'Woh bhola-bhala darshak ab nahin raha'

Anees Bazmee, who directed 2022's big hit, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, feels he understands the audiences today.

"The audience and its tastes in cinema have changed radically in the last two years. You can't serve them stale bakwas (nonsense) and expect them to make that trip into movie theatres just because you have lined up stars in a project.

"Visiting the theatre is like taking an out-of-town trip for the public. Our film-makers have to understand that the script is the real star now. If you work on that department, everything automatically falls into place," Bazmee tells Subhash K Jha.

"A lot of film-makers say they are open to learning about cinema, but they are not. They only say this because it is fashionable to do so. I am an unabashed student of cinema.

"I watch a lot of films from all over the world. Believe me, they have a lot to teach us. We can't be frogs in the well. We have to know what kind of cinema is being made in the rest of the world to grow as film-makers," reiterates Anees.

Speaking on the changing tastes of the audience, Anees says, "Woh bhola-bhala darshak ab nahin raha. That innocent viewer, who would meekly lap up anything you served him, does not exist any more. Today's audience is aware of cinema all over the world, thanks to the OTT platform.

"With one click, you can watch cinema from any part of the world, and the audience is no longer put off by subtitles. They can read and watch at the same time."