00:00I wanted to do comedy for a long time, but I couldn't find a subject.
00:05Because comedy is not easy to do.
00:09Every film has to be a commercial.
00:12Because it takes a lot of money to make a film.
00:16What do the young people of the city have to do?
00:20They have to go out.
00:22They want to have a much better lifestyle.
00:24They must earn more.
00:26All these are part of our cinema today.
00:30The things that have gone on television, will remain there.
00:35There is no need to repeat it in the film.
00:38Because you need a fresh experience.
00:46The director who has always been away from the league, Shyam Benegal,
00:51is with us today, whose film, Welcome to Sajjanpur,
00:54will be released in a few days.
00:58Let's talk to him.
01:00Welcome to Lehren.
01:03Your film, Welcome to Sajjanpur, is being praised by the audience.
01:11What do you have to say?
01:12I am very happy.
01:14The critics and the audience like the film.
01:20Obviously, I will be happy.
01:24If we talk about Sajjanpur,
01:28where is this place, Sajjanpur?
01:33Is it real or not?
01:35It is fictional.
01:37But I have heard,
01:39that there is a village called Sajjanpur.
01:45It is real.
01:47And it is close to Satna.
01:51But we did not think,
01:53because any name in India,
01:57will be the name of a village.
02:00When our writer wrote it,
02:03we did not think,
02:05that there will be a village called Sajjanpur.
02:08But in that area,
02:10where our subject is,
02:17the location is of that area.
02:20Bundelkhand, Bagalkhand area.
02:22Bandhavgarh, Satna, Panna, that area.
02:27Your film, Welcome to Sajjanpur,
02:29has been selected for the London Film Festival.
02:32What do you have to say?
02:33It is a good thing.
02:35London Film Festival is a festival of festivals.
02:42Because this festival comes towards the end of the year.
02:46So the world's most famous festivals,
02:49their best pictures,
02:51you will get to see in London Film Festival.
02:54Because the cream of other festivals,
02:57people see here.
03:00So in the world cinema section,
03:02this film has been selected.
03:06So it means,
03:08they have liked the film.
03:10So I am very happy again.
03:13Sir, if we talk about this film,
03:16as soon as your name comes to mind,
03:18we think of mainstream cinemas,
03:20some serious films.
03:21But you entered comedy.
03:23Why? What was it like?
03:26I always wanted to do comedy.
03:29But I was not getting the subject.
03:31Because comedy is not easy to do.
03:35More difficult.
03:37Serious films are easier to do.
03:40Melodrama, tragedy,
03:43such things are easy to make.
03:46There is nothing difficult about it.
03:48Because emotional strength,
03:52bringing it to the film is not a big deal.
03:55But comedy,
03:59making people laugh,
04:01and through that,
04:04showing something,
04:06explaining,
04:07those are very difficult things.
04:09But the partner,
04:11or any other comedy film,
04:14and now Welcome to Sajjanpur,
04:16through this you are getting some message.
04:18Do you think there is a difference in these two films?
04:21There can be many types of comedy.
04:24One type is slapstick comedy.
04:28Slapstick comedy and circus type comedy.
04:33That is buffoon comedy.
04:37That is one type of comedy.
04:39Second type of comedy is situational comedy.
04:44Coincidences comedy.
04:48Comedy of manners.
04:51Social comedies.
04:54Verbal comedies.
04:57Comedy through dialogue.
05:04That is another type of comedy.
05:06These are all different kinds of comedy.
05:09You can do it all together.
05:11Or individually you can deal with them.
05:14But basically,
05:16it needs human feelings.
05:19Any type of comedy.
05:21If you can bring human feelings,
05:23people will definitely like it.
05:25Can we say that Shyam sir,
05:28has entered into commercial cinema?
05:32It's not like that.
05:33Every film has to be commercial.
05:36Because it takes a lot of money to make a film.
05:40Very expensive to make a film.
05:42If you make a film,
05:44you have to cover the expenses.
05:47You have to make some profit.
05:49You have to cover the interest.
05:51Naturally, every film has to run.
05:54If it doesn't run, it will be a loss.
05:59Naturally, every film has to cover the cost.
06:07If you do it,
06:09you can do it as if
06:11you don't have any interest in the audience.
06:15If you make a film like that,
06:17what will be the benefit?
06:19It's not good.
06:21Because you can only show it to your friends.
06:25Nothing more than that.
06:27If we talk about the mentality of Indian youth,
06:30what kind of films do you think
06:33suit their mentality?
06:36The people who watch it on television,
06:39they don't feel like watching it on a cinema screen.
06:45Because it's a different thing.
06:47So you have to re-do.
06:49Whatever is left from the film on television,
06:52it's left there.
06:54Cinema now has to think of new subjects.
06:58Not what is on television.
07:00Because why should you see what is on television?
07:02It doesn't mean anything.
07:04So naturally, new things are coming.
07:08That's why.
07:10Because whatever is on television,
07:13it will remain there.
07:15You don't have to re-do it.
07:19You need a fresh experience.
07:21Cinema needs a fresh experience.
07:24The new directors who are coming today,
07:27they are doing a good job.
07:29What would you like to say about them?
07:31Who are your favorite directors?
07:33There are a lot of good directors.
07:36Young directors.
07:38My favorite is Nagesh Kuknoor,
07:41Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap,
07:44then this boy Neeraj Pandey,
07:46who made this film, A Wednesday.
07:49And then Gupta, who made Aamir.
07:52I don't remember the name.
07:54Yes, Nishikant Kamat,
07:56who made Mumbai Meri Jaan.
07:58These are wonderful directors.
08:00Very good directors.
08:03Because they are very talented,
08:06sensitive, intelligent directors.
08:18Cinema in India is by and large
08:21aspirational cinema.
08:23We dream of making films
08:28about what we want to be,
08:32what we want to do.
08:35We see the shape of that in films.
08:40What do the young people of the city want to do?
08:44They want to go out.
08:46They want to have a much better lifestyle.
08:49Better lifestyle means they must earn more.
08:53All these are part of our cinema today.
08:58And it's what I call aspirational cinema.
09:03Thank you, sir.
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