Looking forward - 2018: Script will be King, says Shyam Benegal

While the Indian film industry seems to have entered a new phase, there is a bunch of new filmmakers, even within popular Hindi cinema, challenging the very format and premise of cinema. Many independent filmmakers are trying to explore different genres and put forward new ideas and concepts in their creations. It is exciting to think of the possibilities this talented bunch will continue to bring to our screens with unusual subjects that are relevant to the times.

I see the script continuing to become more important over and above other considerations. This has also to do with how now, unlike never before, there are more cinema-literate filmmakers. They have an understanding of the medium and its technical requirements, which gives them an edge. They come better trained in the grammar of the medium and tend to make fewer mistakes.

This has also to do with better access to mass media and films from across the world. They can watch the work of the filmmakers, who have dabbled in the genre they are working on and compare, learn and grow. What’s more they have access to the latest technology and logistics to execute this vision. The star system unfortunately is going to be around. Films will continue to have stars, but not like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor or Dev Anand. While the attraction of cinema as a larger-than-life medium will stay, it is changing fast. The proliferation of media has meant familiarity has grown. The star whom you watched only on a screen in the theatre is now endorsing products on TV and print commercials, promoting his latest project and can be seen when you want not only on the big screen, TV or computer screens, but also on one’s phone.

The larger-than-life personas of these heroes is already shrinking and the consumption of cinema is happening on the go when films are watched between bus stops or on taxi rides, with several breaks in between. The fact that the audience does not have to be in front of a fixed screen at a given time, presents its own set of challenges for today’s filmmakers. They now have to ensure that the story manages to hold the viewer’s attention despite those breaks.

The web as a platform is giving us some amazing content. It is going to become really strong over the coming years and many aspiring filmmakers, who want to explore the unconventional, non-mainstream subjects or form, will want to work with this medium. I am also eager to explore it.

The arrival of politics of identity assertion has brought with it a spectre of extra constitutional censorship. Unless we find a way of addressing this issue, the precedents set, will mean that this will continue. The socio-political climate is also not helping. It has created an un-relaxed atmosphere of fear and suspicion. These may not be the best condition for the creative process. We have to think where we are headed as a country and address this issue. 

Shyam Benegal, a Padma Bhushan recipient, is a director and screenwriter known for pioneering New Indian Cinema.