November 24, 2009
It has been a common complain of movie industry down south that Bollywood gets all the attention. So led by superstars like Kamal Haasan, the southern industry is now demanding equal status for its cinema.
Says actor Kamal Haasan, "We can’t have a stand off here saying whose fault it is or how sad I feel. If we feel sad we will do something about it. We are trying to be the change we want to see."
Cleary a clash of cinemas at this conclave in Chennai. The Southern industry led by Kamal Haasan is demanding equal status for its cinema the same as Bollywood.
Compared to Bollywood the South churns out double the number of films with as much technical competence. The canvas much more eager to lend itself to contemporary socio-political issues. Yet on the international stage it’s Bollywood which is still considered the brand ambassador of Indian cinema. So the Southern cinema wants more representation in the international and Indian festival and awards circuit.
Says actor Kamal Haasan, "’'We are here to prove that we are all one, there are no parochial borders for entertainment industry. Not even international ones.’’
But on the other hand well-known film maker Yash Chopra is of the view that there is no divide in north and southern cinema. ’'Why divide as north and southern cinema? We are one as Indian cinema,’’ he said.
Bollywood may choose not to acknowledge the inequality but filmmakers say on the ground the North-South divide will take a long time to bridge.
No comments:
Post a Comment