BHUBANESWAR: Passionate about telling stories, writer-director Ashwiny Iyer-Tiwari feels storytellers need to be at par with the changing culture of the society and changing dynamics of human relationships.In conversation with festival coordinator Kaveree Bamzai at a session ‘Is there a formula for success?: How to write a great script’ during the Odisha Literary Festival, Ashwiny says it is very important for a storyteller to be completely glued to what is happening and changing behaviour patterns of people. Citing the example of sanitary pad brand ‘Whisper’ that she had launched in India, she said how she advertised the brand then is completely different from what is being done today. “You keep changing your brand as per the consumer insights,” she said.
To a query from Kaveree about fidgetiness that has crept into the audience in the current times, the ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’ maker said the audience today has become very smart and intelligent. “We cannot underestimate them because they are watching world cinema. For a long time, no one knew who used to make a film but today, people recognise a director. A filmmaker cannot afford to think that the person seeing his film in the theatre will not understand it. They will. So, stories need to be written in a manner that they would tick some emotional quotient of the audience. Those coming to a theatre to watch your cinema should feel that it is his or her story when they see the film,” said Ashwiny who has directed movies like ‘Panga’ and ‘Nil Battey Sannata’.
Speaking about her principles of making a film, she said the one thing that she is conscious about is that she cannot have the woman of her story demeaned. “Even if there is a woman in my film being demeaned, there will be a reciprocation later. She will survive and rise,” she said and added that her stories are also aimed at inspiring the younger generation. “And it is also important for me that I tell all kinds of stories except the genre of horror.”
And among the all kinds of stories she likes to work on, Ashwiny feels the happiest doing upliftment stories.