Shillong, July 1: Filmmaker-actor Anurag Kashyap, who has been receiving a lot of positive response to his performance in the streaming show ‘Bad Cop’, has shared his opinion on the idea of morality in artwork.
The director questioned why it’s only considered the responsibility of members of the film fraternity to bring about a positive change in society — why are they bashed if they show something negative?
The auteur spoke with IANS and shared that a filmmaker can show whatever they like in their films as after all, it’s a fictional world.
He told IANS: “Morality insaan ki apni hoti hai, a filmmaker can show whatever he or she wants in their film (Barring a few exceptions, morality is very subjective and is very personal). People think that it’s the members of the film fraternity who introduce bad things in society or uplift the society.”
He continued: “Why is it considered the sole responsibility of filmmakers? Jisko jo banana hai wo banaaye, jisko jo dikhana hai wo dikhaaye (A filmmaker can make or show whatever they like as it is their film). You can’t impose your morality or worldview on others. If a person becomes so powerful that he or she can impose their morality on others then they become a dictator.”
Anurag then quoted the example of Pol Pot, the Communist dictator who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979.
He told IANS: “If you read about the beginnings of Pol Pot, you will understand where I’m coming from. He was a simple doctor and his intentions were very different when he started, and see what he did.”
The director pointed to Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge, the members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea who killed an estimated 2 million people. (IANS)