‘Art must reflect the world we live in’

Bollywood has lately been increasingly receptive to content-driven films. And director Tanuja Chandra, known for her story-driven films with intense plots such as Dushman (1998) and Sangharsh (1999), is glad that the story is the most saleable aspect of films these days. She says, “Content is the strongest aspect that will get you returns. There is no guarantee that a big actor will. There is no guarantee that a lavish production or just the music would. The music may be a hit, but the movie may not be. It is the content that will get you success. And that happens only when you take risks.”

Tanuja feels cinema as an art should reflect the world we live in. “Art must reflect the need of the hour. Somewhere, the art must reflect that. It could be escapist cinema somewhere; something realistic is not necessarily serious. My only point is that the movies should be close to our real lives at some point,” she says.

Does she think that writers are still underrated in the business and should be brought to the forefront in terms of marketing and publicity? The director says, “The screenplay and the script need to be recognised as being as valuable as the face of the film. There is no doubt about it. Otherwise, every movie with a big star would work and every movie that doesn’t have a big star but has an interesting story would not work. For sure, it’s as important, and the writers must be given that amount of respect. However well I will make an actor act, the thing that will hold a viewer to the film is the story that I am trying to tell and not just the performance. The performance can hold somebody for a while. But beyond a point, it has to be the story.”

Content is the strongest aspect that will get you returns. There is no guarantee that a big actor will. TANUJA CHANDRA, DIRECTOR