EXCLUSIVE Interview: Deepti Naval on cinema changing | Not Just Bollywood

Deepti Naval says that digital platforms had made movies accessible to all kinds of audiences. It has opened the doors for audiences to watch different kinds of films, whether it is a commercial movie or a parallel movie. There is an important role for everybody and even middle-aged woman actors are now doing lead roles.

The layered mother-daughter relationship with a dark past and all its vulnerabilities intact has been beautifully portrayed in Naval‘s latest film Goldfish which talks about dementia.

Edited excerpts from the interview

Women’s role changing and its no more ornamental. What do you have to say about that?

Doing something that is not so simple gives you the opportunity to explore the psyche. Women roles are changing and even middle-aged women are playing lead roles and that’s a wonderful change happening in the industry. Earlier there used to be just three roles for women who have crossed their prime age- the vamp, the mother or the bhabi or a sister. Now we are working in a whole different zone.

When I signed NH 10, I thought these guys were mad to sign me for a main villain in a film. I got my first screen award with that- ‘The Best Negative Role of the Year’.  To get into the role, I had to understand her psyche.

What are your views on inclusivity in Indian cinema now?

 The social fabric is changing. People are now more open about gender equality. And it’s a welcome change. Even when I wrote and directed many years ago, Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish, when we had screenings people said it was too bold for today and were not ready to pick it up and release it. People were not open to talk about something that was moving away from gender stereotypes. Society was not so open 15 years ago; the way it is in the last five years.

The distributors said which audience am I going to release the film for, there are just three characters- one disabled child, one aging prostitute and a gay. So, he very specifically asked who is the audience for it? It took ten years for Netflix to pick up that film.

Digital platforms have opened the doors for audiences to watch different kinds of films, whether it is a commercial movie or a parallel film. Not everybody can afford a ticket to the film festival. There was a time when anthologies were shown only in film festivals where a very few selective audiences used to go. But not anymore. Thanks to the digital platform.

How did you relate to the film Goldfish and what was the preparation like?

 The role excited me. After a long gap, I think after NH 10, this is the first role that I thought I cannot say no to. I was excited about the subject itself.

Dementia as a subject is very close to my heart because I have known it at a close level. It’s very strange that when you know about a thing like this in close quarters, somewhere it is there in your subconscious. So, you are not actively thinking about the incident and trying to relate to it. It is just there somewhere within you.

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