IFFI 2019: Jury head Priyadarshan 'not pleased with content'

Break quote: Nowadays anyone can become a filmmaker. Anyone who has access to a camera can shoot a film. In our times, when I started as a filmmaker, it was a very big thing to get behind the camera. One had to work hard to earn that privilege. One had to train for years before being considered fit to be a director,”

Veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan, who heads the jury for Feature Films of Indian Panorama section in the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is not happy with what he has seen in Goa this year. “My jury and I saw 314 films. Out of these only 20 were outright brilliant. The others ranged from mediocre to downright unimpressive. So, yes, I would say I am not pleased with the content,” said is Priyan, as the filmmaker is widely known to fans and colleagues.

He has an explanation for the falling aesthetic quality of our cinema. “Nowadays anyone can become a filmmaker. Anyone who has access to a camera can shoot a film. In our times, when I started as a filmmaker, it was a very big thing to get behind the camera. One had to work hard to earn that privilege. One had to train for years before being considered fit to be a director,” he pointed out.

Priyan feels the lack of preparedness is taking its toll on the quality of Indian films.

“Nowadays one needs no qualification to be a filmmaker. Out of the 314 film I’ve seen in Goa, the 20 films that are absolutely brilliant are all by trained filmmakers,” he said.

This year, the Pryadarshan-led Jury chose debutant filmmaker Abhishek Shah’s National Award-winning Gujarati film Hellaro as the opening feature of Indian Panorama. IANS