Entertainment

‘I prefer sticking to what I do best’, Madhur Bhandarkar

The ‘realistic film maker’ and spoke about Bollywood, inspirations and more. Find out in this exclusive chat.

If there is one Bollywood film maker who is always in the heart of controversy, it has to be him. We are talking about the man behind powerful films like Chandni Bar, Page 3, Fashion and his latest offering Jail. Madhur Bhandarkar, the director behind what Bollywood would term socially relevant and hardhitting films spoke to Mybangalore on his recent trip to the city.

How has your whole experience been so far, from your first movie Chandni Bar to the latest one being Jail?
It has been a great experience so far. And I have enjoyed the journey completely.

So what has the learning curve been like?
It has been a wonderful experience. Beginning with Chandni Bar to Jail now I have learnt a great deal with each film about life, movies and a lot of other issues. I do my job as a film maker without any compromises. I reflect whatever I see and observe and learn in my films.

What inspires your movies?
Day to day life inspires the ideas behind my movies. I learn a great deal as I see things.

Is there anything in particular?
As I happen to look at things that needs to be talked about, it occurs to me about putting it down in the form of a film. Mostly it is the idea of the film that remains my film’s highlight. Probably it is very easy to talk about these subjects, or write articles and make documentary films about them. But I decided to do something different. I observed, studied, analyzed and probed into everything possible to know the truth about their strange ways of life and the people in that particular realm.

Would you ever consider making a regular Bollywood masala movie?
No I didn’t think I will be able to. Not really my cup of tea. I prefer sticking to what I do best.



All your films could be easily tagged as offbeat. Why do you not chose to make Bollywood masala flicks?
I guess these are the stories I am better at making films with. Most of the protagonists in all my films are middle class people. Most of the country comprises them and I try and portray their sentiment through my films. I would not say my films are cent percent realistic. You could say that 70% of it is realistic and the rest make up the commercial bit because they also need to be commercially viable.

Tell us something about your forthcoming movie Jail
Jail is a hard-hitting yet sensitive tale of an ordinary man, Parag Dixit (Neil), who finds himself inside prison due to a series of unfortunate events around him. The film was designed as the kind which would give a ringside view of what happens in Indian jails.

If you look at it, this film is entirely different from my other films. For a sensitive subject like this, there was a lot of emphasis on research and that too with the right stakeholders. Whether it is locations to mannerisms of inmates to happenings inside the walls to the costumes, everything has been worked upon with great precision to ensure that every frame boasts of perfection. We have regularly visited several prisons to make the movie as realistic as possible.

What do you think about the acting talent in India?
There is a whole load of talent in our country but they just need to be tapped right.

Tags: Fashion, Madhur Bhandarkar, Page 3, Chandini Bar, Jail, Corporate, realistic cinema