Our best stories are the ones that provoke: Shekhar Kapur

Radhika Shar

Encouraging the audience to imagine their own version to the story unfolding the on screen is the best cinematic experience, said director Shekhar Kapu

Speaking at a session here as part of Media and Entertainment Fortnight at India Pavilion during the EXPO2020 Dubai, the filmmaker said the Indian film industry will be “completely shattered and unsuccessful if we try to tell the stories.”

“We’re arrogant enough to call ourselves to call storytellers. We’re not storytellers. We provoke. We never tell stories. Our best stories are the ones that provoke everybody in the room or anybody to imagine their own story and that’s the best story,” Kapur said.

Past is not going to be the future, the 76-year-old filmmaker said, adding every new culture of dissemination changes content.

Highlighting the importance of the digital platforms, the filmmaker said, “If you walk around in India today, who’s the biggest star? It’s not Salman Khan, it’s Manoj Bajpayee (‘The Family Man’). Because everybody is shifting to (OTT).”

Kapur, known for acclaimed films like “Masoom”, “Bandit Queen”, “Mr India”, and Cate Blanchett-starrer “Elizabeth” series, gave the example of the epic Mahabharat, which he said “had a million of versions”—PTI