BHUBANESWAR: Cinema is a collaborative art where the director is often the least qualified, said filmmaker Hansal Mehta on the concluding day of Odisha Literary Festival 2023 here on Sunday. In a chat with journalist Kaveree Bamzai on ‘Life to Page to Screen: Adapting to OTT’, Mehta said like a story, the director grows by learning from the editor, sound designers, photographer and other collaborators. He channelises a whole lot of talent towards a singular vision.
“Mainstream cinema is driven by stars. Very often, the character gets lost in such personality-driven culture because the star becomes bigger than the character. Through my work, I always strive to ensure that this does not happen. For me, character is paramount. Each character transforms me,” he said.The national award-winning filmmaker further said in the mainstream, the execution and distribution system is very good. It is heavily star-driven.
It does not allow enough breathing space for the so-called independent voices. When you make a film that goes against the grain, you need enough breathing space.“You can grow from something small. Before Scam 1992, Sony Liv had around 500,000 subscribers. After the web series, its subscriber base grew approximately 10 times.” Mehta also said the ecosystem needs to be healthy. ‘‘Though it needs to make money, it also needs to be equitable. For that, one needs to broaden the base. One cannot only depend on stars.’’