Veteran director Subhash Ghai has spoken out about the recent failure of Bollywood movies at the box office. He squarely blamed the film directors for using actors to attract the audience instead of focusing on good stories.
Ghai made the remarks during a recent interview with Pinkvilla on September 1. “You are misleading the audience when you want them to come to theatres for the cast and not the story. You are not showcasing your movie but parading your stars through posters, teasers and trailers.”
“When people are lured in this manner, they feel betrayed after watching the movie. They complain about how they were misled into believing that the movie was great. And the result of such predatory practices is reflected at the box office on Mondays.”
“It is a matter of shame that we are betraying the trust of our audience, for whom we are creating the film in the first place. After putting laborious work into making a movie, why are we fooling our audience?” Subhash Ghai asked.
“This is wrong. All studio owners must think about this. The word ‘marketing’ has now changed the dynamics of movie distribution. I had never heard of that term during my early days in the industry. We would make a movie, put up banners and people would happily come to watch,” he pointed out.
The veteran film director also lambasted actors who interfere in the direction, editing and production of the movie. “When you want to do everyone else’s job, it clearly shows that you are incapable of doing your work,” he remarked.
Ghai also added how the decision maker is different for every aspect of the movie, unlike in the past, where the command remained with the directors. He briefly touched upon the disadvantages of owning a studio and how investors often prioritise quantity over quality.
He explained that the directors often have to give in to the demand of the investors and produce 2-3 movies in a year, which seriously undermines the quality. “The result is that while one movie works, the other flops,” the veteran director said.
In recent times, several Bollywood actors and directors have faced the wrath of the audience for taking them for granted. This ‘boycott Bollywood trend’ has affected Aamir Khan’s ‘Laal Singh Chaddha,’ Akshay Kumar’s ‘Raksha Bandhan,’ Taapsee Pannu’s Dobaaraa, and Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt’s ‘Brahmastra’.
