KOCHI: Kanu Behl is an Indian film director and screenwriter renowned for his contributions to Hindi cinema. He had also served as the head of the jury at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala. In an exclusive interview with TNIE, Kanu talks about the inspiration behind his latest movie Agra, the relevance of film festivals, and more.
What is the relevance of film festivals in this OTT era?
Film festivals are more important now than ever. We are moving into the era of homogeneity with OTT platforms. Now, data governs what needs to happen each minute in a film. Many filmmakers have expressed strong opinions about this trend. Good artistic practice needs to have a scope for genuine exploration. Festivals are becoming safe places for discovering that explorative voice. We need more such avenues to make a mark in the world that wants the same.
Your views on Censor Board?
I don’t think about them. I make what I want, what feels important to me. If I’m feeling something, there are likely other people out there who, too, feel the same and want to engage in a conversation about it. That’s the faith with which I begin my work. We live in a context where society brands a few things as unacceptable. That’s fine. What was unacceptable yesterday can be acceptable tomorrow. Someone has to push the envelope.
What inspired you to explore themes of sexual repression, the idea of physical spaces, and patriarchal realities in India with Agra?
When I was growing up, I felt a certain sort of sexual repression and an inability to express myself in ways that I would have wanted to. I was curious about these because not many people wanted to discuss it. Sexuality was an area that people didn’t want to get into because it exposed their secret life. I think everybody has a public, private, and then a secret life that all of us want to keep hidden. That disturbed me. At the same time, I was very interested in understanding this transnationality via our secret lives and how all these things interact.
What challenges have you faced when discussing society’s darker aspects?
I don’t know how to answer that because there is no darker side to society. It’s all around us. It is in the light, if I were to say. It is slightly inappropriate to say there is a darker side to our lives. We live our lives, and the so-called darker aspects are there for everyone to see in broad daylight. They are a part of our lives. It’s just that people choose to disregard them. Because if you start to look at details right down to the minute, then it’s hard work to live your life.
Do you think audience will perceive Agra differently according to their culture?
It’s a complex answer because yes and no. Yes, certain cultural codes are specific to your own culture, and the full impact of that is missing in another context. But at the same time, it’s an emotion that everybody feels. Yes, they feel it differently, depending on their society and culture. Still, these are all common emotions to a certain extent for all human beings. So no, in that sense, it travelled well because somewhere, the personal transcended well into the universal, where everybody could connect with it.