Cinema has never taken an ’escapist’ route for filmmaker Shyam Benegal

Cinema has never taken an ’escapist’ route for veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who continues to weave social issues with entertainment in his movies.

The 75-year-old filmmaker, who is known as the pioneer of New Wave in Indian cinema during the seventies with films like `Ankur`, `Nishant`, `Manthan`, has turned to comedy with `Welcome To Sajjanpur` and most recently `Well Done Abba`.

The filmmaker says his aim is to bridge the gap between the young generation and rural India as he believes that cinema plays a major role in developing our sense of reality.

"I do feel its important to tell our generation about the problems faced by rural India. One of the problem we have had in the past 10-15 years of Hindi cinema is that it has become so predominantly urban that the rural India has just fallen off the map," Benegal told PTI.

"But in reality it does exist. A lot of us know the world through cinema. So if you are going to be so completely urban you would not realise that next to you there is a large rural hinterland. Therefore it became important for me that the problems of rural India are shown once again," Benegal added.

And to attract the Gen Y, the Padma Bhushan filmmaker is using the English titles of his films as a hook.

"English has become a predominant language among the college going kids and working class so the title does help to connect with them," Benegal said.

After making gritty social dramas in the past the multi National Award winning director feels that his style has changed and he now prefers the genre of satire.

"I have mellowed down and I look at the ironic side of the problems now. I feel that they can be explored in a different way with the medium of comedy," Benegal said.

But the multiple National-Award winning director will always be telling the stories of soil through his work as he believes that they are appreciated.

"I was very happy to notice that `Welcome To Sajjanpur` did really well. It was like by people in metropolitan cities, in first class cities, small towns. It had a single screen presence as well as in multiplexes which was very heartening," Benegal said.

The filmmaker hopes that his Boman Irani, Minnisha Lamba starrer `Well Done Abba` which hits the theaters on Mar 26 will also be well received.

"The film has done its rounds in International film festivals like New York, Dubai, Palm Spring and we got good reception. Although its an extremely Indian story, it has been liked by foreign audiences as well," he added.

According to Benegal, `Well Done Abba` is a comedy which has two things at the centre of it-- a political satire and a romantic comedy.

Minnisha, who grabbed eyeballs as the `bikini babe` in `Kidnap`, will be seen in a total de-glam avatar in the film.

"She plays a young, feisty girl. I don`t make my actresses look like they will win Miss World title. But they require a certain kind of personality that makes them very attractive. I look for that and I think she has done a wonderful job in the film," Benegal said.