I made independent films much before they became fashionable and remotely feasible. Let me also clarify that I am personally against this branding of films and filmmakers as mainstream and independent. I am a filmmaker. Period. My job is to make films. And I love my job. For me, independent is a spirit, and not yet a refined business model.
Also, let me clarify that it is too early to celebrate. The game has just begun. Change is around the corner. It is still not here. I would throw in a word of caution here. We should not jump at the success of Shahid, Ship of Theseus (SOT) and The Lunchbox. Not yet.
The exuberance and excitement around gems of the '70s and '80s such as Ketan Mehta's Mirch Masala, Shyam Benegal's Manthan, Govind Nihalani's Ardh Satya and Kundan Shah's Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro died when a lot of trash was passed off as "parallel" or "art". Parallel soon turned into a movement that created poor clones of celebrated works. It became almost formulaic. Which is why I recommend caution, while being optimistic. The focus has to be on content, passion and fearless spirit. There is no place for conservatism in this climate.
This year was iconic in that respect, as what won over the audience was presentation and content of independent films. For me, Anand Gandhi emerged as the voice of this nascent movement. He is fearless, subversive and a unique story teller. I hope he continues with more striking work in the years to come.
In order to sustain this emergence of independent cinema, we need to come up with stories from the heart and stories that reflect a deeper collective consciousness. We must throw caution to the winds and exercise our creative freedom through our films. We are, by nature, complacent creatures and we seek comfort in the "formulisation" of content. Any attempt to do so will lead to an eventual decline and finally the demise of independent cinema.
