Young directors hopeful as Shetty begins NFDC stint

MUMBAI: It’s good news for talented young Indian directors. Manmohan Shetty on Thursday assumed office as chairman of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). His appointment has been widely welcomed by the film industry.
Although Mr Shetty was offered the post in August 2003, he was unable to assume office till now as the government’s rubber stamp on his papers were awaited.Some feared that his forthright remarks about the NFDC and its lacklustre record had given the babus in Delhi cold feet.
However, industry sources insisted that the delay was because the cabinet committee that approves the appointments of public sector heads did not meet often and had just cleared his appointment. The managing director of Adlabs Films Ltd, Shetty is a widely respected visionary in the Indian film industry.
Starting with Adlabs, the film-processing company, he has produced a number of non-mainstream films, from landmarks like Govind Nihalani’s Ardh Satya to the more recent Gangaa Jal by Prakash Jha and Dev by Nihalani. He set up India’s first Imax theatre in the city.
Shetty, who does not wish to speak to the press at the moment, had told this paper last August, “I don’t actually know what the NFDC has been doing so far. It has been producing very few films and you hardly see them... But it should concentrate on encouraging young directors’ first films. Supporting experienced directors is pointless.’’ Young directors have welcomed his appointment.
Said Vishal Bhardwaj, director of the brilliant Maqbool, “We are hopeful because Mr Shetty understands the business. As a film producer, he knows that you can’t make good films for Rs 40 lakh, which is the NFDC ceiling.’’
Director Rajat Kapoor, whose Raghu Romeo was part-funded by NFDC, but is still awaiting theatrical release, added, “There are lots of new directors who have no option other than Ram Gopal Varma and they may not be able to work under the constraints of other private producers. So the NFDC is the only option.’’