The 77-year-old said he was inspired to take up filmmaking by directors like Guru Dutt and Satyajit Ray.
Panaji:
Veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal saidit took him 10 years to make his first movie Ankur, which wasbased on a short story that he had written for the collegemagazine.
"I had written Ankur as a short story for my collegemagazine, of which I was the editor. I always wanted to be afilmmaker but back then it was difficult to make a movie,because you needed a lot of resources. But I had decided thatwhenever I make my first movie it will be Ankur," Benegalsaid.
The 77-year-old said he was inspired to take upfilmmaking by directors like Guru Dutt and Satyajit Ray.
"It was Guru Dutt's Baazi which motivated me to becomea filmmaker. I was 15 then and Guru Dutt 25, that is when Igave myself a deadline that I have to make my first movie by25. That was the kind of passion for cinema he aroused in me.
"Manik Da (Satyajit Ray) was more of a mentor. His moviesopened up doors for various type of cinema. He showed me howto look at cinema in different ways," Benegal recalled.
The filmmaker is here to participate in centenarycelebration of Indian cinema being organised by the 43rdInternational Film Festival of India (IFFI).
Benegal, who gave birth to parallel cinema in the 1970swith his ground breaking films like Nishant, Manthan andBhumika, said that he turned to ad films to survive in theindustry after moving to Mumbai. The filmmaker has made about900 ads in his career.
"Today people don't face much problem when it comes tomaking a film because there are a lot of options. But when Ifirst moved to Mumbai I did not know where to start from."I got into ad making so that I have some knowledge aboutfilmmaking. After making about 900 ads I am thankful I didthat because I learnt a great deal from it."
Benegal strongly believes that though movies areprimarily for entertainment they can be weaved with differentsubjects.
"I cannot argue with the fact that films are primarilyfor entertainment and that is the purpose but I believe italso important to engage the audience. People should take backhome something to think, that should be the aim of cinema.Even that is entertainment," he added.
"I had written Ankur as a short story for my collegemagazine, of which I was the editor. I always wanted to be afilmmaker but back then it was difficult to make a movie,because you needed a lot of resources. But I had decided thatwhenever I make my first movie it will be Ankur," Benegalsaid.
The 77-year-old said he was inspired to take upfilmmaking by directors like Guru Dutt and Satyajit Ray.
"It was Guru Dutt's Baazi which motivated me to becomea filmmaker. I was 15 then and Guru Dutt 25, that is when Igave myself a deadline that I have to make my first movie by25. That was the kind of passion for cinema he aroused in me.
"Manik Da (Satyajit Ray) was more of a mentor. His moviesopened up doors for various type of cinema. He showed me howto look at cinema in different ways," Benegal recalled.
The filmmaker is here to participate in centenarycelebration of Indian cinema being organised by the 43rdInternational Film Festival of India (IFFI).
Benegal, who gave birth to parallel cinema in the 1970swith his ground breaking films like Nishant, Manthan andBhumika, said that he turned to ad films to survive in theindustry after moving to Mumbai. The filmmaker has made about900 ads in his career.
"Today people don't face much problem when it comes tomaking a film because there are a lot of options. But when Ifirst moved to Mumbai I did not know where to start from."I got into ad making so that I have some knowledge aboutfilmmaking. After making about 900 ads I am thankful I didthat because I learnt a great deal from it."
Benegal strongly believes that though movies areprimarily for entertainment they can be weaved with differentsubjects.
"I cannot argue with the fact that films are primarilyfor entertainment and that is the purpose but I believe italso important to engage the audience. People should take backhome something to think, that should be the aim of cinema.Even that is entertainment," he added.
