New Delhi: The lines between regional cinema and Bollywood films is blurring slowly and the advent of over-the-top (OTT) platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime is aiding that growth, said actors Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani and director Vishnu Varadhan Tuesday.
In a conversation with ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta, News Editor Ruhi Tewari and Special Correspondent Apoorva Mandhani at ‘Off the Cuff’, the three of them talked about their upcoming film Shershaah, a biopic on Captain Vikram Batra who was killed during the Kargil War, and the future of Bollywood after the pandemic, among other things.
Varadhan, who has primarily worked on Tamil and Telugu films and marks his Bollywood debut with this film, spoke about technicians from south India and their increased employment in the Hindi film industry.
“This marriage has been happening for years, with technicians coming in from here (Southern India) and actors coming in from there (Northern India),” he said.
Malhotra agreed, saying that there has been a shift in production standards over the last five years.
“Lines are so blurred when it comes to technicians, directors, and actors. Maybe not in main lead roles because there is a massive language barrier, but every other department has (that diversity),” he said
Malhotra also spoke about how OTT platforms are a “liberating” way of making cinema and shows that are “judged for its content and performances.”
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On making an ‘Army film’
On portraying the character of Captain Batra, Malhotra said that he did feel a sense of responsibility about the role.
“I felt I had to put my best foot forward, because for his family it’s not just a film,” he said.
Meanwhile, Advani, who plays Batra’s girlfriend Dimple Cheema, said that she was moved by Cheema’s patience and support for the late captain.
“Army wives are always an afterthought after the news of someone’s passing breaks,” Advani said, “But that’s what really stayed with me — it’s not just at that end moment, it’s a journey for them and the whole time their heart is in their mouth.”
The aim with Shershaah, Varadhan said, was to make as authentic a film as possible about a war hero without glamorising or overdramatising events.
“We travelled across the country and did research for months before we could even start writing the script,” he said.
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Beyond ‘Shershaah’
The three also discussed other issues afflicting the film industry, from censorship to mental health.
“Acting is a volatile profession, but to say it causes more mental health issues than other jobs isn’t fair. It may seem that way because we lead very public lives,” Malhotra said at the event
On when Indian cinema will produce films like Full Metal Jacket, a 1987 American war film by Stanley Kubrick that is critical of the armed forces, Varadhan said more than a matter of time, it was a matter of intent.
“I think it’s got to do with your exposure and your wanting to do those kinds of films,” Varadhan said, adding that one should do such films first and then face whatever comes with it.
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