New Delhi [India], February 18 : Acclaimed filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane recently shared his insights on the challenges of creating historical films in India, where controversy and self-censorship often come into play.
Speaking with ANI, Motwane discussed the impact of these challenges on the creative process.
Motwane's remarks come in the wake of the controversy surrounding the period drama "Chhaava," which was forced to delete a dance sequence featuring Vicky Kaushal's character Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj doing a lezim dance after politicians raised objections. This incident highlights the delicate balance between artistic expression and cultural sensitivities in India.
"Of course, it is challenging. Because then you have to think of self-censorship before you do it because you don't know who you're going to offend at some point in time. So from a purely creative perspective, yes, it does affect the process of creativity," he said.
When asked about the trend of re-releasing films in theatres, Motwane expressed his desire to bring back his 2018 film "Bhavesh Joshi Superhero" to the big screen. He believes the film's themes of corruption and social justice are more relevant now than ever.
In the past few years, there has been a trend of re-releasing films in theatres, and audiences enjoy watching their favourite films.
He said that the right time to re-release "'Bhavesh Joshi Superhero," saying "the superhero film targeting corruption and that sort of stuff." 'Bhavesh Joshi Superhero' was released in 2018. It stars Harshvardhan Kapoor in the lead role along with Priyanshu Painyuli, Ashish Verma and Nishikant Kamat in the supporting roles.
Motwane's filmography is characterized by its diversity, ranging from coming-of-age dramas like "Udaan" to experimental projects like "CTRL," which explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and social media. For Motwane, the key to his creative process is excitement and a willingness to take risks.
From 'Udaan', 'Lootera', 'CTRL', and 'Sacred Games' to the recent one, 'Black Warrant', Motwane never seems to follow any particular legacy or stick to the genre, as his only criterion behind any project is "excitement".
"If I am excited about something, then I can spend months or years on that project. It is essential that if I am giving my time and putting my energy into any story, it should excite me as a filmmaker or as a creator. I'm always happy to make as many different kinds of films as possible," said Motwane.
The director ventured into the digital space with his film 'CTRL', which stars Ananya Panday in the lead role. He shared his perspective on artificial intelligence and social media, saying, "So, I think AI, if we use it as a tool, which is an effective tool, to be able to help creative people or help the medical industry or assist in making life easier or making your job easier, I understand that, and I'm all for it. My problem with AI is when AI is going to be used, and the problem is that that decision is not going to be left up to the creative people alone. And always, it's always, as always, the decision to adopt AI or to use it or to do anything is left with the people who actually have the money, and they always use it to make more money."
"And my concern becomes when AI is used and people lose their jobs, or that AI is used to spread misinformation, or that AI is used for any of the wrong reasons that it's being used for. For me, that's a problem. I think that we need to find out and figure out how to use it in a better way."
He also talked about his debut project 'Udaan', which is going to be part of the Red Lorry Film Festival. It will also commemorate 15 years of the film, which was released in 2010. The film stars Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy and Ram Kapoor.
"It's the first film, first child, first baby, and the fact that it's still got an interest level going 15 years after release, I think, is a great thing. So I'm, as always, excited to show the film to an audience who's maybe never seen it or to show it to people again who have seen it and appreciate it and love it."
Red Lorry Film Festival, India's premiere international film festival curated by BookMyShow, is set to return with its second edition from March 21 to 23, 2025, in Mumbai as Red Lorry Film Festival: Take 2 and for the first time in Hyderabad as an exciting new chapter titled Red Lorry Film Festival: Parallel Verse.
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