Sudhir Mishra stands erect in the back of New Delhi’s INOX Odeon theater watching all the chaos and intrigue in today’s politics. His 40-year filmmaking career changed the country. This time, he’s putting that power of disinformation and destruction at the center of his new film, Afwaah. Nawazuddin Siddiqui Bhumi Pednekar was released on Friday.
Rumor has it that in recent years he has unleashed vigilantes and thugs on issues as varied as possession of beef, “love jihad” and kidnapping of children. “Rumors are like weapons of mass destruction. Born and exist anywhere,” Mishra said. “My problem is lies. This movie isn’t about love jihad or beef. It’s about rumor spoilers. It’s about how rumors spread,” he said.
Since assisting Kundan Shah in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983), Mishra has turned his lens to the country’s politics and society, and he also wrote the screenplay. With its dark humor and sharp satire, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron has become a cult film. So is it possible to make a film like this today? “I’ll never write the same movie again. Kundan has been thinking about a sequel but unfortunately he died and the idea stayed with him. I think young people make different types of movies. It already is. Especially In the south, they are doing very bold things. In Tamil Nadu and Kerala, people are doing a lot of interesting things.,” he said.
Mishra’s first film was Ye Wo Manzil Tu Nahin (1987), followed by Dharavi (1992), Hazaron Kwaishane Aisi (2005), Ye Saari Jindagi (2011) and Serious Men (2020). But one that continues to hold a special place in the hearts of audiences is Hatheron Quishein Aishi, whose films explored youth idealism, Nazism and emergencies in the early ’70s. “Some movies are meant to be made only by you. Hatherland is that movie. This movie works because it’s after all about passion and the fading of youth, and the beautiful imprint you leave when you hold on.” .Some of the ideas you hold, some have an impulse — the idea of beauty and elegance in a changing world, and that is to keep people true to the original impulse,” Mishra said.
Making films based on the reality around us has its own risks, but Mishra isn’t too worried. “We solved the emergency with Hazaron Quishein. We never threw a punch, we never took a step back,” he said. Mishra had a close encounter with power – his maternal grandfather (Dwarka Prasad Mishra) was the Prime Minister of Madhya Pradesh, but his father, a mathematics professor and Banaras, founded the Cinema Society. Former Vice Chancellor of The Hindu University (BHU). Unlike his younger brother, who attended the influential Indian Film and Television Institute in Lucknow, Vidu met Vinod Chopra when Mishra was studying for his masters at Delhi University, an encounter that entangled him in a relationship. New Direction. “He said I was making a movie, come on, I went. I met Kundan there and he said I was writing something. , it wasn’t even fun,” he said. Accidental filmmakers are here to stay.
“I’m not here to attract grandstanding. I’m here to make a claim, but it’s very limited. I can’t analyze things, but for me it’s the fear factor and the fact that most people can be victims… It’s almost absurd.”Society will be disrupted because it may
The right to have an opinion and engage with others is a strong belief in Mishra. So he recorded a podcast with director Vivek of Kashmir Files (2022) and his Agnihotri. The meeting came after some Twitter exchanges. Mishra tweeted: “Liberals are complaining about Kashmir Papers. Why? Vivek Agnihotri made a movie and his audience came to the theater to watch it. Audience who criticize Vivek will not come to the theater silently.” Agnihotri Responding that there should be a public debate on this, Mishra accepted the invitation. “I think it’s good to watch movies and do all kinds of movies. I disagree with the way Kashmir files are used. I’m a filmmaker with a different aesthetic.” But if someone says that Vivek is not allowed to make Kashmir files, I support it he.He added that it is necessary to pay attention to
“Knowing what is going on in society is better than not knowing. There are dormant emotions and sometimes people express these feelings by watching movies like The Kashmir Files. You cannot deny them, you have to listen to them,” Mishra said . “Films of a different nature are made, and an atmosphere has to be created for people to see them. You have to engage with different points of view, not look at them,” he said. .
The double star may have also influenced perceptions in the film industry, fueling recent Bollywood boycotts and nepotism debates. “When I read it, the industry seemed like a sinful place, and all people did here was drunk and drugged. I’m not saying everyone is innocent, but rumors about the industry create a lot Hurting, especially for women. A place of work where even Shah Rukh Khan gets up during the day to go to work, pack his bags and go home,” he said.