Out of the Box

Cut to present. Directors Karan Johar,Madhur Bhandarkar,Vishal Bharadwaj and Anurag Kashyap have formed their own niche by making films which we now term as ‘typical’ of them. So,when Bharadwaj announced a love story or Bhandarkar declared his next to be a comedy titled Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji,it did come as a surprise. Add to this Priyadarshan’s return to his old school of making thrillers with Aakrosh,and Pradeep Sarkar—so far known for his women-oriented films—experimenting with action in Lafangey Parindey. Changing tracks and handling different genres with aplomb is becoming a common practice among Bollywood filmmakers.

“Why not?” quips director Priyadarshan—who,having delivered a string of successful comedies like Hera Pheri,Hungama and De Dana Dan in the last decade—is now working on Aakrosh,a film on honour killings in Bihar. “As a filmmaker,I look at each of my film as an audience. When the audience in me feels that I am not enjoying the genre any longer,there is no harm in trying a new one,” he states. Filmmaker Prakash Jha too felt the strain a few years ago when he was being typecast as a director who only made hard-hitting films. That’s when he chose to deal with relationships in Dil Kya Karen. “Even I like films with a softer subject. And I do have another such subject in mind,” he reveals.

At most times,the urge to create something different is suppressed by the success a filmmaker finds in a particular genre. When three to four films have done well,the filmmaker tends to create a brand. A case in point is Madhur Bhandarkar,who is today hailed as a realistic filmmaker. “As a filmmaker,I have the liberty to work on any genre I want. But when you become a brand after 10 years,it becomes difficult to explain your shift to another genre. The audience is more worried than you are,” says Bhandarkar,who feels he had a comic streak in all his previous films. “This one only explores it better.”

Getting comfortable in a genre is something one must avoid,assets Priyadarshan. “Always explore the possibilities,especially when you have the resources,” he says. Sarkar agrees. But for him,the shift to action wasn’t that easy. “I had to constantly depend on my action director Shyam Kaushal to help me understand certain techniques and moves,” he says. Although it took him a long time,this movie was something that he had to do. “I had noticed this ruffian culture during my growing up days in Kolkata. It was repressed in me and it came out through this film.”

The urge to try another genre can also be related to the changes in a filmmaker as an individual. Johar who catapulted to success with his love stories and endorsed the larger-than-life way of filmmaking,startled everyone when he made My Name Is Khan,which talked about the Aspergers Syndrome and had songs used only as the background score. “I am all for bubblegum and candyfloss,but it is just that I have no understanding of doing it anymore. I felt it at that stage,but now I have moved on.” says Johar.