Indian filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, known for his acclaimed films such as Love Sex Aur Dhokha (LSD) and Shanghai, has voiced his concerns about the ongoing commercialization of Bollywood and its impact on the film industry. In a recent interview with Social Ketchup Binge, Banerjee discussed the challenges faced by independent filmmakers in an increasingly monopolized environment dominated by large studios and distributors.
The Demise of Single-Screen Theatres and Rise of Multiplexes
Banerjee highlighted how the extinction of single-screen theatres and the rise of multiplexes have resulted in a business model that disproportionately favours big-budget films. “If you kill single screens, if you make extremely expensive multiplexes in the malls… you are setting yourself up for somebody to walk in into a vacuum,” Banerjee stated. He believes that the cost of maintaining multiplexes has led to a shift in how films are distributed and exhibited, making it difficult for smaller films to survive in the current landscape.
This shift, according to Banerjee, has allowed large studios and distributors to dictate the terms of how films are marketed and shown. “All kinds of relationships with the multiplexes, with the big studios, the distributors, decide how much time, in the multiplexes, a film would be, based on its star power, basis its perceived value,” Banerjee added.
The Struggles of Independent Films
Banerjee shared his personal experiences dealing with the challenges posed by this shift in the industry. He expressed frustration with how films are now expected to meet high financial expectations, driven by inflated budgets and star fees. “After the killing of the single screens and the (building of) the multiplex and the (Rs) 100 crore budgets and extremely inflated star fees… it has to really go for an all-or-nothing approach,” Banerjee said, pointing out how smaller films are edged out in this environment.
He explained that this environment stifles creative diversity and prevents filmmakers from experimenting with new ideas. “It is not really a place where variety can exist,” he said. “You have to throw in a lot of capital and hog everything else, and not let anything else survive because the moment you give that leeway, you will sort of disappear.”
Banerjee’s Struggles as a Filmmaker
Reflecting on his film LSD, Banerjee explained the difficulty of producing innovative work without established stars or conventional marketing strategies. “So, if you are doing something absolutely new with no known faces… then you have to, something we’ll have to give. So you know you are going to be edged out,” he remarked.
The post Dibakar Banerjee criticises Bollywood’s commercialisation: “It is not really a place where variety can exist” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.
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