Vishal Bhardwaj and Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Vishal Bhardwaj is a filmmaker who creates movies that connect with the audience. His art has been appreciated by many, and now, Vishal Bhardwaj has praised Medha Shankar and Vikrant Massey's "12th Fail." According to the news agency PTI, Vishal also mentioned that independent cinema has progressed and 'is now regressing.'
During a press conference at the Jaipur Literature Festival 2024, Vishal shared that there was a time when films like âDev D' and âOye Lucky Lucky Oy' could easily secure funding. However, he expressed that it's now challenging to raise money for such films. Vishal stated, "Independent cinema has progressed a lot. In fact, it progressed and is now regressing. What's responsible for that, we all are exploring. There was a time when films like 'Haider,' 'Maqbool,' 'Omkara,' which still had commercial stars, but films like 'Dev D' and 'Oye Lucky Lucky Oy,' we used to easily get money to make those kinds of films. Now it's very difficult to raise money for these kinds of films because everyone is scared, everyone is exploring 'ki kya chalega theatres mein' (what will work in theatres)."
Discussing the success of Vidhu Vinod Chopra's "12th Fail," Vishal said, "A silver lining in this is the success of '12th Fail.' There is no star, there is no weirdness, the background score is also beautiful. It is pure filmmaking by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, and I think this is his best film. To see the kind of success and love the film got, if there is a silver lining that the audience is there to watch every kind of film but it must be worth it for them to come to theatres. So we all are exploring whether a film like 'Animal' will work or a film like 'Jawan' or 'Pathaan' or a mindless south Indian action film. It is all imbalanced."
â12th Fail,' based on a true story, draws from the struggles of the millions of students attempting the UPSC entrance exam. However, at the same time, it goes beyond that one exam and encourages people not to lose heart in the face of failure and to restart.