Noted filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who has written a 10-part series on ‘The Making of the Mahatma’ and Constitution, says his two mantras while making biopics and documentaries are – be objective and empathetic. Benegal said he was not interested in inciting controversy or making propaganda films. The senior filmmaker said when you take a confrontational approach, everything becomes difficult.
Benegal said in a phone interview from Mumbai, ‘There are only two points. One, be as objective as possible and the second point is to be empathetic. If you’re not being objective, you’re already coloring the story with your theme. Empathy is essential, so that you can engage with the subject.’
Benegal, 87, is now working on ‘Mujib – The Making of a Nation’, about Bangladesh’s first president and later prime minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated along with most of his family members in 1975. was done. Filmmaker Benegal, who has achieved success in both fiction and non-fiction, says it is not difficult for filmmakers to tell the story they want.
He said, ‘It is always possible, but the question is, how and in what way do you approach the subject? If you take a confrontational approach to everything, everything becomes difficult…I am not interested in creating controversy. I am only interested in the human side of the story.’ Should filmmakers find it difficult to express themselves, Benegal said several things could happen. “(It) will be politics, there will be social perspectives, and there will be cultural perspectives… Many things can happen. But the thing is, I am not making a promotional film.
Asked about the debate on Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘The Kashmir Files’ on exodus of Kashmiri Pandits, Benegal said, “I have not seen the film. I am looking forward to seeing it.’ ‘Mujib – The Making of a Nation’ is being produced in collaboration between National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Bangladesh Film Development Corporation. Benegal said, “I have co-produced in the past as well, but what is new is the fact that we have made a film where the entire cast is from Bangladesh. They have a certain kind of attachment and sensitivity.