Creativity Arises Out Of Chaos: Shekhar Kapur Talks About Filmmaking And More At Ideas Of India Summit

When Shekhar Kapur began his career at 24 as a Chartered Accountant, the first word that he dropped from his dictionary was "career" and went on "an adventure of self discovery."

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur at ABP Network Ideas Of India 2023.

Source : Screengrab From Video On YouTube.

ABP Network Ideas Of India 2023: Filmmaker, actor, tv presenter and entrepreneur Shekhar Kapur discussed the process of filmmaking and how the future is "global cinema" in an interactive session at the second edition of ABP Network's Ideas Of India Summit, held in Mumbai. Shekhar Kapur was the part of a discussion on 'The Future Is Here: Buuilding The New Narrative' moderated by renowned journalist Vir Sanghvi where he spoke about himself "not being a filmmaker" and "going on an adventure of self discovery" at the age of 24.

Shekhar Kapur, who has given several blockbusters like 'Masoom', 'Mr. India' and 'The Bandit Queen' among others, who has had an illustrious career as a filmmaker doesn't consider himself to be one. When he began his career at 24 as a Chartered Accountant, the first word that he dropped from his dictionary was "career" and went on "an adventure of self discovery."

On Filmmaking

Narrating an incident from the past when Vir Sanghvi met Shekhar Kapur during IIFA Awards and asked him about the future of Bollywood, the latter had said that "the future of cinema is not Hollywood or Bollywood, it's going to be global cinema very soon." Talking about it now, Shekhar said, "I think the winds of change are coming and they are coming harsher and stronger. If we talk about Marvel movies, they still are from a white man's point of view."

He also emphasised on the need for change in the narrative by saying, "Asian films, African films all of them come from a different narrative. The narrative has to change, when that happens, true change will happen. We will still be making Spider Man but when the Spider Man takes off his mask, he will be Chinese. That is something which is going to happen soon."

Drawing a comparison between making a film in the West and in India, he said, "Making a film in the West is like going to the supermarket while making an Indian film is like going to a chor bazaar but you like the chaos." 

Shekhar Kapur shared his mantra of filmmaking and said, "Creativity arises out of chaos, You have to create the illusion of control but in reality its all about chaos" also going on to mention that the "structure of working in the West is too constricting and boring."

On Technology 

Talking about how technological advancements have made the process of filmmaking easier and cheaper, the renowned filmmaker said that "Metaverse is the way we are going." 

"Technology changes constantly and the way in which content is disseminated today has made films much cheaper. Creation of content is going to be worth a trillion dollars," he said. He also mentioned how "India is a land of great storytellers" and have the technology and everything, we just have to "free our minds" in order to become a 100 crore market.

He also talked about people creating their avatars and how his blockbuster film 'Mr. India' was not a superhero film but "a universe of characters."

The filmmaker also talked about casting Cate Blanchett in his Hollywood directorial debut 'Elizabeth' and how adamant he became on casting her in his film, going against everyone else. He also revealed launching popular actors like Blanchett, Eddie Redmayne and Daniel Craig with his films.

Shekhar Kapur talked about his new film that talks about "a lifelong search for intimacy" and ended the lively discussion with his promise to make a Hindi film, soon.

Ideas Of India Is Back 

ABP Network Ideas Of India Summit is back for its second edition. On February 24 and 25, eminent personalities from all walks of life will share their thoughts on pertinent topics and issues, ranging from climate catastrophe to India’s position as a new global power player.  

This year's speakers will share their thoughts on what constitutes ‘Naya India’, and how our country, now the fifth-largest economy, can position itself as a developed nation by 2047, marking 100 years of independence. 

This year, the ABP Network Ideas Of India summit — co-presented by Dabur Vedic Tea and co-powered by Dr Ortho, Gallant Advance, and Rajesh Masala (driven by Maruti Suzuki and with tech partner Panasonic) — will see notable speakers such as Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Minister Of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss, lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar, musical artists Bickram Ghosh and Shubha Mudgal, authors Amitav Ghosh and Devdutt Pattanaik, actresses Sara Ali Khan, Yami Gautam, Asha Parekh and Zeenat Aman, actors Ayushmann Khurrana and Manoj Vajpayee, celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, sports stars Jwala Gupta and Vinesh Phogat, and many more.