Starting off with movies like “Saraansh” and “Arth”, Mahesh Bhatt has seen Bollywood move from the angst-ridden 80s to the flashy films of today. He has also moved from being a well-known director to a producer of films like “Jannat” and “Murder”. Bhatt’s latest production “Murder 2”, directed by Mohit Suri, is set to hit screens next week. The producer spoke about how film-making has changed in Bollywood from the time he started out.
Q: You’ve said ‘Murder 2’ is a game-changing film for Vishesh Films. How is that?
A: “Every three or four years, you need a game-changer film. We had that last in ‘Jannat’, but our last two films were not able to match up to that at all. But the kind of success that ‘Jannat’ gave us, it gives you an adrenaline rush, which compels you to make the same kind of films. ‘Murder 2’ is about emotions which have always mesmerised us — it is about the quest for life and the resolution of it which is uplifting. It is a film made with the complete acceptance that we are dealing with an audience suffering from an attention deficit syndrome. We have to keep them engaged.”
Q: Could you elaborate what you mean by the audience suffering from an attention deficit syndrome?
A: “Well, the remote has revolutionised the consumption of the media. We have home theatre, social networking, all of which dictate how we consume media. The major consumers are all below 25 and they all have access to Facebook and Twitter. They are not an easy audience to please. They are not the glib, illiterate audience of the early years. Their concerns are shaped by the media, descending like a tsunami into their homes. It’s like trying to feed someone who is not hungry. What do you make, and more importantly, how do you lure them into your parlour? We cannot forget that we are in the pleasure-peddling business.”
Q: How is that different from when you started out making films?
A: “Well, the basics are the same, they don’t change. The story has to be at the heart of your film, but what has changed is the glitz, the marketing. You have to make headway, inroads into the consciousness of your consumer. This is the attention economy, and you do need enough attention-grabbing devices. The focus should be on the steak and not on the sizzle, but the tendency nowadays is to concentrate on the sizzle more. We get taken in by it, but the sizzle is always peripheral — it is the steak which should be cooked properly.”
Q: How is ‘Murder 2’ connected with the earlier film?
A: “It’s not. Except that we wanted to keep the Murder franchise alive. The first film was a huge success, and we wanted to cash in on that. It was a marketing trick. We want to continue with this franchise. We want to go on making Murder 3 and Murder 4. This film, as I said earlier, is about the basic human emotions that drive all of us.”
Q: You’ve recently experimented with 3D for your movie ‘Haunted’. What do you think of all the technology coming into Bollywood?
A: “Let me tell you one thing, no amount of 3D or 4D will replace the elemental issues in a film. It will only take it up a few notches, but that is all. We haven’t forgotten that.”
A Minute With: Mahesh Bhatt
