Aanand L Rai has been entertaining the audience for over a decade. audience With heartwarming stories like Raanjhanaa, Tanu Weds Manu and Shubh Mangal Savdhan. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, the filmmaker opens up about the changes in the industry, several recent box office flops, the third film of Tanu Weds Manu and more… Excerpts:
Is it now the time to Hindi film industry need more new faces,
More than anything else, overall, we need a new approach. It’s not just about new actors. It’s about a new culture. new approach By senior actors, producers and technicians. Because we need to understand that there is a new audience. Earlier, there used to be phases that would start and end slowly over time. But after the pandemic, there has been a big change. We have to gear up and understand in terms of what the audience will like or not like and we have to respect that the audience has upgraded itself and evolved much more than we expected. So, it is not just about new actors. Yes, we need new actors.
What is the new perspective and learning for you?
I have always tried to stay very true to my world. I have been adventurous in my choices, but I have not experimented. But now there is a need to expand it. Don’t take the audience for granted, don’t look for things in that kind of format. It’s an old thing. It depends on what you are going to serve to the audience. And this is true for audiences across the world. They want new things. It’s not about spectacle, it’s about a film.
Are we striving for the people who create the content from the start – i.e. the writers?
We should be original. So now you will find stories that come from Indian folklore. Look at Munjya, Kalki 2898 AD and Kantara. You have to learn something not just from your culture but also from literature. You can’t take a film from another language and make a film from it. The audience is watching the film in its original language. If someone is taking the rights to remake a film, then their approach should be different. I made Shubh Mangal Savdhan which was a remake but I got it directed by the director of the original film. But my approach to the film was new.
Stories from the heart of India are working OTT. What is your opinion on this?
Do you know who is the most pure among us? Who is very clear and careful about what he wishes for? It is the audience. They will tell you on your face whether they like it or not. They are looking for a really good film. You can give them this film either on OTT or Theatre. It is not about the heartland, even though I have made stories from the heartland. When I made Tanu Weds Manu, it was new. Now, you tell them a story. It is the same audience that accepted Dil Chahta Hai, which was not a story from the heartland. The audience wants to hear a good story on screen.
As a producer, it became my identity that I was one of the first filmmakers to tell Hindi film stories. But it was my real identity that was accepted. Hindi films have had very few successes.
Will you make Tanu Weds Manu 3?
It will happen only if I have a story. I have no other issues. It has nothing to do with Maddy or Kangana. It has to do with the story. Tanu Weds Manu Returns was made because I had a beautiful story to tell. I had a great filler in the form of Datto who took the sequel by storm.
Has OTT eliminated box office pressure?
From a producer’s point of view, it’s a different vertical. There is a certain audience for theatre. What do I want? I want as many people as possible to watch my story, my film. That’s what I want. Earlier, it was just theatre and satellite, and now there is OTT as well. I used to tell four stories earlier, but now I can tell six stories.
OTT gives you a breather. But then you have to be very careful. You don’t have to show anything. You have to respect your theatre-going audience and keep working for them. It can be taken in two ways – am I here just to make money? Then whatever works for you, keep doing it. Or do you want to reach out to more people creatively? This is an experience that only theatre can give you. Some stories are only appreciated on the big screen.
Is star power fading?
It needs some correction and understanding that I think we are doing something wrong with our audience. We are taking them for granted. We are not working for them the way we used to earlier. If you talk about the star system ending, just look at a star coming up with a great story; it will always work. The audience wants them to be a little more responsible like they used to be earlier. We idolise these superstars and they have served the audience a lot. It is not easy to make the audience fall in love with you. I don’t think the current generation is doing that.
What’s going wrong behind the failure of stars’ movies at the box office?
What happens with producers is that the day we get more options, we become vulnerable. The moment we start feeling secure with the numbers we get from digital and satellite and then decide to make a film, this ease or complacency does not work. A creative person has to be emotionally and financially at stake. Secure and creative don’t go together. Creative risk is an adventure. Otherwise, how will you be able to create something new or unseen?
Please tell us something about Nakhrewali
I think our production house had reached a point where we considered it payback time. Now it’s time to give the industry some special actors. It’s a conscious decision that Colour Yellow Productions will work on at least one film a year. Because if we don’t do that, we won’t get a new crop of actors.
How important is a star to you?
The most important thing for me is to choose the right cast. This has benefited me. I never think of making a film with a star. I think of making films with new stories.
Is it now the time to Hindi film industry need more new faces,
More than anything else, overall, we need a new approach. It’s not just about new actors. It’s about a new culture. new approach By senior actors, producers and technicians. Because we need to understand that there is a new audience. Earlier, there used to be phases that would start and end slowly over time. But after the pandemic, there has been a big change. We have to gear up and understand in terms of what the audience will like or not like and we have to respect that the audience has upgraded itself and evolved much more than we expected. So, it is not just about new actors. Yes, we need new actors.
What is the new perspective and learning for you?
I have always tried to stay very true to my world. I have been adventurous in my choices, but I have not experimented. But now there is a need to expand it. Don’t take the audience for granted, don’t look for things in that kind of format. It’s an old thing. It depends on what you are going to serve to the audience. And this is true for audiences across the world. They want new things. It’s not about spectacle, it’s about a film.
Are we striving for the people who create the content from the start – i.e. the writers?
We should be original. So now you will find stories that come from Indian folklore. Look at Munjya, Kalki 2898 AD and Kantara. You have to learn something not just from your culture but also from literature. You can’t take a film from another language and make a film from it. The audience is watching the film in its original language. If someone is taking the rights to remake a film, then their approach should be different. I made Shubh Mangal Savdhan which was a remake but I got it directed by the director of the original film. But my approach to the film was new.
Stories from the heart of India are working OTT. What is your opinion on this?
Do you know who is the most pure among us? Who is very clear and careful about what he wishes for? It is the audience. They will tell you on your face whether they like it or not. They are looking for a really good film. You can give them this film either on OTT or Theatre. It is not about the heartland, even though I have made stories from the heartland. When I made Tanu Weds Manu, it was new. Now, you tell them a story. It is the same audience that accepted Dil Chahta Hai, which was not a story from the heartland. The audience wants to hear a good story on screen.
As a producer, it became my identity that I was one of the first filmmakers to tell Hindi film stories. But it was my real identity that was accepted. Hindi films have had very few successes.
Will you make Tanu Weds Manu 3?
It will happen only if I have a story. I have no other issues. It has nothing to do with Maddy or Kangana. It has to do with the story. Tanu Weds Manu Returns was made because I had a beautiful story to tell. I had a great filler in the form of Datto who took the sequel by storm.
Has OTT eliminated box office pressure?
From a producer’s point of view, it’s a different vertical. There is a certain audience for theatre. What do I want? I want as many people as possible to watch my story, my film. That’s what I want. Earlier, it was just theatre and satellite, and now there is OTT as well. I used to tell four stories earlier, but now I can tell six stories.
OTT gives you a breather. But then you have to be very careful. You don’t have to show anything. You have to respect your theatre-going audience and keep working for them. It can be taken in two ways – am I here just to make money? Then whatever works for you, keep doing it. Or do you want to reach out to more people creatively? This is an experience that only theatre can give you. Some stories are only appreciated on the big screen.
Is star power fading?
It needs some correction and understanding that I think we are doing something wrong with our audience. We are taking them for granted. We are not working for them the way we used to earlier. If you talk about the star system ending, just look at a star coming up with a great story; it will always work. The audience wants them to be a little more responsible like they used to be earlier. We idolise these superstars and they have served the audience a lot. It is not easy to make the audience fall in love with you. I don’t think the current generation is doing that.
What’s going wrong behind the failure of stars’ movies at the box office?
What happens with producers is that the day we get more options, we become vulnerable. The moment we start feeling secure with the numbers we get from digital and satellite and then decide to make a film, this ease or complacency does not work. A creative person has to be emotionally and financially at stake. Secure and creative don’t go together. Creative risk is an adventure. Otherwise, how will you be able to create something new or unseen?
Please tell us something about Nakhrewali
I think our production house had reached a point where we considered it payback time. Now it’s time to give the industry some special actors. It’s a conscious decision that Colour Yellow Productions will work on at least one film a year. Because if we don’t do that, we won’t get a new crop of actors.
How important is a star to you?
The most important thing for me is to choose the right cast. This has benefited me. I never think of making a film with a star. I think of making films with new stories.
We can’t take our eyes off Shraddha Kapoor; what do you think?
