Hansal Mehta shares, “Quest for mass success is destroying the kind of stories we are telling in films” : Bollywood News

Hansal Mehta is known for creating rich content, be it in films like Shahid and Citylights or web shows like Scam 1992 and Scoop. The filmmaker recently shared his views on the kind of content made today in India.

Hansal Mehta shares, “Quest for mass success is destroying the kind of stories we are telling in films”

Speaking to Business Standard, Mehta said, “We are a bit polarised in the kind of work you see. There is new, exciting, cutting-edge work happening in the streaming space. The long form has given impetus to storytellers like me, Vikram(Aditya) Motwane, Raj and DK. Many of us have found it to be a comfortable space to do the kind of work we do and get money for it.”

Mehta also said that the need for mass success is, according to him, proving to be detrimental. “Every week we either ring the knell of films or herald the beginning of a huge film. This quest for mass success is destroying the kind of stories we are telling in films. One film out of X number of films works and you start running after the star. If the star says ‘yes’ to the film, the ecosystem supports it. The biggest cog in the wheel of the ecosystem is the audience and we forget that,” he added.

Mehta said that India has just taken a plunge into the long format and that it’s necessary to give more importance to writers. “We have, unfortunately, had a very short learning curve. We have just jumped into the long-form content game. We need to invest in writers, not only in paying them but also in helping them evolve by taking them through workshops and exposing them to the kind of craft that is available. That is not happening,” he said.

One of Hansal Mehta’s keenly awaited projects is Scam 2003: The Telgi Story. The show is the next in the series after Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, which had released in 2020 and starred Pratik Gandhi in the lead.

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