‘If film is not well-made, even PM Modi’s biography won’t work’: Prakash Jha on boycott culture

MUMBAI: Filmmaker Prakash Jha feels that the fate of the films and shows is determined by their content, not the boycott trend, for the project to be a success or a failure.

Prakash Jha shared his views on the boycott culture, which has gained momentum lately. Aamir Khan-starrer ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ and Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pathaan’ in the recent past have faced boycott calls. While ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ failed to work at the box office, ‘Pathaan’ became a blockbuster, raking in huge amounts.

Sharing his opinion on the impact of the growing boycott culture against Bollywood, Prakash Jha said, “There is only 5 per cent of the population who trolls, and what is the need to be afraid of those who are on social media. People say to boycott this or that film or boycott Shah Rukh Khan’s film, but did it happen? If a film is not made well, then even Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s biography won’t work. I feel that Vivek’s (Oberoi) film was very well made and informative, but you can see what happened. PM Modi praised that movie, but it still did not work”, Prakash Jha said.

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While speaking of content-driven films, Prakash Jha hailed ’12th Fail’, one of the biggest blockbusters of last year, which found a home in the hearts of audiences. Vikrant Massey’s role is especially connected with those who once aspired or continue to work hard to be an IPS officer. Backed by a strong storyline, it turned out to be a blockbuster and earned plaudits from fans as well as renowned faces in Bollywood.

“Nobody expected it, but ’12th Fail’ turned out to be remarkable. It’s the content; it’s the story that will connect with people. The trolling on social media doesn’t matter,” he added. (ANI)

Prakash Jha, who is known for his works such as ‘Damul’, ‘Gangajal’, ‘Apaharan’, ‘Raajneeti’, ‘Aashram’ and ‘Mrityudand’, is all set to come up with a new film. “The next film that I will make, jiska title main apke jariya bata deta hoon duniya ko (whose title I am revealing to the world through you), the film is called ‘Janadesh’, he said.

Asked if ‘Janadesh’ will be a political film, he said it is about understanding democracy. “Janadesh is not political. Janadesh is about understanding democracy. If I start from this point that I want to tell a story about democracy, then I will not be able to find it. But there will be stories which will bring out what has really happened to democracy”, he said.

Prakash Jha made his directorial debut in 1984 with the film ‘Hip Hip Hurray’. The film was critically acclaimed and was also featured in a book ’40 Retakes: Bollywood Classics You May Have Missed’.

Since then Jha’s knack in editing, storytelling and dialogue writing has earned him various awards and accolades, including eight National awards. The filmmaker also talked about his experiences and how the changing socio-political environment shaped his movies.

“People think that I make very revolutionary films. But, I don’t think so. I’m just trying to tell the stories which are existing or which develop over a period of time. For example, right now, for the past five or six years, I’ve been completely consumed by the idea as to why democracy all over the world has failed. There is a sense of insecurity in the system. People have stopped trusting. I think something new will come, will happen”, he said.

Jha, who is known for making issue-based cinema and brings out certain amount of disruption, added, “There can’t be stories without conflicts. If there is no conflict, there is no story”. (ANI)