Hansal Mehta says ‘quest for mass success is destroying storytelling in movies’, talks about how metrics control the creative process

Hansal Mehta feels 'there is a lot of chaos and confusion' in moviemaking today.

Bengaluru | July 27, 2023 09:45 AM IST

3 min read

Hansal Mehta shared the insights behind the creative and business of storytelling.

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Director Hansal Mehta said in a recent interview that a ‘quest for mass success is destroying storytelling in movies’. The filmmaker, who is enjoying the success of his recent Netflix series Scoop, was asked to comment on the state of Indian cinema and storytelling.

“We are a bit polarised in the kind of work you see. There is new, exciting, cutting-edge work happening in the streaming space. The long form has given impetus to storytellers like me, Vikram Motwane (Jubilee, Sacred Games). Raj and DK (The Family Man, Farzi). Many of us have found it to be a comfortable space to do the kind of work we do and get money for it.),” said Hansal in an interview with Business Standard.

Also read | How OTT gets its actors right: From Scoop to The Family Man, casting directors open up on getting the right fit

He went on to add that ‘there is a lot of chaos and confusion’ that goes into making movies. “Every week we either ring the knell of films or herald the beginning of a huge film. This quest for mass success is destroying the kind of stories we are telling in films,” he added.

He also said that the industry is relying on outdated, trade-driven data. He said, “One film out of X number of films works and you start running after the star. If the star says yes to the film, the ecosystem supports it. The biggest cog in the wheel of the ecosystem is the audience and we forget that,” shared Hansal.

He was also asked where Indian cinema stands in terms of writing and developing scripts as compared to the rest of the world. The director accepted that the Indian industry is still evolving. “We have unfortunately had a very short learning curve. We have just jumped into the long-form content game,” he shared, adding, ” We need to invest in writers, not only in paying them but also in helping them evolve by taking them through workshops and exposing them to the kind of craft that is available. That is not happening.”

He threw some light on how metrics affect storytelling these days. “Somewhere, these metrics are to be blamed for some of the films that get made,” he said. The filmmaker is best known for directing the acclaimed films Shahid and Aligarh, and the hit series Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story.

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