Kumud Mishra: Small Films Are Less Preferred Now, Important For Big Ones To Work Because... | EXCL

Kumud

Mishra has chosen scripts that allow him to connect with real stories and incidents deeply rooted in the Hindi hinterland. Satrangi on ZEE5 Hindi is one of them. Mishra has been a part of various films and shows that are critically acclaimed, even in the absence of a heavy budget. In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Kumud discussed the shift in Hindi cinema and the lack of small and medium-scale projects. He emphasised that films made with limited resources and lesser budgets can justify social stories better than the rest.

Kumud Mishra on the dying trend of small-scale cinema

In the interview, Kumud said Hindi cinema has stopped addressing real issues. Though he believes every filmmaker has the right to tell stories that convince them, some matters need to be addressed correctly through movies. “Kis kahani ka main hissa banna chahta hu voh meri naitikta tay karegi. Haan bohot saari interesting filmein ban rahi hai, jisko broader perspective mein log dekhte soch rahe hai ki aise sab bhi ho raha hai. Chhoti filmein kam ban rahi hai pehle se. Cinema ki stithi bohot acchi nahi hai. Medium aur chhoti filmon ke liye space thoda kam ho gaya hai. Samajh ke issues voh filmein address karti thi. Ab banenge hi nahi toh address kahan se honge. Multiplex aaye aur single screen khatam ho gaye toh, ek bohot bada varg cinema experience karne se vanchit reh gaya. Phir vahi log mobile pe shift ho gaye,” Kumud added. (Translation: My morality will decide what kinds of films I want to be a part of. Yes, many interesting movies are being made that offer a broader perspective on what could be shown on the big screen. Smaller films have been reduced because the situation right now isn’t good. There is less space for them. They would address societal problems beautifully. Multiplexes replaced single screens and a major section of the audience moved to their phones.)

Kumud Mishra reacts to changing content consumption patterms

Talking about budgets and scale, the veteran actor shared, “Joh big budget filmein hai, unka chalna zaruri hai kyunki inke chalne se chhote filmon ko madat milti hai. Chinta ka yeh vishay hai ki audience cinema experience ki itna mahatva nahi de rahi jitna pehle dete the. Ab hum as an audience, ek saath baithke filmein aur television serials nahi dekhte. Sab apne apne phone mein rehte hai, alag kamron mein baith jate hai.” (Translation: It is important for big films to perform well, for smaller ones to thrive. It is alarming to see people not understanding the importance of watching movies in theatres. We, as an audience, now rarely sit down with the family to watch a film or a television serial. Everyone has their phones and they sit in different rooms watching whatever they want.) He concluded by saying, “As an industry, hume yeh sochna chahiye ki audience ko budget mein saath kaise laya jaye.” (Translation: As an industry, we must think of ideas to bring the audience to theatres within their budget.)

About Satrangi

Satrangi is a show directed by Jai Basantu Singh. It also stars Anshumaan Pushkar, Mahvash, Upen Chauhan and Kashish Duggal.