“Artists are like spring. No matter how much you compress them, they will bounce back and they will be better than before. It is important to retaliate when our freedom of expression is challenged,” said Vishal Bhardwaj who was present for an interactive session with the students of Whistling Woods International (WWI) as his film, Haider was earlier screened for the students. He also encouraged students to express themselves without limiting their imagination to cater to worldly things.
“What better way to start off the Masterclass than with Shakespeare?” said Vishal Bhardwaj who used this analogy to great effect in his fun and useful talk on some of the unique issues with regards to filmmaking. He continued, “I had to complete my trilogy of making movies based on Shakespeare’s plays and I was confused between Kings Lear and Hamlet. However I found the sexual conflict between mother and son very attractive and in Basharat Peer’s book “The Curfew” I found a perfect place to put my ideas and make a film out of it.”
As Vishal Bhardwaj pointed out, the movie itself was far grittier and more character-driven than its reputation suggests, and it highlighted the solid filmmaking that has been overshadowed by years of urban-culture punch lines. He also mentioned how he finds the dark side of human nature a powerful compeller. He delved into the music aspect of his movies and said, “I became a director as I wanted to employ myself as a music director. I am from 80’s when ‘shayaris’ were used as a medium of communication. I am a great fan of Mehdi Hasan sahib and that’s why his ‘shayaris’ remain an integral part of my movies.”
His advice to students at WWI was, “We shouldn’t just aim for ‘Don’t make me think’, but also embrace ‘Make me think’. Our job is not to eliminate complexity from the films, but to make them uncomplicated. We should have the guts to explore the unknown areas as it our responsibility as filmmakers to enlighten the audience about social subjects.”
He concluded the session by revealing to the audience that he will be doing the music score for the ‘Broadway’, a remake of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. He congratulated Whistling Woods International and the students for maintaining such high standards of education.
