There is need to do away with herd mentality: Amrit Sagar

Mumbai: Filmmaker Amrit Sagar, whose `1971` has won the National Award for Best Hindi movie says that as a country we suffer from herd mentality and Bollywood is no exception to it. "People gathering on the streets and watching God knows what is not new in our country. If you ask any one of them, mostly no one knows for what has happened or what have

they assembled there for. Similarly, only because one movie does well at the Box Office, it is aped number of times by `n` number of filmmakers," Amrit said adding genres, themes, subjects and treatment are often repeated in the Hindi film industry. "However, that certainly does not mean that no out-of-the-box thinking is being done. With repetitions we also have movies by directors like Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashayap, who constantly try to break the mould and do something new and different," he said adding "I also consider myself in the same league." Amrit believes that movies are a directors prerogative and perspective. It is for the filmmakers to decide which movie is to be made and how. The subject of Prisoners of War (POWS) of the 1971 Indo-Pak war has not been much explored hitherto. When I read about it I was very much moved," he said. "I met the families of these POW. In Punjab, I met this woman who still irons her husbands uniform hoping that he might return some day. I was moved by such stories," Amrit, grandson of one-time TV mogul Ramanand Sagar, told reporters. "In my opinion what better medium can there be than films to tell what you want to say. Hence I decided to choose it as the subject for my maiden venture," Amrit, who is also behind mythological TV shows like `Sri Krishna` and `Meera` said. "Though serials too are hugely popular, I personally prefer the big screen. Movies are my baby, my passion. While I only produce serials, I direct movies," he said. `1971`, which was released in 2007, did not do well at the box office, a fact that disappoints the first-time director. "Yeah, the movie today has won the award but did not do well at the Box Office, which is equally important. I want best of both the worlds. After all, I have to earn money, so that I can continue making movies," he said. Not getting caught in the repetitive mould, Amrit is working on a spy thriller, which goes to floors January next. "After that I want to make a comedy. I want to do completely different from what I have done," he added. Bureau Report