(UTV | INDIA) – Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Gangubai Kathiawadi going to Berlinale: Never felt this enthusiasm since Devdas went to Cannes
‘I don’t know why our mainstream films are not sent to international film festivals. Gangubai Kathiawadi is a celebration of mainstream cinema. It is dark yet flamboyant. It is my most restrained work to date,’ says Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s epic saga of a true-life female gangster, Gangubai Kathiawadi, is going to the Berlin Film Festival in February 2022. Barely able to contain his excitement, Bhansali says in an exclusive interview, “Not since the time when my Devdas went to Cannes have I felt this level of enthusiasm for my cinema being honoured internationally. The Berlin Film Festival is one of the best platforms for international cinema. Our film will be screened in the very prestigious Berlinale Special Gala section. I don’t know how many Indian films prior to this have been screened in this section. But I’m am glad a mainstream Indian film will make its way to this posh platform.”
Berlin International Film Festival’s Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian said in a statement: “We are happy to premiere Gangubai Kathiawadi, and continue the tradition of the Berlin Film Festival being a special setting for Indian movies. This time with a film that joins the usual craft in shaping camera movement and the choreography of bodies with a subject that is socially relevant, not only in India. From the very beginning, we were taken by the story of Gangubai, an exceptional woman dragged into exceptional circumstances.”
Bhansali feels it is time more of our films ensure a wider viewership the world over. “Any Indian film, representing our country abroad which creates an impact, makes a difference to the way our cinema is perceived internationally. Today, when we look at Lagaan., we feel it created a space abroad for Indian cinema. We now feel our content style and mood of moviemaking are being given a fair chance abroad.” Bhansali feels it is the masters of Indian cinema who paved the way for a filmmaker like him. “Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, and Shahji Karun did get our cinema recognition. At the same time, if a new film is selected for an international festival, it isn’t necessarily because of those other films and filmmakers who gained international recognition earlier on.” Gangubai Kathiawadi is slated to release in cinemas on 18 February, 2022.