New Delhi: Filmmakers Kabir Khan, Anand L Rai and Nagesh Kukonoor had an interesting conversation with ABP as they talked about various aspects ranging from what drives a director to make a film that connects with the audience, their take on film reviews and many such interesting topics at ABP Network’s Ideas Of India Summit held in Mumbai on Saturday.
The topic of the discussion was 'The Cultural Revival | Digging Deeper: Telling India's Stories'. The discussion was chaired by journalist and ABP anchor Shobhna Yadav. The filmmakers talked about scripts that connect with the audience, their take on social media and criticism. The directors also shared their experiences on what impact a film review has on them and what importance does it hold.
Talking about the importance of film reviews for him, director Kabir Khan said, "I don't read all the reviews. But yes, the ones that I do take seriously, I make sure to read them as well as take the reviewer's feedback by calling them up."
While Anand L Rai said that given the different types of reviews that a film receives these days, even reviews should be reviewed.
The directors were also asked about the much hyped and controversial film 'The Kashmir Files' and their take on the film.
Regarding The Kashmir Files controversy, Khan said, “Filmamkers are not here to prove a point. We are storytellers with the aim to entertain people. A film is not made with an agenda, we choose a theme only when we are passionate about it. Breaking institutions is not important but I believe each filmmaker has his own perspective.”
Rai added that audiences go to see a movie only when it touches their hearts and not based on personal recommendations. After all, the audience is not one face, he asserts.
Box office records, though important, is not the only parameter to judge a film, feels Khan. Rai feels that the box office is the responsibility of the crew. “It also represents whether our film is loved or not,” he said.
Kabir Khan also talked about the impact of social media and the freedom that it has given to the masses. He laid emphasis on the fact that social media has given people the right to speak about anything without taking any responsibility for the same.
He also iterated the fact that the negative impact of social media has outnumbered its positive impact.