmmaker Sanjay Suri (left) believes in focusing more on the quality of cinema rather than the box office success, he says there isn’t much of an audience for art films.

“The audience base for art house cinema is growing, but I am still not sure if there is a sharp growth. I think the base is there, the films are being accepted and doing well commercially, but often films are just written off ... as compared to a `100 crore project,” says Suri, who has worked in films such as Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999), Filhaal… (2002), Bas Ek Pal (2006) and I Am (2011).

However, as an art film producer, Suri understands his target audience. “The art house films don’t get the numbers, but they are certainly being watched. Also, when you are making a film and relying purely on content and story, and not on the cast, you know that it will fetch a niche audience and not the masses,” he says.

The 44-year-old, who has produced films such as Sorry Bhai! (2008) and My Brother … Nikhil (2005), does not segregate between different films genres. “I don’t divide our audience as mainstream and art house when it comes to associating myself with a project. A movie can cater to various minds or all of them at the same time. However, the lines between mainstream and art house are getting blurred now,” says Suri.