Goutam Ghose: Cinema is still surviving in the South

Acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Goutam Ghose recently visited Chennai for the restoration of his earlier films. In a chat with us, he reflects on his five-decade-long journey and says, “I’m ageing, but it’s a big sigh of relief that my films will not just survive but will also remain in a restored condition,” he shares.‘MARKETING IN THE SOUTH IS VERY GOOD; BENGALI DISTRIBUTORS AND PRODUCERS SHOULD LEARN FROM HERE’Cinema is still surviving in the South. You see a Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam movie releasing worldwide. Their diaspora audience is waiting for those films. If you go to Dubai, you will find so many Malayalam films running in theatres. Many people are waiting for a Rajinikanth movie when you visit Japan. The marketing in the South is very good. In Bengal film culture, footfall was so high at one point. After the ’70s, it declined. I think the young Bengali distributors and producers should learn from the South on how to market their films all over the world, especially since there is a vast Bengali population across the world.‘THE UNIT’S ATTENTION WAS STRONGER BACK THEN BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T PLAY BACK WHAT YOU HAD DONE’In my career spanning five decades, I’ve seen so many changes. My first film was in black and white; then came colour; then, it was analogue sound, and later, digital. The awareness of restoration came much earlier in Europe. Slowly, in India, we understood how to restore a negative. Many old, famous films are now being re-released, and it’s good. I made my last three films in digital. But because I shot so many films in celluloid, I still love the softer palette. A lot of young people ask me how I shot all these films without a monitor. Mistakes were there, but the attention level of the entire unit was much stronger back then because you couldn’t play back and see what you had done.‘THERE WILL BE CHANGES IN FILMMAKING DUE TO AI. YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT IT’In cinema, once you adopt a system, you don’t go back. Suppose you ask theatres to also keep a projector now; they will not do that. There will be changes in filmmaking due to AI. You have to accept it. When VFX was first introduced, it was often overused for gimmicks, but gradually, people learnt to use it more intelligently. When the shift from analogue to digital happened, many editors who didn’t adapt lost their jobs. The same will happen with AI. Many people may lose jobs, but prompting will become a key skill. AI prompting is already emerging as a profession, and proper prompts are essential to get the right output.‘I BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE FILMS IN ANY LANGUAGE WITH A GOOD INTERPRETER’I’m planning to make a film in Telugu again, possibly set in Araku Valley. Maa Bhoomi (his debut film) remains a cult film there, and many Telugu friends and technicians have encouraged me to return. I believe you can make a film in any language if you have a good interpreter. Most of us understand at least two or three languages, and cinema should become multilingual. There are wonderful actors in the South, and I believe the new generation has improved in acting quality, bringing more cinematic nuance compared to the earlier theatrical style.‘Now, all metro cities look alike; we don’t respect a city’s architecture’I came to Chennai for the first time for Maa Bhoomi (1979). I did the sound re-recording and mixing here. I see so many changes in Chennai. Now, all the metro cities look alike, including my city. In India, each and every city has its own architectural characteristics. But I feel we don’t respect the character of a city’s architecture or heritage. That is not in our culture. I don’t know why. You go to European cities, and they are very conscious about their heritage. Somehow, we are not. It’s a real pity. Having your own identity is important.