Universally acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi said that films in Bollywood are mostly about catering to box office collection while those in Iran are about realities and deal with social subjects.
Majidi said this while interacting with media persons following the screening of his 2015 film Muhammad: The Messenger of God at the this year’s 24th Kolkata International Film Festival. This year, he has also directed a Bollywood movie Beyond the Clouds.
Asked to comment on the differences between the two film industries, Majidi said, “Iranian cinema is based on realities, real locations, social subjects and human values. Bollywood movies is all about box office collections which is important from the commercial side. In India, you (also) have social subjects and interesting stories. There is a very well balanced, new generation in India and if they get the right kind of support then that could be good for independent filmmakers in India.
We can have new Satyajit Rays.”
The director of renowned films such as Children of Heaven, The Colour of Paradise and The Song of Sparrows, asserted that language is never a barrier when it comes to making movies.
Responding to queries on censorship hurdles in his country, Majidi said different governments have different views on the issue. “It is important to pass the (censor) board’s directive in a right way while keeping intact the vision of director. Two governments in Iran had different yardsticks. It was a challenge for a director to find his own ways,” he said.
