Look within to tell your stories:Bhardwaj to directors from NE Durba Ghosh

Guwahati, Sept 18 (PTI) Filmmakers from the North East must come forward to tell more stories and ensure that a film movement is created in the region, acclaimed Bollywood director-music composer Vishal Bharadwaj said. “If you do not tell your stories, no one else will do it for you. Filmmakers from the North East are the best to present on celluloid the literature, ethos and customs of the region,” Bharadwaj said at the just concluded Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival here. “Regional cinema has to emerge stronger and rather than looking out, one must look within and if the film is good, it will reach out beyond the region,” said the director, whose “Rangoon” was shot in North East’s Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. He said the directors from the region should not just stop at festivals but should go ahead and hold workshops twice or thrice a year where not only students but established filmmakers can meet and benefit from each other. “Instead of asking anyone to come and tell your stories, ensure that a proper movement is created with the setting up of film institutes, proper screening facilities and interaction so that more and more young people come out to make new films reflecting the culture of the region,” he said. Regional cinema has to emerge stronger and “rather than looking out, one must look within and if the film is good, it will reach out beyond the region,” he added. The North East is still an unexplored region for filmmakers but Bhardwaj said he was lucky to have explored a part during the shooting of “Rangoon” “…though infrastructure is still an issue in some areas, love of the people makes up for everything,” he added. PTI