Veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah expressed his disappointment in Hindi cinema and said there was hope for it to get better only if films were made without the intention of earning money. He said Hindi filmmakers have been making the same kind of films for the last 100 years.
“It really disappoints me that we take pride in saying Hindi cinema is 100 years old but we have been making the same films. I have stopped watching Hindi films, I don’t like them at all,” the 73-year-old said.
Naseeruddin added that Indians all over the world go to watch Hindi films because it is their connection with their home but soon everyone will be fed up. “Hindustani food is loved everywhere because it has substance. What substance do Hindi films have? Yes, they are being watched everywhere…They say, ‘how exotic, how Indian, how colorful’. Soon they will be bored of it because there is no substance,” the actor said.
He believes it is the responsibility of “serious filmmakers” to show the reality of society. “There is hope for Hindi cinema only if we stop seeing them as a means for making money. But I feel it’s too late now. There is no solution anymore because the films that are being watched by thousands will keep being produced and people will keep watching them, god knows till when.
“So those who want to make serious films, it’s their responsibility to show today’s reality and in such a way that they don’t get a fatwa or ED (Enforcement Directorate) doesn’t come knocking on their doors,” Naseeruddin said. He noted that Iranian filmmakers made films despite suppression from the authorities and Indian cartoonist RK Laxman kept making cartoons during days of emergency.
