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S Shankar says he is ‘shocked’ at Anurag Kashyap calling him ‘caterer’ for editing Ram Charan’s Game Changer like Instagram Reels

Filmmaker S Shankar has clarified his statement after Anurag Kashyap cited his upcoming film Game Changer as an example of movies being made like Instagram Reels.

S Shankar- Anurag Kashyap- Game Changer- ram Charan- Instagram Reels

Filmmaker S Shankar has responded to Anurag Kashyap's statement about Ram Charan's Game Changer being made as an Instagram Reel. (Photos: S Shankar, Anurag Kashyap/ Instagram)

Renowned filmmaker S Shankar has clarified his recent statement, which he said was misinterpreted by fellow filmmaker Anurag Kashyap. Kashyap had claimed that Shankar wants to cater to the audience’s addiction to Instagram Reels. According to The Hindu, Shankar told reporters in Chennai, “I didn’t say anything about Instagram Reels. We should convey things quickly and effectively. When we fail to do so, we allow the audience space to get distracted. The film should be engaging throughout. Editor Reuben has achieved that in Game Changer. That’s what I wanted to convey. I didn’t know (Anurag) had said this and it’s shocking. Because it came from a genuine place.”

Shankar emphasised the importance of keeping the audience engaged, given their increasingly short attention span. “The current generation of audiences is impatient; within 10 minutes, they will take out their phones and start commenting about the film on social media. They get distracted within 10 minutes. So the film’s editing needs to be engaging. When you see Game Changer, you will realise it is a fast-paced film that doesn’t allow you to look here and there. Ruben has done beautiful editing in the film,” he added.

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Also read | Anurag Kashyap dejected by Shankar comparing Game Changer to Instagram Reels: ‘Filmmakers were chefs, now they are caterers’

This clarification comes after Anurag Kashyap’s comments in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, where he expressed his concerns about filmmakers prioritising audience preferences over creative vision. Anurag had stated, “I was reading this statement by Shankar sir saying, ‘Today’s audience’s (attention) span has become very short. They watch Reels. So, we have kept that in mind while doing Game Changer.’ Now I don’t know what that means! We’ll only know when we see the film.”

“A lot of filmmakers are talking in this language like, ‘My film is just like Reels put together because that’s what the audience wants to watch.’ Filmmakers who, at one time for me, were like chefs for me, creating things, are becoming caterers. The moment one starts thinking in terms of what audience wants to watch, that is where the decline begins. Audience is not an organism, it is a massive sea of people. For everything, there is an audience,” Anurag had added.

Shankar’s Game Changer, which is an action drama starring Ram Charan and Kiara Advani, is slated to release in cinemas on January 10.

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