Meghna says films are films, be it male-driven or female-centric

Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar doesn’t agree to the distinction of movies being tagged under female-driven or male-centric. She says films are films irrespective of which gender takes centre stage.

Meghna says, “Women cannot get good box-office numbers is becoming a jaded argument. Because the trade itself is saying that the audience does not discriminate between femaledriven or male-centric films. The thing is that we don’t call [or put a tag on] male-centric films. So why do we call female-driven films femaledriven cinema? We need to lose this discrimination. Films are films. Good films will work, and bad films won’t work,” added the Raazi maker.

Meghna dabbled with the subject of surrogacy in her debut film Filhaal back in 2002. She narrated the ordeal of a newly-married couple dealing with incompatibility in Just Married: Marriage Was Only the Beginning! (2007); dealt with the infamous Aarushi Talwar murder case with Talvar (2015), and hit the jackpot with Alia Bhattstarrer Raazi, this year.

She is working on a biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw now.

About Raazi, she says that it came as a surprise to her that it went on to be a hit. “There was a tremendous relief because there was the faith of so many people who were part of the film...That was riding on the film as well. It was essential for the faith of people to be redeemed, and there was just overwhelming gratitude that followed the sense of surprise and anonymity with which this film was expected.”

We don’t call [or put a tag on] malecentric films. So why do we call femaledriven films femaledriven cinema? We need to lose this discrimination. MEGHNA GULZAR FILMMAKER

PHOTO: KALPAK PATHAK /HT Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar is working on a biopic on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw