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‘Masaan’ director Neeraj Ghaywan weighs in on the Bollywood vs Southern cinema debate

‘Masaan’ director Neeraj Ghaywan shares his perspective on the escalating polarity between the commerical success of Bollywood and Southern films.

‘Masaan’ director Neeraj Ghaywan weighs in on the Bollywood vs Southern cinema debate

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The debate comparing the Hindi film industry and the Southern film industry has been a hot topic. The discussion is gaining momentum given that Southern films have been outperforming Bollywood titles significantly recently. Several stakeholders of Bollywood have weighed in on the issue outlining why the industry is falling behind. Now, ‘Masaan’ director Neeraj Ghaywan has shared his perspective on the rapidly escalating polarity.

Recently, Neeraj Ghaywan spoke at the 7th edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC) hosted by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA). When the host probed the director to comment on why Souther films were doing better commercially than Hindi films, lately, the filmmaker shared his thoughts. He said, “I feel the reason why the Southern industries are doing so well is because their lived reality is so authentic, and their characters are rooted and real. Here (in Bollywood), the characters are sanitized for a certain audience. It has to go via Bandra. It doesn’t feel real. In the process of making film palatable to a certain audience, you might lose what is real.”

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During the panel discussion, the filmmaker also deliberated on the lack of independent funding in India as compared to Europe. He iterated the challenge of putting one’s untainted vision on screen. “The challenge is to make what you want with the studios while keeping your integrity intact. Recovery has to come from music or casting a particular actor. You have to battle your way through to achieve your vision.”

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Neeraj Ghaywan initially worked as an engineer and film critic. Subsequently, he ventured into filmmaking by assisting Anurag Kashyap on ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and ‘Ugly.’ In 2014, he made his directorial debut with ‘Masaan’ starring Vicky Kaushal and Richa Chadha. Since then, he has directed ‘Sacred Games’ season 2, ‘Geeli Puchi’ segment of the anthology film ‘Ajeeb Dastaans,’ and two episodes of ‘Made in Heaven.’

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