The Oasis English Press interviewed Mr. Madhur Bhandarkar, the chief guest of Oasis 2019, to talk about his experience at BITS, and his opinions on cinema and its societal impact. Here are some excerpts from the talk.

How was your experience at BITS? 

I loved it a lot. I got lots of love and affection from the students here. It has long been a dream for me to come over here, and I am so happy that it has come true. There was a lot of enthusiasm and energy amongst the students, which was great and remarkable.

What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

I used to watch a lot of films and read a lot of books. I was not a very good student and that’s the reason I dropped out of school. I worked as a video cassette library boy for four years. I became a big film buff and I knew about each movie at the drop of a hat. I was not given admission in any institution as I was not even a matriculate. I did odd jobs in the film industry, assisted a lot of people and gained practical knowledge as a filmmaker on the sets. I made movies which were socially relevant, and I am very happy with the kind of affection which the country has bestowed my movies with.

We are having a Film Festival along with Oasis this year which would involve some filmmaking competitions. Did you have such exposure to filmmaking in your youth?

No. However, I used to go to a lot of shootings and I did a lot of work there. My friends would see the movie as a normal film and forget about it, but I used to ponder over every aspect of the filmmaking which others usually did not see. People generally remember a movie for its comedy or songs, but I was more interested in the technical aspects of the film.

What problems did you face while directing your first film Trishakti?

I wanted to make cinema which was very real, authentic, and relevant. But I received no support from the film industry and hence, I had to struggle a lot. Filmmaking is like investing; nobody wants to invest if one just wishes to give out a social message. For my first film, I had to give in to what people said and the film didn’t do well. After that I made Chandni Bar, which was true to my conviction, and it got critical acclaim. 

Your filmmaking style is different. You make films which are usually noncommercial and have female protagonists. Where does your inspiration for such stories come from?

As a filmmaker I like to make films that relate to real life and explore society. I make films which are relevant. I made movies like Heroine and Fashion, which explored the life of a female star. I make films in a very budgeted manner and never go overboard. For instance, Indu Sarkar was made in a budget of around 6.5 crores. It did well and was also critically acclaimed. I also made a film on emergency, which India had never witnessed.

Does the opinion of the general public influence you?

Society thinks that I make movies on relevant issues. People have even come up to me and asked me to make a movie on a certain issue. It feels good that people look into the societal aspect of my movies. Sometimes people appreciate, sometimes they condemn. They have the complete freedom to do either in a democracy. 

Any advice which you would like to give to budding filmmakers?

I think one should at least complete their graduation. It is very important to know about what you want to do in life. In this industry, you must take chances. One might be in this industry for ten years and still not be successful. I believe everybody has to struggle in order to leave a lasting mark in the field that they work in.