Nagesh Kukunoor: 'Theaters are now a place to sell popcorn', nagesh kukunoor said- Today cinema is running only on trends

Nagesh Kukunoor Interview: National Award-winning director nagesh kukunoor took a dig at the current cinema and the lack of films in theaters.

Filmmaker nagesh kukunoor has come up with a web series, 'The Hunt - The rajiv gandhi Assassination Case', based on a true incident. This series is based on Anirudh Mitra's book 'Ninety Days: The True Story of the Hunt for rajiv gandhi Assassins'.Nagesh Kukunoor talked in detail about this web series and the stories dying in theaters and on OTT.

Absolutely. I had clearly said that nothing political has to be done. But then I understood that this is a thriller, a police investigation drama. There is no rhetoric in it, there is no agenda. There are only two sides, theSIT and the LTTE. The story is told from the point of view of both of them.

The biggest challenge was to make the story dramatic while doing justice to the truth. Whatever is written in the report is in the third person. But on screen, we have to make real people say things that they may have never said, but could have said. For this research, empathy and responsibility are needed.

Because I don't understand masala. Big sets, item songs, andaction sequences, to me, all seem imposed from outside. I live in the world of characters. I enjoy working on the actor's data-face. It is my craft to capture whatever is hidden in their eyes in close-ups. I have learned acting myself, so I know what things can make an actor uncomfortable or in what situations he will give his best.

No, it is not like that. I have worked with stars like Akshay Kumar, john Abraham, andKeerti Suresh. But the truth is that working with them is a slow process.Send the script, talk to the agent, get the dates, andthen have the meeting. I find all this very slow. When I start working on a story, I want the shooting to start within two months. So if things work out with the stars, then great. If they don't, then it's okay too.

Because now the theatre has become a part of the game of star power and ticket prices. Theatres have become just a place to sell popcorn. When the ticket is for Rs 300-400, why would anyone go to watch a film without a star? I have told theatre owners many times to keep the ticket price at Rs 100, give an afternoon show, andpeople will come. But they have to calculate electricity, staff, rent, etc. Today, the calculation of theatres has changed, and films like ours don't fit in it.

Absolutely. OTT has given us the freedom that we never got from theatres or distribution. Here, your content is your strength. Here, you don't have to depend on anyone's data-face or stardom. The biggest thing is that once a film or series is completed, you can focus on the next thing. There is no politics of release or promotion here.

Absolutely. Everyone is running towards what is trending. Today, nationalistic films are hits, so everyone is making the same. The balance between creativity and earnings has ended. Even a simple comedy is made in Rs 100 crore, which could have been made in Rs 20 crore, because a star is needed, a data-face is needed.

It is difficult, and this is nothing new. Independent filmmakers like us have been saying for the last 15 years that a day will come when only big, showy films will survive. Small films are still made, but the audience is unable to reach them. Two of my films were made, but could not be released. So as long as OTT is there, I will keep telling stories from there. At least the story will remain alive.