Indian cinema, including Bollywood and regional films, have lately got a lot of recognition and appreciation. They are striving to better their art forms to make films that represent the times that we live in, while also entertaining audiences. Post pandemic, we had seen a dichotomy between regional cinema and Hindi cinema. There was a perception created, especially in the media, about who is outdoing the other. I hope we can look beyond that in the next five years. I hope all of us can collectively work towards making meaningful cinema. That said, make your blockbusters, entertain all forms of people, and strive to compete globally. I hope, collectively, all of us, as creators, storytellers, will continue to make good, meaningful cinema.
Technology has played an important role, and the change is there for all to see, especially post pandemic. The kind of content consumption that has taken place, and the kind of content made especially for OTT platforms, are phenomenal. The lines are getting blurred. Theatrical and community viewing experience are going to change with time, considering OTT is concomitant with theatre releases, and also keeping in mind satellite and digital rights. A lot more content will be consumed on mobile phones, which is already visible now. Having said that, we are also heading to an area, which is uncertain now, with censorship on OTT platforms. I am not for censorship on OTT platforms. I think we can take a leaf out of Hollywood’s book and consider age-appropriate certification, rather than censorship. That gives us, the artistes, the liberty to go out there and express ourselves with a little more freedom. Also, let us have faith in our audiences to pick and choose what they want.
As actors and filmmakers, I think we need to go out there and compete on a global level. We have the bandwidth, we have the skill sets, we have the stories, we have everything. What was, say, 10 years ago, is not the case today. In fact, most of the visual effects and post-production technical aspects are outsourced to India today. And some of the major studios in India are working with Hollywood. The one thing that I hope changes is the cost-effectiveness of it. With Hollywood hiring our own facilities, the demand for them has gone up, which is a huge punch to the producers. So if it becomes a little more cost-effective, we can go out there and make good films on a par with Hollywood and world cinema.
We have all the skills that are needed to compete globally, commercially, and even in festivals. And also to go out there and capture the global imagination. The audiences are smart enough to consume all forms of content on their phones. If we are giving them the freedom to choose what they want, why shouldn’t the same be applicable to the film industry, which is such a huge revenue generator for the government?
Also, I hope the National Film Development Corporation will see a revamp. I know there is a lot of work happening, but I think its quality has taken a sharp dip over the years. You don’t really see a large budget being allocated to the NFDC. If that is done, we can see a lot more newcomers, and probably even semi-established and established filmmakers, collaborating with the government, and making really good cinema. Restructuring the NFDC is a must.
Film subsidies provide financial support to production companies and studios. The Union government needs to take a call in tandem with respective state governments about providing subsidies and facilities for the crew, with certain infrastructure being looked into. Lately, we have seen Hollywood crews coming to India and shooting here. I firmly believe that we can amp up our infrastructure to provide world-class facilities to Hollywood studios if we can be in tandem with the respective state governments and the facilities they provide, the infrastructure they provide. There should be more incentives.
There should be a one-stop shop in collaboration with world cinema. I think there are certain industries that are already working towards it. You see a lot of Indo-French, Indo-German collaborations. But, having said that, they are very small in terms of investments, and in terms of most of the things. I think we can better that with time. When a film is shot in a particular state, there are certain prerequisites for the film or the producer to avail the subsidy, the rebate. And that also increases local employment.