Bollywood encroaches on sensibilities of regional cinema: Adoor

Locarno: Malayalam film veteran AdoorGopalakrishnan feels that Bollywood is encroaching upon thesensibilities of regional cinema, which he finds "verydestructive".

He was speaking at a round table discussion on 'Lessonsfrom Bollywood' organized by the Locarno Film Festival, whoseOpen Doors section has a special Focus on India this year.

Adoor's Nizhalkkuthu is being screened at the festivalas a part of a retrospective of 19 other films from Indianfilmmakers including Raj Kapoor's Aag, Ritwik Ghatak'sMeghe Dhaka Tara and Satyajit Ray's Charulata.

The 70-year-old filmmaker, known for delivering cinemagems like Swayamvaram, Kathapurushan, Mukhamukham andNaalu Pennungal, is troubled by Bollywood's all-pervadingpresence.

"Bollywood has encroached upon the sensibilities of theSouth and is being replicated in regional cinemas. This isvery destructive, as the younger generation believes that thisalone is cinema. And Bollywood is not just at internationalfilm festivals, but also has the International Indian FilmAcademy Awards, in which Bollywood gives awards to itself,"Adoor said.

He, however, conceded that his wife knows better Hindithan him, just by watching Hindi films.

Other participants at the discussion included Gargi Sen,actor Kabir Bedi, filmmaker and head of Magic LanternFoundation, producer Bhuvan Lall, Suresh Laxmanan, senior VicePresident of the Film Federation of India, Indu Shrikent ofthe former Osian's Film Festival, and Anu Rangachar,programmer of the Mumbai Film Festival.

Kabir Bedi, who has had a 25-year acting career in India,Europe and the US, also participated in the discussion. Theactor, who is remembered here for his role in the Italian TVseries Sandokan, said, "I am very proud of being fromBollywood, but I could never have a career as a leading manthere, because I refused to sing and dance. That is why Iworked in Europe and the US."

"If independents are to learn lessons from Bollywood, itwould be defining its audience, studying the craft of writinggood screenplays, and getting a good sales agent who will dothe hustling. Making independent film is not an excuse forself-indulgence," Bedi added. He is currently working on TheFinal Promise, the first feature film that he will makehimself.

An important distinction was made by Gargi Sen, who said,"The aesthetics of Hindi cinema of the '50s was inspired bythe European new wave, whereas Bollywood is more a post-1991,post-liberalisation term. Hindi cinema is the basis ofBollywood. We have also had many avant garde directorsincluding Ritwik Ghatak and Mani Kaul.

"The fact that Anurag Kashyap was producing a film byMani Kaul when the latter passed away, is a sign of Indianfilm moving in new directions," she said.

There is a strong Indian presence at the Locarno FilmFestival this year, thanks to Open Doors. There are 41 Indiandelegates, 19 Indian films and 12 scripts with theirproducer-director teams at the Open Doors Coproduction Lab.