Bollywood under Spielberg’s Spell

During the session,the 66-year-old spoke about his films,talking in detail about the challenges he faced during the making of Jaws and how making E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial remains a gratifying experience.

Filmmakers who started out with indie or offbeat movies,such as Anurag Kashyap,Tigmanshu Dhulia and Onir,found validation of their efforts in Spielberg’s words. “Some of his work have been huge box-office successes. Yet he spoke about the importance of the story over box-office performance. Even when he is producing a film that someone else is directing,he said he steps in only towards the end as a sounding board and allows them to take creative decisions,” said Shinde. Many were pleased that the event focussed only on filmmakers. “I haven’t attended any event with a foreign dignitary of such stature before where the focus is on filmmaking. Mostly,filmstars always steal the show,” said Onir. However,stars too interacted with Spielberg on Tuesday night at Sea Wind,the Ambani residence in Colaba.