Tillotama Shome completes 25 years in the film industry this year. Over the years, the acclaimed actor has left a lasting mark with films across genres and formats, while also witnessing the many shifts that cinema has gone through. One aspect of cinema that continues to be widely debated is censorship. The discussion has gained momentum this week after the highly acclaimed film Satluj, starring Diljit Dosanjh, was pulled down from Zee5 within 48 hours of its release. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Tillotama Shome opened up about this issue, whether actors today think twice before signing films that may lead to controversy, and a lot more.
Tillotama Shome began by saying, “My first film, Monsoon Wedding (2001), was shot on film, after which the world went digital. A lot of fear had gripped the industry. It was like when photography came in, it was said that it would replace painting. Artists feared that they would be redundant. Similarly, I was told at that time due to digital filmmaking, cinema was now dead. I was like, ‘I just did my first film and cinema is dead…what bad luck’! But it’s been 25 years. Cinema has often been declared dead or dying, and yet, it continues to thrive.”
She added, “The need to hear stories, right from childhood, and to be a part of storytelling are basic human instincts. That is not going to die. At the same time, telling a story has always been challenging, especially in films, as they are expensive to make. Hence, a lot of business considerations and metrics come into play.”
Tillotama further stated, “Then there are social factors that determine whether or not the story can be told. As a democracy, we should be able to watch all kinds of cinema. As adults, we can decide if I find something offensive or triggering. That is the beauty of being an adult and the beauty of being in a democracy.”
She continued, “Like for me, watching violence or depiction of rape are very triggering. But I wouldn’t want to live in a world where it is banned to show an act of violence. It's not something I would ever do as an actor. That is self-censorship. I will not enact an act of violence unless it reveals the perpetrator’s state of mind and gives me an understanding of the circumstances that can lead someone to commit such an act.”
Tillotama Shome explained that this tussle is not new. She said, “This has always been a fight between a dominant voice and an emerging voice. At times, what begins as an emerging voice eventually becomes mainstream. This is how we evolve, and it is never going to be easy to tell our stories. There will always be someone who feels that we may not have the right to tell a story. Look at the history of the suffragette movement. Women were not allowed to work or vote. Yet, because of so many people who fought for these rights, we are able to work and vote today.”
Tillotama Shome ended her answer by saying, “For someone like me, who has spent a good 25 years trying to do independent cinema, we were told that films were dead a long, long time ago. Yet, so many people persevered and put in their money. It was so difficult to shoot, complete and distribute films. If you look at the history of cinema, many have faced constraints, be it in terms of budget or censorship. I have heard many filmmakers say how constraints made their films better and how it made the audience seek them even more. Maybe, when the film came out, no one saw it. But 20 years later, people revisited it as if it had been released yesterday. How do you explain that? If I think about all this, I’ll get very angry, upset and depressed. I have to keep hoping that because the need to tell stories is so fundamental to our humanity, no matter what the challenges are, we will keep at it (smiles).”
Also Read: Kanwaljit Singh questions Satluj OTT removal; says, “No one retaliates after so long”
More Pages: Satluj Box Office Collection , Satluj Movie Review
BOLLYWOOD NEWS - LIVE UPDATES
Catch us for latest Bollywood News, New Bollywood Movies update, Box office collection, New Movies Release , Bollywood News Hindi, Entertainment News, Bollywood Live News Today & Upcoming Movies 2026 and stay updated with latest hindi movies only on Bollywood Hungama.