 When the lights go down in the city And those eyes in my city Whoa, whoa, whoa Go back to our stupid drag scenes of Corbyn I'm Steve Perry You can follow us on Instagram and Twitter for more juicy content Thanks for the Patreon, follow us on Twitter to subscribe to the channel Like, button, spank your mother today Yeah For me Uh, today we got another round table Yay! Yay, yay, yay If you haven't seen the first one we did with Komoha Hassan and SS Rajamuli and a couple of others Go check that out, love that one It was one This is more, I think, of the Hindi variety But there's not all Hindi, this is a cup of tea from different industries So it has, um, Karen Johar Wonderful And you are Kashyap Ah, our Dosti Yes, uh, and did you see the ridiculous back and forth between us Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah And a whole bunch of other people, uh, that we've seen and some that we haven't actually seen yet But, uh, we love these, these are so fun Apparently, this is the current one too, yeah Yes, great A few days ago There's a one coming up, uh, the actors round table Awesome Even though this has our actors in it as well But it that's not I think it has a bundle like VG Varma Telo Dhamma great Tripty is in it a whole bunch of other awesome or dose are in that as well. So here we go. Oh, yeah Baby making music. Welcome to the garata plus mega year and roundtable 2022 presented by GT holidays and Western Mumbai That was some editing Whoa He can't ever take off his host hat I feel Was technically from the Malayalam film industry is quite a big hit in the Telugu film industry, which is Citaramam Okay, that's pretty much like he started off with a with a role in Vikram which is not a role and then he had a bit of one and then He had a solo hit in Sardar and then he had And It's good to do the research before you interview people to know at least one of their creative output yikes Especially when she's a woman We can attest to that On your oxbeaks very highly of Ten of these in the middle of it, don't you Make Right so, you know, you're following the footsteps of Canada cinema into because this has been the big story There's nipunj who's Anybody who loves classical music Especially Hindustani classical music should watch this film. It's one of the greatest by picks ever made in India Wow, and I'm so glad you know that your film represents our term that I hate which is regional cinema because I think every Cinema is actually even in the cinema is regional cinema, but somehow we've gotten into this this habit of labeling Non-indies non-indies as a regional. Yeah, what film are you talking about? Is she gonna be there Yeah, I would have loved to have seen Rima dust Oh now it's an ad for the Weston Hopefully these are just the beginning Well, at least they're only spacing them two minutes apart So that's what you wanted to ask You know, this has been the first year to say what audiences are coming out to see but at the same time We've had enough of a like an inkling to say, okay, people are coming out for this People are coming out for that kind of a thing. So what in your opinion has been? Like something like you know is this is something that you put out and people are gonna come and watch it Is this there's something that you found out yet or another shake me said he's like I'm the last person to have any clue But I don't know innocence is either something very new that's working for people or something Familiar that they want to revisit, right? Yeah, it can be the filmmaker or the stories of like this shum to Right, you know that world people Wanted to revisit right something that has grown over a period of time and then there's a sequel comes out or something But that is very familiar and they like it, right or something that's totally new and I think everybody's literally And I don't know which was one thing that has opened to massive first day of me because everything somewhere is Or Yeah Yeah, they had big opening days, I think Pushpa had a big opening day, too, didn't it that was last year. Oh, that's true That's true Brahmashra KGF to Vikram Vikram had a big opening day Would you say that these are the like Would you say that like you had a small bowl to as well, right? And then you had this or whatever that film Seven coming almost back-to-back like I don't know. Yes. Oh my stars. Yes. What PS1 Have you had learnings this year? Like this is the kind of stuff people are coming out to see, you know, I think It starts in the trailer like what you're going to make people expect from this film And if you promise something and you give it that it becomes huge Agreed and the reverse is true. Yeah, that's a very good trailer The trailer promises you something a new world new characters a new drama that becomes a big hook for people to come and say So because I see that you know when's like my Sadar Streaser comes in there was a lot of discussion Once the trailer came in people who hooked to it people knew there's something new to offer I think the the milieu that you're going to offer the human drama Which you're promising has to be solid in the film, right? So the trailer I think is one means a little bit apart from the bigger films you also had smaller as in smaller scaled like jub jub jio or In Tamil there's a film that I have to mention called three children belong which are more than terms of love today If it left, yeah in terms of which are which are smaller in terms of like budget or whatever it is And then but then they just broke out and like, you know people love the I mean Those are the kind of films that people said would no longer work because now people want to see only these big tentpole films You know, like they only want to come out for a cage here for her or a thing, you know, like whatever film But that that seems to have I guess I'm missing those kind of cinema also, of course Yeah, I think, you know, every time there is a trend and then everybody jumps on that bandwagon And then someone's like Breaking out of it so people find that refreshing Mm-hmm Yes, it's waves That's why it's a trailer because it gives it I like these edits we're seeing everybody. Yeah It might be a love story But the characters that he's bringing to the film or the world that you're taking into the film And that's very very important might be a familiar story I see that our mind be familiar but the way it is said the way it is musically presented the way the actors are presented All that really matters. What about Marathi cinema? How does I mean, how has the year been in terms of people coming to theaters? It hasn't been good. It hasn't been good for the past two three years Since I think 2019 of course pandemic did play a part I think only one film turned a profit. I mean, wow numbers, but one from turned a profit in theater businesses And but I think even as filmmakers in one film we haven't been very consistent Post I think Sarah and then a ventilator But then we haven't been consistently giving good films to the audiences and now what has happened is that? Marathi cinema is not the number one priority for most of the Marathi people So if they have a budget for to go to the film they are to the theaters. They would rather watch a Different film than watch a Marathi film. Usually, of course, there are some exceptions I hope that you know we continue giving better and better films and understand what the audience really wants Because I feel there is some kind of a disconnect right now between what they want and what we are making, right? So I mean even with Basantra I like the fact that people like the film you like the film, but Unfortunately, it has not done the kind of numbers that we expected it for the year has been a little rocky What about your experience with the whole Brahmastra the pre the and the post I think Normal sees back in most industries I think I would say normal sees back in the Tamil film industry in the Malayalam film industry in the Telugu film industry In the Kannada film industry and as as Gati said, rightfully It's then dependent on the trailer the teaser the build up the energy and like if you see Telugu is known for a certain brand of cinema, but then Sikha Ramamdas so fantastic You know, so it's like it all depends on their open to all kinds of content What's happening in Hindi is and probably even in Marathi cinema The major bells and I'm gonna get slightly technical only so that everybody understands that Bombay in Delhi Which accounts for nearly 60% or 65% 60 to 70 depending on the film of the audience at the number that comes in They haven't been behaving as consistently as it was pre-pandemic So what has been working has been only the spectacle films even if they're tough folks Even if it's if it's even if it's KGF It's RRR which have done humongous like KGF is a mammoth Mammoth number. Yes, the only film in the 400 crore club. The last hit before that is 380 dungal Then comes KGF with 430 plus. There is there is and then the next it is Now both the 400 and 500 are both dub films in the Hindi speaking They have to all wake up realize academically understand The only four or five Hindi films that have made money Have just been those just four or five of those Everything else and I'm not saying the films were good not good That's not my comment to make but like the market has been behaving very erratic and not erratic That's suddenly something like Dhrishyam for example, everybody's saying oh that films you say don't work with Dhrishyam Now there's an academia to Dhrishyam as well. Dhrishyam was hugely liked theatrically in 2015, yeah, it's humongously loved on satellite. There is no Hindi dub of Dhrishyam online It's all available only in a subtitle version So the audiences that now the Dhrishyam as it should be and feel the film didn't end there have watched it several times on satellite, relished it, enjoyed it and therefore the film opened to a 15 plus number whereas all tracking meters were saying everything between 8 and 9 Or nobody predicted this 15 number and then the film was loved That is a double whammy and now the the territories that are giving it the maximum business are like it's like Maharashtra Which has been behaving like not in the best manner, you know post-pandemic the numbers in and I always know the center belt is The heartland and Gujarat step on board to a film then there's nothing stopping you Those two territories are distinct from your film. You can never do a very such a producer Gujarat and CPCI He's so smart I'm on I have baited I'm like I waited on baited breath when he talks If you're doing a sequel or you're doing a remake a sequel has to be loved on satellite Then you'll get the number or if you're doing a remake then make sure you don't have a Hindi dub available You know that then and otherwise just make good films Yeah Yeah Giving you 65 70 75 cross which was great at the box office that is not happening right now I don't see that happening for a while when it comes to Kannada cinema. Would you say that this is a consistent? trend or do you think that we have jumped the gun by Saying that that you know these two films are now representative of the new kind of reality Because one of the things I have been asked consistently across the years You know, please comment on, you know, how regional cinema has replaced Hindi cinema, whatever it is I'm also looking at the number of because you know, I'm aware of Thomas and now we're a telugu cinema I'm also aware of how many flops that are That the numbers that I mean people look at the two or three big Films and say oh our regional cinema doing so well, but there are so many from there are not doing well So what's that? I mean is no, I think what happens is when ones of films sort of Gathers momentum like for example with KGF or with Kantha Rao There is a natural sense of pride that the people of that land which feel and they propagated and The unique thing about Bangalore which are which I feel is Which doesn't exist that much in other parts of the country is the number of films from other languages that release in Bangalore, it's very multi-cultural So the inherent Karnataka audience is dying to give it back in a sense Like I remember from my Sensitive it's just that you know every single time I've come out for work opportunities long back about eight nine years back People used to say Karnat and I all I used to go back and people like myself Raksha, Trisha, Raj and so on and so forth Prashant all of us we feel this need to just make people say Kanada like at least take our language in the right way Yeah, I think there is a lot of that makes sense You know we have to show what we can do that is come into the system in a way But but at the same time there is also a lot of films are trying to a are going to a That is going to happen. It's it's how the market functions Narrative which is now they're right now, you know that suddenly I also hate using the word regional cinema, but whether it's These industries are now seeing so much line I think it's wrong because some of the biggest hits in Hindi from ages ago I think my dad was making films in the 90s. All those dad nepotism I mean we are speaking about it now, but these remakes have always been the hits whether it's Gajni There's the writing coming from We are I mean we're remaking really obviously, but we are taking the stories from this So I feel what's happened in Hindi cinema that there is a dirt for original stories There is a dirt for good original stories, and we also as not me, but I'm saying sorry But yeah, he's an original source absolutely Speaking as an audience for the Kannada industry in terms of me being from Karnataka originally You know I'm from Bangalore is that We just want to be represented when you watch a film You want to see a Representation matter like Kanthara, which was what was really like, you know Buddha Kola is something we grew up with I've seen that I've experienced that magic right and to see That Represented in film was something that was like wow like you know people are gonna know about us people are gonna watch this film And you know it's that magic also that was there so I think that People are just waiting for that because I know my family. I'm saying like my grandmother and my they wanted to go watch Kanthara, they don't want to watch other films, but they wanted to go watch because they were like It was like let's all go. Let's all go as a family to watch it I actually completely agree with what Varun said and I think that the core issue is and that includes myself is That we come from an in a mainstream industry in Hindi cinema Which doesn't have one very strong quality, which every other cinema on this panel has which is conviction We kind of always go with the flow Rubber stamp original voice with Salim Javed. Yeah, yeah, you know, we created a certain character and in fact It was derived in other cinemas that the concept of this hero And angry and on the you know and then in the 80s Suddenly something happened and they became a host of remakes. That's where the conviction law started We started remaking every film that was popular in Tamil. What stopped being about storytelling Yeah In the 70s, we went ahead with the 90s and 2001 when Lagan was was nominated for an Academy Award We were like, oh now we must all do these kind of right Look at on your back. Yeah versus just creating something you want to make Which is still a route of lagana in my head and release alongside the bomb which again Then we have over now mainstream is back in Virginia downwell in 2009 now Let's start making commercial since again. That's the problem. We actually Like and I say this more for myself. I'm not speaking to anybody else We lack the spine and we lack the conviction and that's what we need to get from every other Very self-aware man, I love that about him language aspect of it I mean, I don't go growing up watching money source films like he was like he made romance pan India whether it was You know, they'll say whether it was Roja Come on Yeah, come on Yes Those are artists they weren't thinking box office as much as they were thinking story They're a great example to follow Yeah And also I think another thing that I've been my analysis I could be very wrong on this is that for a very long period of time The heartland of India the you know the working class middle class For them satellite consumption people moved to Netflix and people moved to Amazon There's a huge number of people who still watching cable television. Yeah, and all of them watched Hindi dub version of telugu films time films camera films And I I've I've seen those films where heroes from our industries are marketing dialogues in Hindi, right? I'm very sure people somewhere Are consuming that Which is why the the money is that are paid for your dub satellite Action film if there is three fights, you will get this you four fights. You'll get this There are directors who go out and just compose fights Because they can sell the dubbing rights of the film and that's that's so Everything in the industry is dictated money ultimately. So Hey, this is after KGF one Across North India and CPCR Rajasthan The most popular actor was not a Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan. It was Rocky bhai. They did not know yet Yes, Nick and and even this is all All the All the you know action films, right the people actually identify Those characters as themselves Because the heroes are rooted in that world and also probably the the the macho hero who went out of Hindi cinema for a while Yeah, I think I so I think when rocky bhai came he was like really a voice of the masses It was actually a bona fide return of that hero Yeah, they've only seen mr. Bachchan do And that mr. Bachchan's template is pretty much emulated across the nation now that swag that dialogue Yeah, it was exactly that and We who who actually should be very grateful to salim saab and javed saab who created this we let go of that hero and went to Switzerland Hahaha That was good, that was fantastic. That's good. I'm self-aware Absolutely With the rise of globalization and the globalization is Shah Rukh Khan So he became an aspirational Man, and that's what happened in the 90s. You know that time he used to be Today you say this in new york, they say there will be no connect to India like it's changed It's totally changed. We went from making films for India to now in the films for Bharat And that is what is really but ultimately I don't think that the the narrative for the future should be us versus then We are all together Yes You can do both you can say indian cinema and give credit to the area it came from indian cinema from canada. Yeah It's just a nuance and commercial of balance that somehow I don't know how to achieve myself as a very when I saw kitey I was so inspired. I was so inspired by his work which I told him in person as well and by I saw that film and I was just like I think great What a what a pretty cool the Vikram, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah the way the character is written the way the climax Yeah, and then because the focus wasn't on just action. Yeah He played his character He's I asked him if he'd seen Vikram and he said I haven't seen Vikram because I have to see kitey first Yeah I saw kitey and Vikram back to back Same that's what we did. Yeah I care I Watch the reviews. Yeah And any any critics out there stop telling the story in your reviews One thing that that I mean one of the biggest crossing films, of course you had Josita Ramam, but I had A dish about one which was like this big big big success. Uh, which is kind of like this swagger I mean, of course, yes it as a film it's a mix of the godfather and the mahabharata Kind of that but it's also like it doesn't leave the heroism out of it, right? It's like the old time, you know, like you showcase the hero a certain way Which again people are a little confused about right now It's like do we go back like for example, let me take a salman Khan or something You know, they're not anybody else like all the older heroes I think there's a there's a bit of a confusion on whether our audience is going to come for that You know that slow more walk and the you know one step out of the I think they did in kgf2. Yes, they did Where you were you were speeding like the hero, but I feel like I'm Michael You know, and I think that's what was and I'm only the director Unapologetically unabashedly. He's like this is going to be A kick-ass like style flick that we've missed for so long And you know, my dad is completely like owned it and we were missing I got emotional for anything else Like I just seeing him With swag. I was like my god. I've missed this for so long Like we were going so into like realistic cinema. Yeah, and I mean obviously he's enjoying playing all these different characters But this is what we grew up following him for like, you know being these fanboys of him And then suddenly you see a director finally projecting him the same way His look and there's so much of that high speed stuff the fight Bold cameras and music it was like a I was just like this the whole time And I'm like, I'm like, I'm ready to cry It's amazing you say that because it's like, you know, the other industries are seeing saying that My love cinema is realistic and they're enjoying all this and you're saying, you know, we wanted, you know This was a change. I'm saying too much of anything. Uh, you know, there's room for both Yeah, you anything that breaks the clutter anything that breaks the mold that feels refreshing for you Right. So it's respect to across the industry. I think I love this whole cultural awareness It is what you take from a success. Say the films that give you courage and the films that give you like this whole They make projects like this whole For example, this pan-indian thing like I literally I was talking to Nagraj I said, you know that sirat destroyed Marathi The success of sirat because suddenly people realize that there's a possibility to make so much money So suddenly the umesh kulkarni's and everybody right they stopped making those the focus came on money Right and everybody wanted to emulate sirat, right with pan-indian what is happening, right? Everybody's trying to make a pan-indian film. Yeah, but the success will be five to ten percent See a movie like kantara and pushpa gives you courage to go out and tell your story Tell your story Right You don't know how somebody can imagine that when he comes with those animals, you know, I think there's one thing that One thing that very jason bloom when he made his first horror movie bloom house And began a success He said the only mistake I don't want to do is based on success keep increasing my budget Yeah, he's not changed his way of making films. Yes, he still makes films in extremely controlled budgets and with with with all the back ends With everybody getting money out of it when the film becomes successful and he's consistently delivered successes Yeah, but I feel like we start losing judgment. Like when he said this is something that Let's say for example Starts changing the way the shit rishabh raj And actually they start making films and they start making that big budget film with an eye on the box of his Yeah, that it is exactly Everything now is a pan indian film you're you're just throw a lot of money at it. You know, and that Has worked in their market, so yeah All over india, but first their market Brilliantly in tamalladu. Yeah, if it had not worked here and worked elsewhere It was made for that audience. Exactly. You cannot engineer something Our films for the lord India marathi film I was getting was that Bring us a big subject. You want to make a big budget marathi film, which is pan india But my first thought to them let's let's make a pan maharashtra film first let it go in maharashtra first It was but it's it's been six years now. Okay, but that always made for marathi cinema, right? Yeah, I think that's what I think that a film has to belong to the place that it comes from And then it can grow outwards from there. It's got started as a project. You have to start out as an indian cinema. So unique Right This recently As you said I was inspired by govind anani. I said govind anani was such a great filmmaker. I need to commercialize him. So I made satya Prashant neel in his interview said I thought Arjun was a very good filmmaker. I need to commercialize him I'm waiting for that filmmaker So she did is when when the first kgf happened, right? You know, even then with prashant like what was this conviction like that was your your your being Yeah, what was it like being around those people making that one film that would put karnataka film End up doing that. But of course at that point you didn't know that. What was it like? So I'll tell you I mean when I I met the team it was not even one and two it was just kgf And I knew that the brilliant team together trying to make a movie Obviously they had put it out back then that it is going to be high-budgeted movie So we knew that it is going to be on a larger canvas But obviously we didn't know it will cater to such wider audience We wanted to do a great brilliant movie for karnataka audience. And that's how we started also Probably midway somewhere there then they saw the outputs and the rushers and they're like, okay This is coming out really good. But still we did not think about pan india back then without Okay, let's just keep doing and all of them we decided to divide it into one and two Chalo, we can't stuff everything in one part. Let's make it that And then I think even prashant. I I'm sure you've spoken to him already So even he did not think about making it as a pan indian movie. It's um Rocky bye. Yes, I think he came up with the idea that this is brilliant and we need to So that's how once the content was ready once the product was ready. That's when the distributors produced Yeah, so I like he rightly said you should not start out with telling that let's do a pan indian movie First have your content right finish it then you sit and watch with the theme and you now you think that will this run Throughout the indian audience Yeah, so it is about the fountain and the way you make it. So rather than starting out, let's do pan indian Let's do always content first. Yes Yes Yeah It's not I agree I've done I've done films where I have to talk a lot like I'm a talkative person And what happens is this order in each language different the content might be the same And your brain kind of processes it in one particular order, which might be even english from somebody like me And there's a tumble order and they're called cut and they'd be like, oh now, you know, whatever And that order legion get jumbled and it's just harrowing it's insane at the end of it And you were so mechanical in somewhere right one of the languages constantly taking a hit in every take Right You know because like languages have their own power also, right? Yes A line like in hindi, I would say that If you love me, you'll die. But in telugu there the word that they use for marjagi is chastav, which is more powerful So when you're emoting you're emoting the line in a different way. Yes At the same time they're the same But uh, it's it's so unique Oh, I did it better in hindi and then telugu some and then I'll do telugu and it just flowed Because I wasn't thinking about what I'm saying or about how I'm saying it So there are very very different films and I feel like magic happens only once in certain scenes if it's an emotional scene If that replicates the magic. Yeah Dubbing itself is Is a replication of that moment where you can never do you can never get it. Just why dubbing is why we hate dubbing You know below an emotional scene and then until they finish dubbing that emotion doesn't leave me Only when I finish it it goes off Still inside you Yeah One thing is I actually want to ask everyone over here do y'all feel post Is it only consumer behavior that has changed that means the audience coming to theater? Or do you think it's also the economy at large to The economy at large is a part of that. Oh, yeah, theatrical worldwide is diminishing. Yeah, it's it's both. It's both Rattling in india and hollywood is You know, you're honest way out. So I mean you have to keep that in mind the same thing It's the it's what has happened in those two years and more for many Where they they their consumption pattern was totally different They they sat and got used to watching content on their mobile phones on their televisions either cable tv or the streaming platforms They started calibrating their head in that. Yeah, it's like why people don't Why people aren't there is an economy kick in jobs or having a hard time finding people to work They've changed the way they work In a group Many people do the mathematics in their house and they said we can probably say Watch two watch three films in a year with the result and we also have this Backup of watching content at home. So why should we go and watch a film that is not a spectacle that I can enjoy at home Especially if you don't love it How do you explain the success of suppose like a love today? In wc this word the 20 year old has more power today. Yeah, we have to beg for money Now kids have a lot of money in their hand and they are choosing what they want to watch And they are ready to go and watch a four o'clock show earlier four o'clock shows used to be one or two shows in Tamil Nadu Now there are a hundred and twenty two hundred shows in four o'clock You know they also I know in Hindi cinema the seat prices The ticket rates change based on where you're sitting. Oh, wow Like like in a theater for an actual play Yeah, you can spend less for more seats So the way the marketing goes in the other languages in these Our pna costs aren't just they are huge And they are pointless at times By going on reality shows and visiting balls and getting wow It is a religion Oh One of the many reasons I'm not active like I used to be on social media I'm like I'm always being bombarded by my team being like That these guys like you know, I want to be that Just they turn like go do my work Hello, Instagram game is here, sir is here Because in every interview I listen everybody says his name that it's But you're like this is No, I just started using Instagram What is this is the Instagram game I've got game in life probably She refused me like 16, 19 I feel Instagram Generally social media in terms of I don't think as a civilization We have figured out how the algorithms are affecting us like everything that I know Like the other day I was looking for uh, it's terrifying I love it. My wife about it the next day. I have Instagram You bet you did We had something happen yesterday that's just straight up terrifying No, but what I do is I Follow people who who I fundamentally disagree with politically or otherwise Because otherwise I don't know what's happening on the ground Because And not all of them are unreasonable Not, you know I just want to put this open like like now this big narrative has become certain films are You know hindutva versus the non hindutva brigade and even in film like uh rr rr For instance, a lot of people, you know, you know, we're attacking it for these reasons So so the thing is shoes on your eyes kind of change the narrative a bit about certain Like like films about how they're viewed and or is that just like a bunch of like article right there's two kind There's a filmmaker who actually believes in something And if he puts his belief on there's an honest film there, right, right the problem is opportunists Who think this is a wave and if we jump on that wave, right? Then then what happens is like exactly funding will get back. It's waves to the powers to be able to do that Those are the problems, right? Those are the problems, right? It is not there's some films that actually come from a belief system like my my a theater teacher Was a staunch, uh, so and so Right, right But he never imposed anything on anyone At one side I started doing theater with a group which was extremely left which was I'm going to do it. He was a staunch. So I'm sorry I'm going everywhere and you're impressionable. So one day you're a Leftist second-year capitalist third day You believe in anything and every ideology look like oh my god. Why died little children like oh my god? Right, you know we were like that so problem is not there problem is not if you really believe in something We're putting it out there problem is most of these opportunists. They use it and they The way they use it that it becomes a propaganda Exactly Right. So the point is that some people say that the diminishing ticket says especially in Bollywood Like like this this opposing point saying that Bollywood used to left Are leaning and which is which is not true A lot of it is just ridiculous and it is just theories and conspiracy theories Keep happening and going on People want to watch your film. They're going to watch it. Nobody's targeting Bollywood Because if that was true, then why would April open to 35? Yeah, like nobody is being so like I'm not for this person. I'm Bollywood. I'm anti-bollywood And I mean I see these trends and the Bollywood bashing. I'm like there's nothing we make great films They will do phenomenal business. Yeah, you don't make a good film Unless you're lousy chata We used to have there was time where they were like On the riding on a superstar. We'll watch even a substandard film. That's not gonna happen Even a superstar has to deliver a super product No, that's because I think the cost of going and watching the film not only money in terms of time Like whether the traffic to make sure you get to the theater pay the parking guy It's like it it is a task. It is not it is not going in unless you heard great What amount is a huge truth and first trailer Unless you are sure that film is very good people are not gonna go or something they've been waiting for Because of the Probably you watch Hollywood cinema or you watch like their shows and stuff So you have to watch your favorite shows on amazon and other streaming channels But I'm saying They are to definitely Nature really but I'm like how is the film? If you're not good people are gonna see it like he said The thing is that everybody has become a box of the site Yeah, it's like all that matters is the box Why is it doing well here? Why is it not doing that single screen multiplex you just get this information as a filmmaker You can be under an MRI if you listen to all the but all things do well on OTT You know your numbers are a big part of your life, right? That's like, I mean yes one part of your life says I want to make good movies Whatever however we define good But there is another part of your life that is very dependent on the numbers You have to look at them It's not a project. It's a film. So when you approach it as a good film And then you the focus is more on delivering the film, right? No from the process. You say yes until it comes to the end of the so much happening between it No, there's like Satyaj sir pointed out saying at every point there's an effort to spoil that story You know At every point a new actor comes in or on an ad or maybe a sound guy or maybe a camera anybody could just Take it away from that vision. So it's so important to deliver it as a film that you imagine And you want to tell the numbers rather focus on giving the good product. Are you satisfied with it? But when you're making something like one incident which is like a big number project from the beginning Isn't there a bit of fear? I mean I'm not not talking about you but with mine that comes with every secret the whole the whole team they come You know like everybody because you're trying to do something and it's a big number Similarly brahmasri, like it's you're trying to do something Like you're investing a lot in that particular move Isn't the a number going to be so again the conviction on the story that you have that's the key word Now how much the story inspires you to do it? How can they go and take a kgf and make it so big because Yash believed in it. He said this is going to be a big like that You know when you make a film, you know you are inside the film You're taking that scene. You know here I clap when I listen to the narration You know this when it comes out like this is going to be great, right? You know at the work and the time a team and an artist has given You know, I heard it when I was a posting the event and I Austin Butler dedicated three years of his life to Elvis. I saw that It was worth it. He didn't know it at the time So he's put on 22 kgs and he's carrying that weight He couldn't come to this Because you know, like he said, I'm just so exhausted working on this Before kgf one Yash had Yash was in Bombay Before the film had come out No, no it wasn't Bombay His belief in faith because he has come to my office also and met me Saying you have to see this film because Excel went and picked up the film Miley and released it But that conviction that he had was right from the beginning before it came out But the thing is we talk about success stories There was one called Arik Lohan Three years we sat on the film like what she said I had given three years and all of us gave that time So again, you can have to come back with the satisfaction of giving something good You keep worrying about the numbers and the result of the film. You can't live through it You have to enjoy the process It's always the thing, yeah It's not the filming Spielberg has had to wait years on projects We had done theater by then but we we hadn't done a film and nobody believed in us at all And now that I think of it, it's it was a question of four four and a half crore rupees But still we couldn't get it together But once it started the kind of work that we could do in those years the kind of pre-production that we did it all showed in the film and I think that is why you know A few people liked it Brahma sir taken so much time Every time I could think of the film I could think of the act of it the producer behind it Ten years But again, not necessarily because you've taken five years the movie has to be hit Yeah, I mean the same thing Yeah, but I think it's a cobra. I mean we also give three years there But audience did not take it the way we expected. Yeah, it doesn't mean we did not we did not passionately work on it Maverick But I think it's because Cruz never got a story he believed in period a film which is made with conviction. Yep, that's why maverick works It can also fail, but a film without conviction can't succeed. That's not possible. I think that is one Also, I think filmmaker has a voice, right? Yeah, and you know to Go and suddenly follow the norm or follow the narrative of that moment and go away from your core voice and conviction It's gonna show up I think one like what current said like like earlier, maybe we used to have a forgiving audience Where they'd say nothing more, you know, so I'll watch anything Mr. Bachchan's films there was some that were possibly not to the standard of what he's created But they were phenomenal successes because they went in to watch amita bachchan no matter what Yes, it was also a single screen world. There wasn't these multiplexes So it's just pure data tells you that Agni path released in 1990 Was given the status of a flop film I had more footfalls than the update was released in 2011, which was called a hate film But the the flop film had bigger numbers Of course walking in yeah, it is just that the numbers picket picket prices multiplexes gives you the status of a hit That was considered a flop, right? So going back to another point that uh, hey month raised, you know Everybody keeps talking about how OTT has taken away the sheen of the theater But the penetration of OTT is really that much OTT platforms are definitely not coming in the way of theatrical business In fact, I would go as far as saying that the existence of OTT platforms means the empowerment of writers Yes means the empowerment of more creatives, and I think cinema can only benefit. I agree. There is no loss of audience I agree There's yes, perhaps an uppercrust loss which will never contribute into a very high number So I feel like that narrative is incorrect Like although OTT will know the real audience that is actually we may be using out to is the is the cable television audience Is that is the satellite audience? They? Yes, I can say our feeling here, but I will wait five months. We'll see no network television is the place That's getting hurt by OTT. Yeah, you know spend it on more important things than watch a feature film That is the loss not to OTT Yeah, it's a beautiful place when you can't get to a film for whatever reason you'll get to see it on OTT It's been given us one more one more revenue stream. I always do this work Otherwise we we have our theatrical in Kerala. Maybe the Middle East and a satellite number now We've got one more which is really helping us be a little braver in our choices or tell a little slightly larger story or tell most Whatever it is No, and I believe that the theatrical infrastructure at least in Maharashtra is in that grade except for Pune Mumbai The number of theaters available. It's it's quite disappointing to say the least Which is it is great in the southern part of India But in Maharashtra, it's not that great. So I believe OTT and cable television plays a huge part And one of the factors also is that Most of these actors are available on all formats. You can see them in in plays You can see them in movies and you can see them on television So telling a film becomes even more difficult after a point of time because I'm not getting the point. Most of the actors are in plays and they they are in plays as well So you can see a very good actor. That's a very small audience right a theater or actually theater is doing very well It has always been the key thing. Yeah, it has and there are that's encouraging seven or eight plays that are I mean, there are 17 or 18 more plays that are doing The rounds in Maharashtra right now and seven eight of them are super hits So, I mean one show might just get you four or five five lakh rupees for the producer, which is a very good number So, um, but so that's the thing that in um, Marathi plays that I mean, you can see an actor in a Marathi play You can see him in a Marathi. He does television also and he does films also So, yeah, that is interesting But the flip side is also the fact that they are too accessible So you really have to make they're gonna draw the audience Draw I don't think other than Nagraj or maybe Anana. We have a star star per se The star system is dying anyway Around the world People just want good content Because there are people who don't know you But those people have also started watching And I think it's also because the dub versions of the you can see your film I don't know about like let's say Kaidi for instance. Is it available in hindi? Replace all dubbing with some titles on youtube on youtube youtube is huge Because I I was speaking to uh bush khan guy three because the bigger weather was was a success in Tamil But not so much in in uh in hindi and they said one of the reasons was because a dubbed version was Already available And the hindi film is a super film It's I absolutely think it's going to do phenomenal business Disham to in hindi, but there is no hindi dub available And therefore people the back the brand value of Disham is so strong through satellite that That is the logic for that opening and the film is good Disham was remade in china as a film and it did 200 million dollars Disham as as a chinese film because it's a good story It's a good story Yeah, it's a good story Your attention that's the brilliance of that writing there's a very focused element to it in the sense that as an audience Which is why I love it because you want the family to succeed in covering up this True it's like it's like rooting for jaymean sursi Antagonist is made so bad that you know you that's what happened now more and more also like the end of it I'm burning them alive, but people are cheering Everybody is in this what if this happens to me is that you When this guy is actually evil. Yeah, and if me and my family exposed I would do that Yes universal truth In the world Emotionally if you take a husband wife story if you do it right the histories, you know I will tell you that they've been only hit films on those genres But but tell me uh karan and I I mean all of you are you may choose not to answer this question if you don't want to But but let's take the bond between friends. Yeah, these are very resonant emotions. Yeah, but uchai has not really Like like kind of performed the way does it have a good story What uchai actually could have been given the climate and what it has achieved I'm just saying let's look at it as a plan like I told you the new 70 karan club is now 30 This is the film that has suffered Because this is the film that would have liked the pink Like like like tiku like kapoor and sun's nirja Uchai was falling very beautifully into that bracket This film has suffered because this is the film that people like this type of this type of film Which is emotional bonding human drama slice of life a combination of all That is the reason why isn't there a contradiction there because you're at one hand you're saying if the emotional is right Then no but that that is like emotion has to be backed by a certain kind of packaging also Okay, like emotion like you and I are just talking to each other emotionally at home Nobody Emotion has to be resonant in a way like for example kabeer Singh had so many Um You know polarizing views But it was made with that music with that abandon with that scale. It was given that that's why and that's good performances And there were women and men who criticized it But obviously the numbers were so large because it was made like that It's how you do even that connective emotion right of a of misogyny perhaps You know, which is like what it's not that misogyny should ever be connected But at the end of the day there are men who is like, I'm like this You know and uh, I want to watch because because he's an ashik That's how they were looking at it not seeing the underlying kind of layers of misogyny But that's why it kind of worked in the numbers. It's not possible to do the number other And I I would say not misogyny part But like when you talk about the scale part sita Ramam is is another example because On the one hand, it's just a lot of story But at the same time the weight was mounted the way the letters came into play the the emotion of Like of a of a man and a woman being in love but but with that little twist of letters and with that Other twist that we were very all about it. I was so glad that it's such a big hit because it reminded me of like What just uncle as in yash Chopra would have done with a story? I mean it gave me that feeling and I'm so glad it went like that. That's cool, right? Again, I mean I the all uh Like softener the producer They had the conviction to mountain like this Where is I And I come from Mariala mood. I'm always little confused. I'm a producer. So I'm always a little conservative as to You know, I'll be worrying if we break a skit and I'm like, what about interest cost? Like my brain works like that and uh, you know, they'll be like, oh, we're shooting this song in Okay, we're gonna, you know, kashmi or we're gonna spitty and It just kept getting bigger and bigger. I'm like at the core of it. It's still a love story, right? And I remember actually we had a conversation once and you were like, you know, that genre is dead Yeah, you know, people don't come to the cinemas too much. So in my head. I'm like, wow, they're showing so much conviction in this genre, which At least statistically prove it was to say Yeah, exactly In some That's a cinema that actually made me. So I'm like, oh, yeah So, so all you know all props to them for having that conviction When the narrative to view wilker was it like Because when the story narration comes did they already have a scale narration as well? Like as in No, like I heard it first in 19 It also evolved over the past two years a lot of the the new twist that all came into play later But I always saw it like that. We saw it as period and this, you know, royalty and army and kashmi I saw the big I saw all of that. I mean for me anything is big come on me where I come from This kind of a story itself seems big. So I'm like, wow, I'd love to be a part of this world How they gonna mount but I'm also banking on the team that made mahanati Which also for me was a large film like a big canvas and they were again betting blindly Into that subject matter and and a group of youngsters who I mean Who probably weren't even exposed to south rigado in her in her prime But they they picked up a subject like that And was so passionate about it and and they bankrolled it and pushed, you know to make and make tell that story Over so much time and over so much set to work all the stuff Whereas I growing up, uh, you know, when I was young you we would see these kind of epic period films in all of our industries And then kind of the the business changed so much Especially in malayalam that you could never imagine mounting a period film, right? It's the thing that happened with laghan actually It's like everyone thought amir and ashutosh were mad because they were making a film period firstly was like a bad word It was like he did no meaning clock thing like it was not It's about some angres and the heroes in a dhoti. That was the other one Like, you know and it is about like cricket and some angres and it is how some village Like everyone thought like what the hell is he making? Yeah, it's literally what the hell is he making? 3 hours 40 minutes Yeah, and it was I mean like literally that's like the longest You're going to be a commodity I think the longest big film ever in the history. I know sometimes if you're 32 Eight minutes more At that point in time it broke all the myths like they were saying like it broke every myth Like it was a period film the hero was like the film was too long I kept sitting I hero dhoti mein kisi bil chalighi hain So stupid it was like all these things that we make in our head like we're told like, you know Titles are unlucky and all that nonsense you have to hear, you know, and it's you don't release in shraad yeh ho jayega Like, you know now if you can't find a release date because there's Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hollywood I'm sitting here, but we can't come with anyone because everyone is in opposition One thing that you mentioned about The key word that we keep returning to I think is conviction because ashutosh and amir had that That that conviction and every single person thought they were mad And the direction of the conviction they converted cinema halls into studios That's when I was in lockdown, I was Of course you watched it a while ago you forget I don't know also how they gather the people together and all that There's so much of you and then I'm telling you right before the last match That's why most of the films that have really worked, I hope that they don't listen to any of them. So with the, like Shireethi just mentioned Kobra, which is like, and Pooja, you've been in a bunch of films across languages. Hirvan's always managed to cross languages. So this is for, you know, and Dulkas managed that. Varun and Karthi, now, like, do you see yourself in a Tamil film or do you see yourself in a Hindi film? He died. He died. He went to Hyderabad or Chennai and lived there. Dying, like jumping. You already mentioned his interest in Tamil. See, you know, we released Bheedia in Telugu and Tamil in Telugu, it's called Todelu. So it was released by Geetha Arts. So even at the launch, they said you're more like a South Indian hero than a North Indian hero because of how you take your energy levels and the way you want to. The kind of films you do. Yeah, the kind of films you do. And obviously that comes with, comes with the clarity of who's son I am. But I would love to because I've never seen the distinction. My household I've grown up with my father in the morning showing me Tamil Telugu. No, no, no. Not that you see the distinction. But is it like with opportunity? Yeah. He's a producer and he's a producer. I don't produce films. My family produces. The family's making films and they give us up to them. See, see. See, see. I don't know if we can afford you. I think you can take Tukka and afford you. Why can't you afford me? You can take tricks on Dhulkar and how to crack the industry. No, I would love... Honestly, if given the opportunity, I would love to... There are certain filmmakers that I think are brilliant. Like, they are on my bucket list to work with. And I know it will happen. It will happen. I don't know how. But it's a plan and it will happen. No, I have had the chance to cross over to Telugu. Hey, Hindi, I think, very beginning. A man called me and said, I wanted to play a cop. And I said, I want to play with Dhulkar also. And we almost grained that big switch. At what stage was Dhulkar? At what stage was Dhulkar? At the beginning. I was writing for money, sir. He was... He was 80 there. And him and my brother were very close friends. No, but you know, having said that KGF2 has Gravina Tundar and Sanjay Dhadri. So, I think... At least... So, I don't know, what about the films of independent filmmakers? So, what is the... Like he said, 17 becomes a 30. What is that figure looking like? Is there... There is a medium scale film that is now only going to make money when they go on OTT. That's kind of... And what is a medium scale film? Medium scale kind of a thriller or something like that, generally. You have to either surprise people or you have to overwhelm them. I'm saying... Only they are there to help me. No, I'm not. No, I am surprised. Independent films have really... Right now, they are the low-key independent films. They are the ones who are having a tough time. Because they are not finding space either on OTT or in cinemas. Right. So, what's the OTT situation like for... At least cinema and extension, I would say regional cinema. I feel like I've been giving you only negative things about... Actually, what you've been saying has been a real eye-opener. But again, it's not so good. Sorry, even my film is not out on OTT till now. It's a GEO. They have produced it, so I hope it'll get something. Why don't we sell your OTT right now? Just give us something to sell. Just give us something to sell. Yeah, of course. He said it's the best film of the year according to him. I think it was just... I would credit Badi with absolutely great taste in cinema. No, thank you. Because it's music and it's very hard to make a bio-pick about a musician. And they managed that. I thought... Congratulations. I hope everyone... Everyone go watch it. Any streaming processing to this knows that this needs to be widely used. No, but what is the problem is that people don't pick up... Yeah, I mean, since it does not have that great a footfall in the theatres, maybe that's why the OTT owners or managers, they feel that maybe they're not going to generate the numbers on them as well. But first, a lot of people have not had. But this is also... There's an amazing number of good independent films out there that are not finding any kind of a release and a platform at the moment. I get saved because I'm a genre filmmaker. I'm still genre. I get saved by OTT. Because my films succeed only four years after release. No, but you have a brand name, right? So your people say, okay, Anurag Kashyap is still a name. Because of the quality. There are many others who... I know lots of films that... Because a lot of people like to say this, oh, nobody makes good films anymore. Oh, nobody does that kind of film anymore. And they make it sound like they want to patronize a particular kind of cinema. But the first thing they look for on OTT is the big films. That's pretty much what they do. Absolutely. The way I've seen it. Do you agree with that? Absolutely. Yeah. So how do we kind of make sure that films like, say, Rima Das's or Nipun's get... Does she have a new film? Rima Das? ...to get being seen out. I think Rima's is on Netflix. But the other films. And get publicity now for them to say, at least give me some of the chance. Sometimes I think it's as simple as not getting a meeting. I think it's sometimes, all it takes is that connection. It's like X calling for Y and making it happen. Sometimes that's just what it is in the industry. I realize relationship building, networking, getting... That's what it's always been. Relationships. It's number one. Always has been. I'm showing it to them and saying that, look, there will be a wide audience. You don't have to actually publicize it, because a word of mouth will go for itself. All you have to build is a digital campaign. It just takes that one meeting that perhaps hasn't been made possible for you. You know? You know? On your own side, it's like... At the end of the day, it's sometimes it's just that. And I'm just... I'm gonna have a chat with them and I'll ask them why. Because if this is such a celebrated, wonderful film, then they should be on the Netflix. I'm a hot star. So I think there's one way out which is what the youngsters are doing these days. Okay. Is YouTube. They literally know how to exploit YouTube. Which we don't know. Who knows? The youngsters. They're making these short films in places like Aligarh and small towns. And through YouTube earlier, they would make their own DVDs and sell it door to door. Right. Now they are putting it on YouTube and spreading the word within the region. And TikTok. They have that small culture. Not in India. Not in India. It is a straight-to-video movie. I am five months away from putting out on YouTube, but I have to do it under an anonymous account. It's not with me, the film, of course. So, I mean, of course, I'm a studio. It's with a studio. I believe that's how Smile got picked up. Smile was a short film. That was just the concept. And the right person saw it and turned it into a feature. What is it? No, I'm making a countdown. And you never know. If people love it, it can go wider. I started out wanting to tell a story. So, I want to tell that story as well as I can. All of us. The whole team. So, I've always believed that film, cinema is an amalgamation of everybody's collective brilliance. At the same time, everybody's incompetence as well. As long as you can maintain... Well said. Well said. As long as the brilliance exceeds the incompetence, you've got a winner. The idea is to do that first and then see where it can go further. That was great. Where are you at? I'm making films. I only know how to make films. So, I'm making films. You are in an unusual happy place. I'm in that place where I'm still in that position of being a successful filmmaker who awaits me. So, I'll continue making films. My form will begin only if success comes to me. I'm awaiting PS2 next year. Same. We've already finished shooting. So, that's something expecting. And then we started shooting in Japan. That's when Rajamurban was a great writer. So, he's been having a huge following as a writer for his articles and for his books. And then Ravi Verma is shooting it. So, it's been very exciting. Just be finished. I'm doing a wacky guy. It's a very different structure. Yeah, the poster itself looked a little... So, a very good experience for me to explore something different. Very unusual subjects. Right from the beginning. Right from his first film onwards. Right. And within the mainstream. Yeah. That's a big question for me. He's not an art guy. So, I don't have the intelligence to do art films as well. He's not an art guy. He won't act in your film. No, I don't think I'm an art filmmaker. He's very commercial. I'm commercial in that way. Yeah, in his genre. I'm very new, pretty new to the field. But keeping the actor in me aside and just like an audience, how we all discussed that we were lacking the macho and all those movies. But along with that, I feel I also resonate. Sorry to get this. Rishabh had mentioned in some of the interviews that local is national. And when I say local, I really want to wait for the movies that are deep-rooted like Kanthara. And Kanthara is just one part of the whole Karnataka. There's not Karnataka. There's Kurg and so many. And there's so many stories to be told. And I really hope that all the makers here get all those stories out for me and for all of us audience to sit there and watch. Local is global for the longest time. Yeah, so local. I don't know, I think when you have a good deal you're even more afraid. So I'm really like, you know, what is better for it right now. Right. This is a very interesting place for you. Yeah, so I'm like, literally better than every choice I'm going to make. Right. I'm weighing every decision I've kind of taken for the weighing it out with other options. And yeah, so I want to hopefully keep the momentum going and keep doing good work irrespective of which industry. But presently I'm doing King of Pata, which is like a really out of action. Right, right. So I've got Bawal coming up next with Nitish Tiwari, which I have finished filming. I've actually shot three films. Sir, how did you got circus before that? Circus is helping. Oh, sure. I'm promoting circus. I'm like, why would this have to be something to say? I've heard you say circus so many times. I'm just thinking that Ranveer's movie is actually obvious. I think, see, honestly... But Ranveer will come to you to sell all of his films. See, I love films. So just being here as a cinema lover and whether it's north, south, east, west, wherever, I'm all for it. And if I do have a certain name or a certain following, I'll always put it to put films. So basically, like when people are not good with an Instagram game but they want to sell a film, come to you. That's that. This is good. I really feel like it's... I think from this interview, it's really heartbreaking to hear a filmmaker saying that, you know, my film has not got a platform where it can be seen by so many and then you're saying it's so good. So I genuinely feel the biggest outcome of this interview should be that we... If so many collective... We should get this film on to a platform. Because it's a good film and we have to encourage the artists. So that's what we all claim to be. Well, I feel like... I'm at a very interesting stage in my career right now in terms of the steps that I take. Next is going to define me as who I am as an actor, right? Because I've done a certain kind of films. And now what I do will either solidify who I am or change my perception. So I think for me, the way I look at it would funny enough for what Dhulkar was saying is about being scared. I think somewhere it's inherently there in us as actors. But I think for me right now what's motivating me is I just want to be inspired going on set. I just want to work with good filmmakers and make a project that we all feel so passionate about. That's my number one goal. I don't know if it's going to work, not work, who's going to watch it. So I think that's what I'm aiming for. Just making something that's unapologetically me and that I'm really proud of. Let me tell you this. I think yours is one of the stories that are going to keep inspiring people because you had your debut in a certain industry, didn't do well, waited a long time. Another big movie came across, didn't do well, waited a long time. Suddenly things started falling into place. So it was like people in the film industry always keep waiting for these stories to kind of keep them going, right? I'm so glad that you say that. It comes from a very non-filmy family. If you just work hard, my journey hasn't been something like I started that one film and then it just took off. It's been a constant process. People ask me about the choice of films and I'm like that was what was offered to me. I took what I got and I made something out of it because you have to hustle. I hope that someone else watching that would relate to me and that's great. Thank you, you made my day. Karan, are you going to sell Rocky now? No, no, no. I'm just very happy and very grateful for the success of Coffee with Karan. I just feel like all his films will be a great backup plan. I was very nervous before it released because I felt like this was my strong future and I'm really happy. Anyway, jokes aside, it's been a turbulent ride this year for many filmmakers but it's also been a wake-up call and I think as someone who has a studio head if I'm not taking heat to that wake-up call then I'll be stupid because delusion is a disease without any vaccination in our industry and I don't want to be deluded neither to the success or the failure of my films. So I just want to keep learning and this like today has been a learning. Every film that I've watched in the last couple of years has been a learning. Box Office has been a learning. The core conviction that is lacking has been something that I've learned and I just want to say and you did mention Rocky Rani and why not, it's the time to plug ourselves. That is the film that I made with only conviction because I was like, if I think of like logic or like sensibility, am I saying anything profound or I'm going to just have fun with leading actors that I love I'll just make that film. So I just hope that that conviction comes across and then just I just want to continue telling stories. I think I just want to think about things that are in my control which I believe is making a film. I'm proud of the film that I made right now and I'm not proud of everything that I've made but I am proud of the film that I made right now and I love that feeling and I just want to work towards feeling that with every film that I made. So yeah, I think my focus will be more on making films that I believe in and not thinking where it is going to go what will happen with this film. I just want to keep telling stories. I know I can't sell stories but I can at least tell them. Right, so thanks everyone for being part of this and having this... I think newspapers like to call it a free-willing chat like a free-willing chat with Dhulkar free-willing chat with Karthi Anurag whatever but it's been great having all of you and even particularly I really like your philosophical side. It was actually a lead-off from what he said where he said that when an actor comes in the film I think he said it changes. Yeah, every stage. Every stage. So when I write the film for me, it's purest and it's great when it's on paper. Every step of the way, it's like... Yeah, because that's the very feeling but it's the best feeling ever. Yeah, it's what... That's how I wrote my film. But it's very scary and it challenges me when you jump it. Thanks for calling us back. Thank you for the word of the year I think conviction. That I think is what we're taking on this. Properly placed, it's a good word, yeah. Thank you. Alright, it doesn't get more illustrious and terrific than this, we just finished the mega round table for Galata Plus. He's got a host. Thanks everyone for being here. And individually there's more talent and combined there's more talent in this room than there is in the whole... He can't turn it off. I love him. I think people are going to like that. He just can't turn it off, man. He can't turn it off. He shouldn't. I was pretty enlightening. It's great, wonderful round table. This one obviously was difficult because the other one was more south focused and currently those industries have been doing quite well especially with bigger budget films and this being a more Hindi-centric even though it wasn't all Hindi obviously they were talking about very topical things a bunch of films just not doing well and what are we going to do and I love the fact that they're all talking about conviction. Make what you want, make good content but have conviction about it and then you make a bunch of money. Exactly. Have the conviction in the proper place and the difference is really small. Are you interested in more what is your conviction directed at? Telling stories or selling stories? Because if it's in telling stories you're going to be more interested in the creative output you're going to be more interested in your vision and your passion versus the end of the day box office receipts and what my budget's going to be like and we've talked about it over and over again ad nauseam but it's so antithetical it's a creative process to be thinking about the box office even though it is a business in the same way it would be antithetical to have somebody with their wife about to make love and their primary thought is how many years down the road will this kid bring money to me so I can live off of them when I'm older it's like is that really the focus of your creative output is how much money am I going to get out of this? It's going to fail if you if PS1 money was like this is going to be a huge hit and we're going to make a lot of money and he didn't care about his story or his filmmaking it wouldn't have done well because people don't have time to go see bad cinema now No, I'll give you an example Yeah, it's outlandish but you know why Avatar 2 has such a high budget because James Cameron wanted to tell the story he wants to tell it has to be one of the biggest box office successes in cinema history to break even it's probably going to do it but there were no freaking guarantees that thing could have become the biggest box office bomb of all time Word of mouth is good right now but I think the reason that the word of mouth is great is because Cameron has a vision and he's sticking to it whether you like him or not or disagree with him or not he's going to make the film he wants to make Yeah, a lot of good stuff was said in there Yeah, great round table on your ag about you know if you have, I think you used the word conviction again you can make whatever story you want about whatever subject you want but you have to believe in that story or else it becomes like propaganda or different kind of stuff like that and you can make high budget films and big action films you can have conviction about that big action film and what it is and it can be successful you can also have conviction about a really small intimate film and it'd be successful it just needs to be good even though I do disagree that people don't always support good cinema No, either, it's true There's always a risk Gargi, brilliant film this year from Tamil industry, didn't do well But cinema lovers who love film and love the art form one of the challenges India has and they talked about it is the fact that on the one hand you do want to have a pan American audience, right? You want the whole world to see your film like an RRR simultaneously understandably whatever particular part of India you come from you want to do what both ladies were saying you want that you want to see films about you and your people How many times have we watched a film where we knew we weren't capturing the cultural idiosyncrasities that were going to be what make people love it from that particular part of India but we still appreciated the film because it was a good film and I think that's the key is that you can tell the stories you want to tell and just make them good stories and because they're usually connected to universal truth people are going to be interested It's when you start trying to follow a formula or things that work in a way that KGF even though we didn't like KGF 2 it did incredibly insanely well better than every film if you try to make a film now I'm going to make the next KGF and it's going to make so much money you're going to fail It's one of the reasons why I'm flabbergasted, frustrated but at the same time interested in the vision to make the sequel to Joker a musical the thing I love about that is it's so outside the box yeah you never know just have conviction about your films and make it and then the audiences will be the ones to decide whether they want to make your film India is so interesting and unique as opposed to Hollywood because of their different languages it's a whole other animal they have so many different variables that Hollywood just doesn't have it's such a unique thing I love listening to all the filmmakers so much wisdom there because he's such a producer and he knows so much he's a bigger producer than everybody else anybody in the room he has such knowledge even though he's such like a different filmmaker than like Ananya Agar that Marathi director next to him he just has such a wealth of knowledge just because he's been around so long and he knows what works and he's so self aware he just does see this film because I'm expecting it to be this over-the-top romance film but I mean those can be awesome if you have conviction about it I bet it's going to be really good because it could be over-the-top and outlandish like all of his films but all of his films have heart they do and that's what you look for so that's great anyways fantastic fantastic and that's the end of Corbett's day