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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Director Shazia Iqbal calls out industry's lack of support for Dhadak 2: ‘Do they feel the need to make socially relevant films?'
Dhadak 2 director Shazia Iqbal recently spoke about the film industry's lack of support for socially relevant cinema. Her debut feature, which addresses casteism in India, released in theatres on August 1. In a recent interview, Shazia criticised the industry's silence despite Dhadak 2, starring Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi, receiving widespread critical acclaim. During a chat with Zoom, Shazia expressed her disappointment over the Bollywood industry's unwillingness to support films that showcase caste politics. 'When a film makes Rs 500 crore, there's an instant noise; people want to explore that genre, like horror-comedy after Stree. But how much does critical acclaim matter to producers and studios when a film talks about caste in such a strong way?' she questioned. Also Read | Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi's Dhadak 2 seethes with the rage of filmmaker Shazia Iqbal 'How much does it influence them to come out? Do they feel the need to make socially relevant films and talk about caste loudly in our films? It hasn't even been there subtly. We have taken more time, but I hope it happens for the sake of storytellers and filmmakers,' the director added. Shazia Iqbal also expressed happiness at receiving praise from filmmaker Payal Kapadia, whose film All We Imagine As Light won big at Cannes. She said, 'The filmmaking community is really happy. I was surprised to wake up to Payal Kapadia tagging me in her Story, calling Dhadak 2 an important, landmark film. She is on the other extreme of it and such an important voice.' Also Read | Dhadak 2: Shazia Iqbal destroys ancient Bollywood Dharma in the best Karan Johar production since Jigra Dhadak 2 has earned only around Rs 20 crore in its first 10 days in theatres, facing stiff competition from films like Son of Sardaar 2 and Saiyaara. The movie, a remake of the Tamil hit Pariyerum Perumal, is produced by Dharma Productions, Zee Studios, and Cloud 9 Pictures.


Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Shazia Iqbal questions industry's lack of support after Dhadak 2: ‘Do they feel the need to make relevant films?'
Director Shazia Iqbal has opened up about the lack of industry support for socially relevant cinema following the release of her powerful debut feature, Dhadak 2, which addresses casteism in India. The film, starring Triptii Dimri and Siddhant Chaturvedi, released on 1 August and has since received widespread critical acclaim. Despite Dhadak 2's artistic merit, director Shazia Iqbal questions the industry's commitment to promoting such important narratives. Shazia expressed her frustration from Bollywood In an exclusive interview with Zoom, Shazia expressed frustration over the Bollywood industry's unwillingness to back films rooted in caste politics, despite their artistic merit and cultural importance. 'When a film makes ₹500 crore, there's an instant noise; people want to explore that genre, like horror-comedy after Stree. But how much does critical acclaim matter to producers and studios when a film talks about caste in such a strong way?,' Shazia asked. 'How much does it influence them to come out? Do they feel the need to make socially relevant films and talk about caste loudly in our films? It hasn't even been there subtly. We have taken more time, but I hope it happens for the sake of storytellers and filmmakers," she added. She also shared her joy at receiving praise from the filmmaking community, including Payal Kapadia, director of the Cannes-winning All We Imagine As Light, who called Dhadak 2 a 'landmark film.' About Dhadak 2 Dhadak 2 has earned just over ₹20 crore in the first 10 days of its theatrical run, navigating a highly competitive landscape marked by the release of films like Son of Sardaar 2 and Saiyaara. Adapted from the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal, it follows a poignant college romance between Neelesh, an oppressed-caste law student, and Vidhi, an upper-caste woman. Their love faces brutal societal backlash, portrayed through harrowing acts of violence and systemic prejudice. The script was co-written by Iqbal and Rahul Badwelkar, and the film is produced by Dharma Productions, Zee Studios, and Cloud 9 Pictures.


The Hindu
06-08-2025
- The Hindu
In conversation with Midhun Murali, recipient of National Film Awards for best editing
I first spoke to Midhun Murali in 2012, when he brought out a bunch of short films with his friend from college, Nevin Fradian. Both had just finished their engineering and were nurturing movie dreams, with Midhun focussing on editing. Now, over a decade later, Midhun is basking in the glory of the National Film Awards (2023) for best editing for the film, Pookkaalam, directed by Ganesh Raj. It was double delight for the film's crew since Vijayaraghavan won the national honour for the best supporting actor. 'I was shocked when I heard my name. We were expecting an award for Kuttettan (Vijayaraghavan). My award came out of the blue,' says 36-year-old Midhun. Pookkaalam is only his second film as an editor, the first one being Kalamandalam Hyderali released in 2020. The film tells the heart-warming tale of 100-year-old Ittoop (Vijayaraghavan) and his large extended family. During a function, Ittoop stumbles upon a letter which shatters his relationship with Kochuthresia (KPAC Leela), his wife of 80 years. Midhun says that Vijayaraghavan's performance made Pookkaalam very special for him. The actor was 72 when he played the 100-year-old Ittoop. 'He had given so much for the role, be it through his body language, make-up, dialogues, gestures or mannerisms. My job was cut out for me because he was extraordinary in all the scenes. I wanted to keep all that, but that is not how it works. It was quite a task to choose the best out of the best. I was happy that I could work in a movie that has Kuttettaan's career-best performance.' Midhun mentions that after the first cut, the duration of the film was three hours 15 minutes. 'We reduced it by one hour for which we had to let go off many scenes in which he was superb. When Kuttettan saw the full movie, he was a little disappointed that many scenes were not there.' Midhun is quick to add that KPAC Leela, a veteran theatre actor, also did full justice to her role. The film is divided into chapters in which the story alternates between different time periods. 'There are a lot of visual jumps on account of that. I had to make the narrative seamless. Anend (cinematographer Anend C Chandran) played a crucial role in executing this,' he says. Music by Sachin Warrier also complemented the process, he adds. Midhun says he had fun editing the light-hearted scenes featuring Basil Joseph and Vineeth Sreenivasan. 'The comedy is over-the-top in some instances, but that was reined in by the two actors,' says Midhun, adding, 'Ganesh and Basil have been Vineeth's assistants and so there was a happy vibe on the set.' Midhun recalls that while pursuing his Plus Two, he wanted to become a filmmaker. 'But, in college, I got a chance to edit dance programmes and plays. I realised the potential of the craft and soon started enjoying the process. I think an editor is like a second director. So, probably, once I gather the experience, I might direct a film. We have many editor-directors around,' he says referring to Mahesh Narayanan, Abhinav Sunder Nayak, Appu Bhattathiri and others. Talking about his stint with short films, Midhun remembers Shaaey, one of the films that became popular. 'That was when social media was gaining a hold. The film was widely appreciated. Since I was sure about making movies I did not even try to get a job, which did not go down well with my family. My sister has been extremely supportive though. I did a six-month editing course in Mumbai and assisted an editor in Chennai for some time. By 2014, I turned a freelance editor.' Ganesh has been his acquaintance since 2011. 'We collaborated on a few projects. Unfortunately I could not work in his first film (Aanandam).' Although they were supposed to start shooting Pookkaalam in 2021, the pandemic upset their plans. It took two more years for the film to reach theatres. Midhun says some recognition is coming editors' ways these days. 'People are discussing editors and their style. The scenario is such that there are hundreds of editors out there, the ones who put up reels on social media. Since they know the basics of editing they can judge our work and understand the effort that goes into it.' Shrinking attention spans makes an editor's job challenging, he points out. 'Content and emotion have to be placed correctly,' he says. In this context, he rates Ponman as one of the best-edited Malayalam movies of the recent times. 'It has been adapted from a book. The pace at which the story is told for the screen is brilliant.' Meanwhile, he is waiting for a few new projects to start rolling.