Priyadarshan Interview: ‘Most Hindi remakes of regional movies are flops'

Veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan opens up on the meteoric rise of the Malayalam film industry, his growth as a filmmaker over the past three decades and his successful run in Bollywood

Veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan was recently honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema award at the IIFA Utsavam in Abu Dhabi. At the event, the directors was asked repeatedly about Bhoot Bhangla, his highly-anticipated collaboration with Akshay Kumar.

“I am back with a big Bollywood project after a long time. Moreover, I am reuniting with Akshay Kumar after ages. It’s going to be a special film, and I am positive about recreating the magic,” he told reporters.

Priyadarshan is also gearing up for his 100th film, and reports say the director is collaborating with his best friend and superstar Mohanlal.

In a conversation with The Hindu at the event, the actor looked back at his career, spoke about the evolution of the Malayalam film industry, and delved into the challenges faced by yesteryear filmmakers today.

Excerpts from the interview:

Stardom is still there. Mammootty and Mohanlal are still ruling the industry. That said, newcomers are focussing on content over run-of-the-mill stories. Current filmmakers are making films in realistic situations. For example, how a love story is treated in a Malayalam film today has changed. Back then, a couple would separate because there was an objection from parents based on caste or class. Today, writers and filmmakers are exploring conflicts within the relationships. They delve deeper into the mindset of two individuals rather than focussing on the tried-and-tested trope of society opposing their love. That is modern cinema.

I don’t want to take names, but many of my colleagues, who were much better than me in filmmaking, are no longer in the profession. The main reason for their early exit from the film industry is their inability to adapt. They failed to accept that Malayalam cinema has changed. Secondly, they struggled to keep up with the changes in technology. Even if we don’t believe in a trend, we must acknowledge and adapt, if necessary. We have a lot to learn from the young generation. Filmmaker Peter Chan said that he learnt about the evolution of today’s films through his child. He is right. I learnt a lot from my children. I bounce ideas off them before I sit to write a script.