Laapataa Ladies director Kiran Rao talked about the current state of Hindi cinema at the Mumbai Dialogues, an event organised by The New Indian Express, in Mumbai on Friday. Speaking about the current state of the Hindi film industry, she said, “I think it’s a phase and we will again arrive at a time where audiences are interested in watching films. Stree 2, Munjya, and Shaitaan are all original films and have done well this year. I don’t think we are bankrupt in the ideas department yet.”
The director also spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way films are perceived and consumed by audiences. “The return to cinema post-Covid was slower and it was assumed that people need glamorous stories to pull them to the theatres,” she said. “But that’s not the only thing. Audiences will come to the theatres when they want to see something authentic and honest; they want to be surprised.” She also commented upon the originality of regional films and said that she is filled with excitement to see them entertaining audiences. She doesn’t feel that it is a loss for the Hindi film industry but rather an expansion of cinema.
“Content-driven films were always being made in the South, but we never watched them here,” she said. “Now we are able to watch all of them due to wider accessibility. Hindi films have entertained audiences for decades and now it’s time to make space for other films too.” Talking about films that have influenced her in her journey as a filmmaker, she mentioned films by legendary directors like Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak, which she grew up watching in her early years. However, now, she has taken on watching K-Dramas. “It’s a guilty pleasure. There's a huge variety in that space. It’s fascinating how they have managed to engage the entire world without losing out on their own cultural relevance."
Talking about her latest release Laapataa Ladies, Kiran said she is open to having a sequel. “If someone writes a good script, I would love to make it,” she said. “But at the same time, I have not commissioned it yet. I also want to spread my wings and work on something different now,” she signs off.
