The Indian audience is more evolved now than before: Shaily Sanghvi

Shaily Sanghvi, an Indian filmmaker is on a mission to elevate India's standing on the global cinematic stage. The writer, director, producer is based In Los Angeles speaks to us about what kind of stories she wants to bring forth to the Indian audience, how the content consumption has changed post Covid and more.


What kind of stories do you wish to bring forth to the Indian audience?Shaily: India, especially in the entertainment sector is experiencing a boom right now. From a truck driver
to a businessman, everyone is consuming content, only the means have upgraded and have become
contemporary. That is exactly what I want to capture in my stories. The same Indian culture but with a
contemporary view on it. If you see any of my films, you will see that the character are still very Indian
(even if they stay outside the country), what has changed is the way they are dealing with the traditions
that no longer serve us. My upcoming film, Jasmine Flowers, deals with the stigma attached to the
inauspicious status of widowhood but what is different is the way my characters have dealt with the
stigma and immersed out of it.
I think the Indian audience is much more evolved now than they were before, thanks to the various OTT
platforms and the millions of options they have. Which is why, I want to cater to the audience in a way that
gives them the comfort of relatability but yet makes them feel evolved in their thought process.

How has the content consumption changed post covid?Shaily: The consumption of content has increased 10 folds after Covid. Forcing all of us to stay at home,
COVID, has made most of the people switch to content consumption in one way or the other. In this era,
people are continuously looking for a fresh perspective. With so many options available to them, they
don't want to see anything even slightly boring or repetitive for a second. They will switch! Which is why
now, every film maker will have to treat story to be their king, like it should be.
How different is the Indian audience from the others in terms of viewing content?
Shaily: There is a little difference but one that is bridging the gap very quickly. The global audience saw the
boom on such on demand content a little before India did, which is why there is a small difference in
perspective. The Indian audience has evolved so much in the last decade that it gives us film makers such a
great spot to explore different genres of storytelling.

How is the working style in Hollywood different from Bollywood, on set and what can we learn from each other?Shaily: While the process is similar the roles are often a little different. Both have their strengths and
weaknesses. The definition of what one does on set differs and so does the workflow but the overall
process that goes in, remains the same.