In an Exclusive Podcast with Lehren, veteran director Vijay Anand shared his thoughts on the evolution of Indian cinema from his time to the present day & discussed about the budgeting, profit, music & parameters of labelling a movie as Super-Hit in both the eras. The Teesri Manzil filmmaker revealed that he was initially against censorship in turn supporting minimal cuts in a movie, but as being the Chief of the Censor Board for a brief time, the latter felt that censorship was necessary as many filmmakers had emerged in the industry & the same was necessary to avoid the misuse of cinematic freedom & creativity. Owner of Navketan Films & brother of superstar Dev Anand & Chetan Anand, Goldie (Vijay Anand) has directed several blockbusters like Guide, Teesri Manzil, Jewel Thief & Johny Mera Naam.
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00:00What is done is done, when the hair grows, it is cut and thrown away in the garbage.
00:05A single film touches the sky, then people start making films according to that and then get beaten up.
00:12In the media of television, songs have been made so cheap, only programs come on songs.
00:18I don't know which film was good, which was not good.
00:22And I don't even know if that film was really good or not.
00:26If I see today, it may be that I don't like any of my films.
00:30Sir, you have seen a long period of the film industry from 9 to 11.
00:40What difference do you feel from today's time?
00:46There has been such a big difference that it cannot be described.
00:519 to 11 was made in 5 lakhs.
00:55And if there was a profit of 5 lakhs, then it doubled.
01:01Everyone was so happy. The film became a super hit.
01:04Today I have heard that today's big films are made in 25-30 crores.
01:11If a producer has a business of 60 crores, then it will double.
01:17It is not happening these days.
01:19There was hope that a lot would happen 2 years ago.
01:22Business would go in crores and crores, but it is not happening.
01:24A single film touches the sky.
01:27Then people start making films according to that.
01:29And then they get beaten up.
01:31There is not much business now.
01:34It jumps up and then comes down.
01:37First of all, this is a matter of money.
01:41Secondly, there were banners at that time that made films.
01:44By individual producers.
01:46Filmistan, Bombay Talkies, New Theaters, Prabhat Film Company.
01:51There were companies in Bombay.
01:53RK, New Theaters, B.R.
01:55Shantaramji's company.
01:57So there was hope.
02:00The workers felt that they were working in a company.
02:04Today it is not like that.
02:05There is no company.
02:06Each producer makes his own film.
02:09Then he can make another one or not.
02:11He makes 2-3 films and gets beaten up.
02:13Sir, tell us about that incident when you played the script to Chetan sir.
02:18I did not play the script to Chetan sir.
02:21The first script I wrote was for my sister-in-law.
02:24Chetan sir's wife, Uma Anand.
02:26I wrote it on her insistence.
02:27I was a student.
02:28I used to study in Zevez.
02:29In BA.
02:30I used to write my plays for college.
02:32But she asked me to write the script.
02:34So I wrote it.
02:35I did not think it could make a film.
02:38But my sister-in-law felt that it is such a good film.
02:40Dev has such a good role in it.
02:42If she hears it, she will say that it should be made.
02:45So first I told my sister-in-law.
02:47Then my sister-in-law told Dev sir.
02:50Then he heard it.
02:51He liked it a lot.
02:53Then he asked Chetan sir to make it.
02:58Chetan sir's style was different.
03:00His taste was different.
03:02But Dev sir felt that it is good to make the film.
03:06Then Chetan sir was told by the taxi driver.
03:09He also liked it.
03:11Then he made it.
03:12The film was made.
03:13It was very popular at that time.
03:14It was a very cheap film.
03:17There was a camera at home.
03:19There was a hero at home.
03:20There was a heroine at home.
03:21All the artists who worked at that time were considered to be from home.
03:24They had to come and go from home.
03:27More than 50% to 60% of the film was made on the streets of Mumbai.
03:32It did not take much money.
03:35It was made quickly.
03:36The film was made in 40 shifts.
03:38There was no hope that it would work.
03:40It seems that the amount of money spent here,
03:42the salary of the staff,
03:44it will come out.
03:45The first film that Chetan sir made,
03:47he spent 8 lakhs on it.
03:49There was a lot of loss.
03:51If there is a loss of 2-3 lakhs,
03:53people think that there is a lot of loss.
03:55But when the taxi driver left,
03:59it kept running.
04:00It ran a lot.
04:03I used to read it at that time.
04:06It was not in the films.
04:07I kept reading.
04:08But it was very beneficial to Chetan sir and Dev sir.
04:15What was your third destination?
04:17Third destination?
04:18Yes.
04:19Third destination.
04:20Sorry.
04:21What was your third destination?
04:23Which according to you is your best performance?
04:29I have not yet thought about it.
04:33And I am not capable of thinking about it.
04:35And I will never think about it.
04:36Whenever I make a film,
04:38I feel that this is the best film.
04:40I should say the best.
04:41A film should never be compared with another.
04:45Everything has its own taste.
04:47When you sit to eat,
04:48there is a taste of dal,
04:49there is a taste of curd,
04:50there is a third taste of kheer,
04:51there is a third taste of boiled potatoes,
04:53there is a fourth taste of pickle, chutney.
04:55So you cannot say that chutney is better than pickle,
04:59dal is better than curd.
05:00Whenever a film is made like this,
05:03then according to me,
05:04that film is my best film of that time.
05:07And I can never compare a film with another.
05:11I feel that
05:12if you call someone bad,
05:13it will mean that you are calling someone else bad.
05:17That is why I do not think about it at this time.
05:20In fact, I make a film and forget about it.
05:24If you do not ask me
05:25and do not tell me that
05:26yes, you made the guide,
05:27yes, you made the third destination,
05:29then I do not even remember that I made it.
05:32Whatever happened, happened.
05:33When the hair grows,
05:34it is cut and thrown away in the garbage.
05:36It is thrown away.
05:37When the nails grow,
05:38it is cut and thrown away.
05:39I do not collect it and keep it.
05:41I do not remember.
05:42The films that were made like this,
05:44were a part of you at one time.
05:46But they have broken from you.
05:48They have separated.
05:50If they are left,
05:51then they are left for the world,
05:52not for you.
05:53That is why I do not know
05:55which film was good,
05:56which was not good.
05:57And I do not even know
05:58whether that film was really good or not.
06:01If I see it today,
06:02then it may be that
06:03I do not like any of my films.
06:05At one time,
06:06even though you were there,
06:08foreign directors made films.
06:10Was it because of this?
06:11No.
06:12Foreign directors made films.
06:13Was it because of this?
06:16In Nafkitan,
06:17if there was an assistant
06:18or if someone came to work,
06:20if there was a talent,
06:21then he was given a break.
06:24And
06:26that time was not commercial.
06:28People lived in a very friendly way.
06:31With a lot of love.
06:33So, if
06:34Guru Dutt,
06:36when he used to work with Dev
06:38in the morning,
06:39he was so friendly
06:40that Guru Dutt would not go to his house.
06:42In the evening,
06:43he used to sleep in our house.
06:45So, if he wanted to be a director
06:46and he had his own company
06:48and it was considered appropriate
06:49to give him a break,
06:50then he was given a break.
06:51In this way,
06:52whoever was ready to be a director,
06:54if he had the wisdom to make a film
06:56and if he had this talent,
06:59then he used to get a chance.
07:03Sir,
07:04you have shown your songs
07:06and your way of making films
07:08has started its own trend.
07:10People understand this.
07:11I have not started any trend.
07:13People understand that
07:14I have started a trend.
07:15In today's era,
07:16the songs in films
07:17are used only as fillers.
07:19So,
07:20do you want to say anything
07:21about this?
07:24It is happening
07:25because
07:27even if films do not run today,
07:29the income from songs is there.
07:31In the medium of television,
07:33songs have been made so cheap
07:35that only songs are shown.
07:38Our songs used to be
07:39associated with the story.
07:40They used to come out of the story
07:41and enter the story later.
07:44If it was different from the story,
07:45then the song would not have been there.
07:46While picturizing it,
07:47it did not seem that
07:48we are not making a film,
07:49we are picturizing a song.
07:51But today,
07:52it has happened that
07:53if you shoot a scene
07:54in one day,
07:56of three minutes,
07:58then you will shoot a song
07:59of three minutes
08:00in ten days.
08:02So,
08:03they spend
08:0420-30 times more.
08:07Girls and boys
08:08are filled on the set.
08:10If there is a window
08:11or a minaret somewhere,
08:12girls should be seen there.
08:14They spend so much money
08:15in ironing the clothes of each girl.
08:17Because
08:19they have started understanding
08:20that
08:21the grandeur in the film
08:23is coming from the songs.
08:25And
08:27if the songs are cut
08:29and shown on television,
08:30then their income
08:31starts to decrease a lot.
08:33So, when films
08:34are bought by distributors
08:36or when music companies
08:37buy films,
08:39then music has started
08:40to be sold in crores
08:41because they know
08:42that these songs
08:43will not be played
08:44on the radio,
08:45but on television.
08:46And only the songs
08:47will be played,
08:48not the whole film.
08:49And when songs are sold,
08:50then people
08:51watch it on television
08:52and later buy
08:53its records
08:54and play it
08:55on their cassettes.
08:56That is why
08:57songs have started
08:58to be spent more.
08:59People are spending
09:00money on it.
09:01And the second thing
09:02is that
09:03the experts
09:04of song
09:05picturing
09:06have become
09:07dancers.
09:08When a film director
09:09pictures a song,
09:10then he does not
09:11take as much
09:12part
09:13in it
09:14as a dance
09:15master does.
09:16When a song
09:17is made,
09:18then it is
09:19handed over
09:20to the dance
09:21master.
09:22Many dance
09:23masters
09:24also have
09:25cameras in
09:26the song.
09:27But
09:28this
09:29is not
09:30the case
09:31with me.
09:32If I
09:33make a song,
09:34then the
09:35song has
09:36its own
09:37importance.
09:38And as far
09:39as possible,
09:40I do not
09:41put any
09:42dance master
09:43in it.
09:44Yes,
09:45if a girl
09:46or a boy
09:47needs to
09:48dance,
09:49then the
09:50dance master
09:51is also
09:52brought in
09:53it.
09:54So,
09:55there is
09:56a big
09:57difference
09:58between
09:59a song
10:00and a
10:01dance.
10:02The
10:03song
10:04has its
10:05own
10:06importance.
10:07You
10:08cannot
10:09take it
10:10away.
10:11It
10:12will
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14:47I will be able to do it. How much interference will I have?
14:50It depends on how many changes come.
14:53There are guidelines.
14:55The film should be decent.
14:59If you want to define decency,
15:01thousands of people will define it.
15:04To what extent?
15:05It should not be vulgar.
15:07What is vulgarity?
15:08It is very important to define it.
15:10Not everyone can define it.
15:12Sometimes, a scene is very important in a film.
15:16To show vulgarity,
15:18that vulgarity is not right.
15:20Such behavior was done with a woman.
15:22It is not right.
15:23Just say it is not right,
15:24and do not show what behavior was done.
15:27A woman burned herself because of a dowry.
15:30She was oppressed.
15:32If oppression is not shown,
15:33then burning herself will not be justified.
15:36But if only the guideline is that
15:38the woman was oppressed,
15:39then cut the scene.
15:40This becomes injustice along with the story.
15:43So, it is a matter of understanding.
15:45My attempt will be that
15:47all the good film makers,
15:49all the creative film makers,
15:52who are making films
15:54because they want to express themselves,
15:57they have their own point of view,
16:00they are thinking something new for the society,
16:03for the country.
16:06I think they have the right to think.
16:08Sometimes, an artist thinks beyond the society.
16:12If all the members of the censor board
16:14were so smart and intelligent,
16:16then all of them would have been writers,
16:18poets, painters or film makers.
16:21They are not.
16:23I am not ready to accept that
16:25they are above the film makers.
16:28So, I will not tolerate
16:30that we are in the way of good film makers.
16:34That is why I will try to be very liberal.
16:37But where I feel that
16:39this man is not making a film.
16:41He is just making money.
16:43And he thinks that money can be made with anything.
16:46Then I will tell him,
16:47why are you making a film?
16:48Open a brothel.
16:50You have to earn money.
16:52So, don't do this.
16:53Don't spoil our medium.
16:56I love the film industry,
16:58I love the profession of film.
17:00I consider it as a great art.
17:02I consider it as going to a film studio
17:05is like going to a temple.
17:07Making a film is like a worship for me.
17:10And if someone slaps him,
17:14and if I can stop him,
17:17then I will try my best to stop him.
17:19People will surely abuse me.
17:21But this is also important.
17:23For a good medium to be good,
17:27it is very important to make it good.
17:31If you break the thorns little by little,
17:33then the flower can look beautiful.
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