The direct connection
From musical dramas to romantic capers, , a new set of directors helmed a variety of films in 2016. HT Café takes a look
In Neerja, a flight attendant — the late Neerja Bhanot — dies saving the lives of 360 passengers when Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked in Karachi, Pakistan.
In Nil Battey Sannata (NBS), a single mother does menial j jobs to provide her teenaged daughter with education to help her break the shackles of poverty and privation.
Neerja and NBS were not just critically acclaimed and achieved commercial success, they were also both their respective directors, Ram Madhvani and Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s, first Bollywood films. Madhvani had earlier directed Let’s Talk (2002), an independent film in English.
NEW STYLE
Besides Ashwiny and Ram, a number of other directors also entered Bollywood in 2016. The list includes Nitya Mehra (Baar Baar Dekho), Shujaat Saudagar (Rock On 2), Tinu Suresh Desai (1920: London, and Rustom), Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury (Pink), Ravi Jadhav (Banjo), and Sudha Kongara Prasad (Saala Khadoos).
“When new directors come in, they bring in their own styles and techniques. And the biggest plus point is that they are today’s directors; they aren’t stuck in a time warp like many veterans. They understand modern youth and speak in their language,” says trade analyst Amod Mehra.
DREAM STARTS
Ashwiny admits that she’s “absolutely thrilled” with her debut venture. “NBS took its time to get released, but I think I got the perfect start, as this is what I have wanted to do. I also feel blessed that Aanand (L Rai) sir, Nitesh (Tiwari; husband), and a big studio believed in me and the story, and that it needs to be told. I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” she says.
Even Tinu Suresh Desai, who has directed two films – 1920: London and Akshay Kumar-starrer Rustom in his debut year, finds himself “very lucky”. “In the first year [of turning director] itself, I got Akshay Kumar as the actor and Neeraj Pandey, among others as a backer. What else could I have wished for? Plus, I got to work on the subject that I wanted to. Not many new directors can get such a perfect opportunity,” says Tinu.
Unlike other in-the-making directors, Ram – after his indie film, Let’s Talk, didn’t take up any other projects. “I was in vanvas (exile),” says Ram, laughing. “But I did a lot of things in between. I directed commercials like Happy Dent and Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai; a documentary on Mr Bachchan called Everlasting Light, for Lincoln Center in New York, USA; a song in Taare Zameen Par (2007), as well as the title song of Satyamev Jayate.”
NBS took its time to get released, but I think I got the perfect start, as this is what I have wanted to do. ASHWINY IYER TIWARI, DIRECTOR
Ad film-maker and director Ram Madhvani “truly” believes that the film [Neerja] is “blessed”. “In hindsight, I realise that there was a force that was guiding me in this direction [to make Neerja],” he says.
The big question is — how important is the infusion of new blood in Hindi movies vis-à-vis film direction? “That is critical for the film industry. Audiences will get bored if the same kinds of stories are served. Maybe the current lot of directors can transform themselves, but that’s very difficult as everyone wants to play on their inherent strengths. So, the other option is to get in new minds,” says exhibitor-distributor Akshaye Rathi.
Ashwiny has a different perspective. rspective “[The entry of] new directors also means more work for technicians as well as actors. Plus, new minds bring unique ideas and thoughts. Every new director comes in with a fresh perspective, so it makes for a nice mix,” she says.
Tinu believes that since new directors “always come in with a new vision, their own subjects, and even a completely fresh way to tell stories… that kind of variety works in a big way”. Rathi puts things into perspective. “Novelty is the key factor. And new directors have fresh stories, storytelling techniques and an absolutely new direction pattern,” he says.