Madhur Bhandarkar is known not only for making thought-provoking films but also for winning National Awards for them. Corporate (2006), which completed 20 years on July 7, was a highly loved film, yet it’s a rare Madhur film of that time not to win any National Awards or Filmfare Awards. On the occasion of Corporate’s 20th anniversary, the acclaimed filmmaker spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama on this aspect.
Madhur shared a fascinating trivia, “Corporate and Traffic Signal (2007) competed in the same year at the National Awards (though the latter released 7 months later and the next year)! And yes, I was a bit disappointed that Corporate didn’t win any award. However, it was heartening to win the Best Director award for Traffic Signal at the National Awards. I guess the reality that Traffic Signal showed about the downtrodden appealed to them more. When I went to receive the National Award, a lot of jury members called me and confessed, ‘It took us 2-3 days to decide whether we should award you for Traffic Signal or Corporate because both films were absolutely brilliant’. Ultimately, the majority wins and it was decided to give me the award for Traffic Signal.”
He also spoke highly of Corporate’s lead actor, “Bipasha Basu got a lot of applause and love and she did pick up some awards. But I feel that had she won the National Award, it would have been so overwhelming for her. I truly feel that this is Bipasha’s career best work.”
When Corporate charmed Galaxy and Eros audience
Corporate had a tight release in around 250 screens at that time due to the film’s genre and also cinemas were overcrowded. All the holdover releases at that time like Fanaa, Phir Hera Pheri, Chup Chup Ke and Krrish were running very successfully. This writer remembers how Corporate played in just one show in Mumbai’s G7 multiplex, at 6:45 pm in Galaxy Theatre.
Madhur Bhandarkar explained the reason behind it, “The Gaiety-Galaxy management told us that they’ll play the film in just one show as it’s a very multiplex-friendly film. They said, ‘Hamare theatre mein aapki film dekhne public nahin aayegi’. But audiences came in huge numbers. Later, they shifted the film to Gemini and played 3 or 4 shows a day.”
He also shared about a wonderful episode, “I had gone to Eros cinema on the first day of release. The first show of the film was at 3:00 pm. It was a packed show. When the film ended, some people were just numb and speechless. But many youngsters recognized me. They literally picked me up! They couldn’t stop praising it. Even talking about it today gives me goosebumps. It was an unforgettable moment.”
Madhur Bhandarkar continued, “A lot of people remarked that inherently, it’s a very intellectual film aur bahut logon ko samaj mein nahin aayegi. However, people connect with the emotions. My reply was ‘Maybe people may not understand the nuances and jargon. However, people will connect with the emotions and the pain of the protagonist’.”
He raised laughs as he added, “A question that people ask even today was, ‘Did Kay Kay Menon commit suicide or was he killed?’. I remember shooting that scene at Taj Lands End. He’s looking outside the window. The bell rings and he turns. The next cut is of the sweeper cleaning the streets while his body is lying down in a pool of blood. A voiceover by Atul Kulkarni mentions, ‘Ritesh’s death was believed to be suicide, though some people considered it a murder’. So, when people asked me the question, I didn’t answer. I simply said, ‘Aapko jo sochna hai, woh socho’! Very recently, I was at an event, and the same question came up (laughs).”
More Pages: Traffic Signal Box Office Collection , Traffic Signal Movie Review
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