GUWAHATI: One of the much decorated filmmaker in the country , Adoor Gopalakrishnan on Thursday underlined the need for the goof films to focus on entertaining the audience besides inducing cerebral exercise among the views.
“A good film should entertain. It should not be just a cerebral exercise. It is a wrong notion that only rubbish will entertain,” he said on the valedictory day of the first Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF) here.
Citing the example of Satyajit Ray films, he said, “Satyajit Ray films entertain deeply. Basic function of cinema is to entertain, but it is an entertainment of a different kind.”
He lamented that people generally choose to view films featuring big stars, but leave out the films which have good entertainment value but may be without big, popular film stars.
He said budget had not much to do with the quality of films. “It is a wrong notion that higher the budget of a film, the better it will be. The real issue is whether the film-maker is equipped with the right experience. Big stars, music, sets together can make a successful film, but it may not be a good film,” he added.
He said that audience response was the yardstick to measure the success of a film and underlined the need to systematically create a huge pool of audience for good films. “We have to systematically prepare the audience. Good films should be shown right from the student days. There has to be a movement for good films.”
He dismissed the notion that the film industry in the country was facing any sort of gag order. He noted filmmaker said “There is no military rule in India. It is a free country. One can make any film one wants. Nobody is stopping you.”
On controversies dogging most of big releases in the current times, he said, “Controversy is not bad. It is unpaid publicity. Sometimes, it is also deliberately created.”
The six-day GIFF, which was organized by the Assam state government-owned Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society in association with Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute (DBHRGFTA), concluded today. More than 75 films were screened here from over 32 countries, with Turkey being the country of focus.
(EoM)