Filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee, co-producer of “Titli“, says the film is actor Ranvir Shorey‘s career best so far. The film “Titli” has been chosen for screening at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival, which opens Wednesday, and the filmmaker says it’s important to see the film as an Indian project.
‘Titli‘ is a film that will leave you affected for a long time. It’s something to grapple and negotiate with. I also think this is Ranvir Shorey‘s career’s best performance…He has even topped ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla!’
Dibakar Banerjee told reporters at the trailer launch of “Titli” here Tuesday. Banerjee also said that when he first read the script of “Titli“, he felt like directing the film himself.
When I read the first draft of ‘Titli‘ I wanted to direct it myself. I don’t know how to tell Kanu (director Kanu Behl) it’s his first film… let me direct it. So, somehow I wasn’t shameless or selfish. So, the next best thing to do is to be associated with the film. The script really pushed me to produce it.
But he made sure not to interfere.
If a producer interferes, he is probably committing suicide but I am a producer now and I can’t be directing someone else’s film. My job was to be how could we finish the film in a minimum possible budget and that came from my own experience
… said Banerjee, who has directed films like “Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!” and “Khosla Ka Ghosla!“.
I am not representing Bollywood in Cannes, neither is ‘Titli‘. It’s been my dream that Indian cinema goes out of India and is presented in the world as Indian cinema and not as Bollywood, which I consider as a sub-genre.
Bollywood is a genre that is consumed by a genre market abroad. There is a much larger market for world cinema and in a way world cinema from India.
Market is wide open for any Indian film to go out and present itself in the world as long as we can make to tell a story that is original and that ‘Titli‘ is. It’s important that ‘Titli‘ is not seen as a Bollywood film and seen as an Indian film.
“Titli” will be screened in Un Certain Regard section of the 67th Cannes International Film Festival and Banerjee feels it’s more than a festival.
Things don’t come to an end by going to Cannes. Many good films are showcased there and in that crowd where best films are featured, to make your own identity is a task. Cannes is not just a festival, it’s also a market.
We are going there with so much of excitement because firstly, we have been selected by Cannes. But, we also have international market and audience which gets opened because international producers come to Cannes so that they can find some new voices like Kanu Behl (director of ‘Titli’), whom they can showcase for the international audience.
“Titli” features Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial and Shashank Arora among others.
