Bollywood is all about candy floss flicks, says Yash Chopra

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: Fêted as one of the prominent Bollywood directors, Yash Chopra is a celebrated name in the Indian film fraternity. The man who has given golden hits like ‘Waqt’, ‘Kabhie Kabhie’, ‘Deewar’, ‘Darr’, ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ and ‘Veer Zaara’, is not a happy man these days! The ace Bollywood director feels that people area no longer making films on controversial subjects as various objections and protests stall the movie release. Recently in Delhi to inaugurate a film festival that showcases his 1961 flick, ‘Dharmputra’, Yash Chopra said that Bollywood shirks away from experimental cinema, especially from the themes of social and religious intolerance. Speaking on the mass commercialization and uncalled protests that lead to stalling of releases, Chopra said to a news daily, “Maine ek film banayi thi, ‘Aaja Nachle’. Usmein ek gaana tha, jisme line thi, ‘Bole mochi khud ko sunar’. Folk line hai. Teen states ne picture ban kar di, maafi maangni padi. Mohabbatein mein, there’s a man standing, reading the Gayatri mantra - usne shoes pehne hue hain. Itni parties hain, everybody wants to get political mileage out of it. So people take the safe way, make a film where there’s no controversy. Intolerance itni hai iss age mein, not just in India, everywhere. Nobody’s willing to tolerate anything that goes against their wishes. Nobody wants to sit and discuss anything.” Speaking on the contemporary Indian cinema, Chopra said, “There’s huge money at stake. You can’t fool around with it.” However, when enquired what could be the suitable solution in order to stop anyone from stalling the movie releases, the director added, “Solution toh government ke haath mein hai. Films are a peacetime industry. If there’s too much rain, too many riots, too many strikes, people don’t watch films. Keeping the peace is in the government’s hands.” When quizzed about his next directorial venture, Chopra said, “I will, I can’t find an appropriate subject. I’m a director, not a writer. I’m making a music video on a Sahir Ludhianvi poem on war and how it separates people. I have the copyright to it, I’m going to make a peace video.”