Vinod Pandey: The time of Piti Pitai Films are Gone

Intro: He got into controversy recently when as the head of the jury he selected Shahrukh's Paheli as India's entry to Oscars, director Vinod Pandey is set to set the tongues wagging again with reports of frontal nudity in his forthcoming psycho thriller Red Swastika.

Box: 'These are good times for challenging cinema'

'I salute Aamir Khan as he is an actor that walks with ease in both commercial as well as art cinema,' says producer-director Vinod Pandey who has made bold but aesthetically sound films like Yeh Nazdeekiyan, Ek Naya Rishta and the more recent Sins that marked the debut of one of the most promising actors Shiney Ahuja as the Priest who commits the sin of having sex.

'I feel happy for Shiney but I can't take the entire credit. He started Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi before my film but since Sins was released earlier, it became his first film,' says the proud director. So, how did he handle the protests that marred the film from a certain section of Christian Clergy? 'I think it was all politicized. If there was any cause for concern then I should have faced protests in Kerala where a huge number of Christian population lives. But nothing happened. So, why stop my film in Mumbai?'

Vinod Pandey is a director with a small but significant body of work. His take on the fiery extra marital affair between Mark Zuber and Parveen Babi in Yeh Nazdikiyan was extremely progressive. Shabana Azmi was not merely a suffering wife who accepts her destiny. Neither does she retaliate aggressively. The redefinition of trust and friendship coupled with the lust and loneliness of the 'other woman' was handled very sensitively. Ek Baar Phir, Ek Naya Rishta (With Rekha and Raj Kiran), Biddu's Star (With Kumar Gaurav), Sach, Akeli (Not released) and then Sins complete his filmography. 'After a point of time I started doing lots of television and then gradually I came back to Cinema and now I am into thick of things,' he says.

So, what are some of his forthcoming films? 'I am ready with Red Swastika which is a psycho thriller. It's a story of a disturbed person who goes on a killing spree. I am also starting a film titled Din Ke Andhere Mein that can be literally translated as In the darkness of the daylight. Then there's an English film called Ambassador's Wife. I am also working on a comedy called Chaloo Movie.'

It is rumoured that Red Swastika has your heroine Mona Chopra indulging in frontal nudity. 'She is Maneka Chopra for me as that's how she is being credited in Red Swastika. Yes, there are scenes which are sensual and sexual but they are an integral part of the film and have been done aesthetically. It also has Harsh Chaya, Deepshikha and a newcomer Deepraj. And all of them have given outstanding performances. I am more comfortable working with newcomers rather than working with stars.'

With the Multiplex Culture coming in and diversely different films like Rang De Basanti, Being Cyrus and Black to name a few scoring at the box office, how do you foresee the future from here on? 'These are good and exciting times for challenging cinema. Audience is accepting different kinds of content. The time of piti pitai films are gone now. These are times to be daringly different,' he says with a tinge of excitement.

In your opinion who are the directors to look-out-for? 'I respect Ram Gopal Verma a lot for he is always doing a different quality of films. He is very competent. Sarkar is a brilliant film except for a few portions. I also like Anurag Basu and Vivek Agnihotri.' So, finally, being the part of jury that selected Paheli as India's entry to Oscars, do you still stand by your decision? 'Absolutely, without any reservation. I feel Paheli was the right choice. It was a unanimous decision. It was a film representative of Indian ethos, costumes, music, dances. The cinematography, the art designing, the performances were very good. And then the final dilemma was very human.'

1 Comments

Recommended News

Recent News

Ranbir Kapoor Says Prabhas Impressed Him Ranbir Kapoor Says Prabhas Impressed Him The series of laurels on Prabhas for his performance in Baahubali 2 The Conclusion continues and most times it comes…… Boxoffice! Aamir Khan's Dangal grosses 300 Crores within a Week Boxoffice! Aamir Khan's Dangal grosses 300 Crores within a Week Aamir Khan's Dangal has turned out to be a money spinner this year end.The film based on the life of…… The Best Film of 2016 announced The Best Film of 2016 announced About 23 Film Critics assembled to pick up the finest feature films, actors and technicians of Bollywood for the year…… The Best Film of 2016 announced The Best Film of 2016 announced About 23 Film Critics assembled to pick up the finest feature films, actors and technicians of Bollywood for the year…… YOU WILL BE SURPRISED TO KNOW DANGAL’S MONDAY COLLECTION ALONE YOU WILL BE SURPRISED TO KNOW DANGAL’S MONDAY COLLECTION ALONE Aamir khan’s Dangal is making waves world over and carries both the tags, critical acclaim and commercial success along with…… HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLU BHAI! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SALLU BHAI! Salman Khan celebrates his birthday today (27th December).  The actor turns 51! Salman had just one release in 2016 which…… Aamir Khan’s Dangal astonishing 4th day collection Aamir Khan’s Dangal astonishing 4th day collection Aamir khan’s Dangal is making waves world over and carries both the tags, critical acclaim and commercial success along with…… Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ continues its dream run in South India Aamir Khan’s ‘Dangal’ continues its dream run in South India Disney’s Dangal continues its dream run at the box office. The Tamil and Telugu dubbed version of the film which…… Dangal Enters 100 crores Club in Three days Dangal Enters 100 crores Club in Three days Withstanding the demonetisation effect and also making waves with its highly emotional content, Aamir Khan's latest film "Dangal" unleashed it's…… Aamir Khan gets shock on Facebook Aamir Khan gets shock on Facebook Aamir Khan’s Dangal movie, released on Friday, is running to packed houses. While it collected Rs 30 crore on first…… More Hindi News