Tallking Point

It was a discussion that concerns every film buff. On Tuesday,filmmakers assembled at the Indian Medical Association,Sector 35,to discuss the future of Punjabi cinema. “It can go anywhere we wish,provided we have the will,passion and creativity for it,” said Professor PS Nirola,film director and writer,as he opened the discussion with Mandi Gobindgarh,Dean Academic,Media department,Desh Bhagat Group of Institutes. The panel also included,among others,scriptwriter BB Verma,actor Davinder Daman,film producer Amarjeet Singh and film editor Subhash Sehgal.

While initially the discussion swayed from the need for good actors to directors with a vision,a lot of time was spent in analysing the role of the producer and the need for good producers. “That is the key and the future actually lies with the producer,” said Nirola. He went on to explain: “Language or the subject alone cannot spell success for a Punjabi film. On several occasions,people turn to production just to flash their money — their lack of passion and knowledge about the film industry makes them believe that things could move fast. They tend to interfere with the director’s work and dictate terms that could damage the quality of work. Films like Waaris Shah and Chann Pardesi were a huge success because they had well-educated and experienced producers to back them up.” Nirola feels that like there are schools for actors and filmmakers,training facilities should also be available for producers. “Bollywood sells because of great producers,people who know the trade,” said Nirola,who is working on a proposal to introduce a course for producers at Desh Bhagat.

“A film without story is a body without soul,” said scriptwriter BB Verma,emphasising on the need for meaningful subjects,that are entertaining and message-driven. Actor Davinder Daman,added “A director who does not know editing cannot deliver a sharp or crisp film. Similarly,an actor needs to be receptive. If he can’t follow camera work,he will not be able to do justice to his character.”

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The talk also explored various areas that Punjabi cinema needs to work on — from the need for well-researched scripts to directors with a vision,problems faced because of the Mumbai fixation of some actors,high expenditure and the corrupt middlemen.

The primary concern,though,was the reason why Punjabi cinema is lagging behind when compared to the film industries in the other regions of the country. “That’s because even though we love who we are,we do not want to be caught speaking in Punjabi. Unless we take pride in our culture and roots and be possessive about our heritage like the others,we will not move forward,” said Catrack Music Company’s Gaurav Trehan. According to him,cinema will get a boost when the multiplexes begin to screen Punjabi films and when some of the heroes become popular. “In the south heroes like Rajnikanth are given a god-like status and multiplex give preference to regional films,Punjab does not do that,” added Trehan. “We have great works from Nanak Singh,Bhai Veer Singh,Shiv Kumar Batalvi and so on. There is a treasure trove available. All we need to do is get serious,get real and do some hard work. Things will fall into place,” concluded Nirola.