All that films can do is trigger a discussion, says Anubhav Sinha

Anubhav Sinha ko gussa kyun aata hai? When former DGP Uttarakhand Aloke Lal recently posed this question to the filmmaker during a conversation about his films at the Crime Literature Festival in Dehradun, Anubhav shared an anecdote. He revealed that a senior filmmaker had recently advised him to “be less angry” and make lighter films. He said, “I know I’m that irritating man (who points out issues). I’d love to make funny films; I’d love to not see all this (the problems in society), but I don’t know how not to see all of this. I’d love to not see it.” He later added, “If you look at my films, they all complain (about the issues in our society), and all of these films end on a note of hope.”

‘I DON’T BELIEVE THAT FILMS SHOW A MIRROR TO SOCIETY’
Discussing Article 15, Aloke Lal told Anubhav, “When I was SP Barabanki, I distinctly recall the road shown in Article 15. In fact, the scene where Ayushmann’s character joins as ASP and is clueless about the caste system – that aspect of the film resonated with me. Do you think

Article 15

and your other socially relevant films have an impact on society?”

Anubhav

responded, “Personally, I think that when we make such films, they have no significant impact on society. People watch a film, discuss it for a while, and then forget all about it. I don’t believe that films show a mirror to society. All that films can do is trigger a discussion.”
‘Mulk is a love story’
Anubhav shared that he has travelled a lot, and visited many countries, and found that there is no country in the world equal to India. He said, “Mujhe lagta hai ki ye duniya ka sabse behtareen mulk hai, uske baad bhi agar aap meri pichhli paanch filmein dekhein toh kaafi shikayatein hain. So I asked myself, ‘Tu shikayatein bahut karta hai.’ And then I thought that we also have complaints against our father, against our mother, against our school.” He elaborated, “Hum

Amitabh Bachchan ko dekh kar bade hue hain. Toh hum woh brooding lover hain jo ishq ka izhaar kam karte hain aur bolte hain – arey, pyaar toh hai, toh baar-baar batana kya?”
Talking about Mulk, Anubhav said, “When Mulk was being released, I said that it is a love story. It’s a love story between Hindus and Muslims – and in love stories, people fight.”