‘‘Regional cinema’ a misnomer’

National-award winning filmmaker Goutam Ghose claims that it is misleading to term Hindi films as national cinema and films in other languages of the country as regional cinema.
“All language cinema should be called Indian cinema. It is a misnomer to term language films as regional cinema,” says the director whose oeuvre spans documentaries and feature films. Ghose was here to participate in a film festival.
The two-day event “Best of Indian Cinema – Bengal Film Festival”, a collaboration of West Bengal government with Doordarshan, which began here on September 6 showcased films that bagged awards and laurels in the global festival circuit. Ghose, claims the role of a director is pivotal for film-making and he should be considered the sole artist of a film according who also stressed that all language cinema should be termed as Indian cinema.
“The director of a film is the captain of the ship who is responsible for its entire process. He is at the helm of managing different departments from cast to crew. So, I feel it is the director who is the artist of a film,” says Ghose. Apart from directing films, Ghose is also a music director and cinematographer working primarily in Bengali cinema.
Ghose further said, “it is very important to understand the mind of actors. I have worked with big stars, bad stars, non-actors and every time I’ve tried to understand their frame of mind while film making.”  The director participated at a panel discussion on “Cinema and other allied Arts – the Interdependence” at the event. Noted director Ashoke Viswanathan and film critic Manojit Lahiri were other stalwarts present at the discussion. Talking about the various problems cinema has been facing since years, Viswanathan said it was important to recognize cinema as an integral form of art.
“We’re in a dangerous situation. We’re chucking films by succumbing to political pressure. But we must remember art cannot be dominated by commerce,” he said. (PTI)