rana wrote:
"After the decision I haven't been able to sleep or eat. It is wrong. Dharm should've gone. I don't know how this happened. But I've decided never to be part of any jury again. Eklavya gives such a wrong impression of our country and its culture."
Doesn't know how this happened?
Look, the film industry sends mostly crappy or average films every year, look at the past with Devdas and Andaz. As for Eklavya giving a wrong impression of India, I'd say "BOLLYWOOD" gives a totally wrong impression of India. The only two bollywood films nominated in the history of the Oscars are Mother India and Lagaan and rightly so. Those films stand out from the rest and you can see why.
rana wrote:
Talwar is sarcasm in person. "If Mr. Chopra thinks my film about the religious divide and brotherhood is a load of shit then he must be right. He is, after all, the maker of such undying masterpieces as Kareeb, Mission Kashmir and Eklavya. I'm ready to take lessons in filmmaking from Mr Chopra if he's willing to take me on as an apprentice. Maybe then I'll stop making immature films."
Too many films are made in India about the religious divide and social evils that are promoted to mainly westerners, especially those shown at film festivals. That I'm sure international audiences are now thinking "Damn, is this all India has to show?". I know India has these problems, but why can't they show somthing different once in a while? Maybe that's why Monsoon wedding won the award in Venice, it tackled issues but didn't aim to depress everyone.
I haven't seen Dharm, but if it's one of those soppy "we're all brothers, let's kiss each other's ass" type of film then I'm glad it never got sent. But if it's a serious and well-made film that doesn't take sides and tells it like it is then it should be promoted. Mr & Mrs Iyer was a good example of a film that tackled communal isses without taking sides. Black Friday was another one.
Just another thing, I think films made about India and it's problems just inform foreign audiences about what might be going on in India but they do little to actually help the problem.