¡®Some People Just Want To Show Sex¡¯, Tigmanshu Dhulia Weighs In On Need For Censorship On OTT
With the discussion around the need for censorship on OTT gaining momentum, we asked his take on the log-running should they/shouldn¡¯t they debate. He said, ¡°There's a very thin line between liberty and censorship. Some people use this freedom wrongly and censorship for them is necessary. There are a set of people who just want to show sex and because of them, people like us get affected.¡±
Dialogue writer, director, producer, casting director and most importantly actor, Tigmanshu Dhulia is a name that carries a lot of weight.
His tryst with Hindi film industry began in 1990, when he turned casting director for controversial yet important film Bandit Queen, a biopic on Phoolan Devi.
outlook
He dabbled in several projects until 1999, when he found his breakthrough with ¡®Star Bestsellers¡¯ an anthology TV series that consisted of impactful short stories.
It was only in 2003, that he turned to directing and thus came Haasil starring the legendary actor Irrfan Khan.
His partnership with Irrfan was carved for good and they went on to work in several projects including Paan Singh Tomar that fetched Dhulia a National Award.
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While he did acting roles here and there, majority of people know him as Ramadhir Singh from Gangs Of Wasseypur. Keeping up with the changing times, he then tried his hands in the digital space and no points for guessing, he emerged as a winner with flying colors.
Fun fact: Did you know he also directed the longest-running hit TV show CID at one point?
From Dhulia¡¯s lens came series like Criminal Justice and The Great Indian Murder which turned out to be fan-favourites in no time.
Indiatimes got down for a chat with the man of many talents, where Tigmanshu spoke about all things entertainment and his upcoming series Garmi.
With the discussion around the need for censorship on OTT gaining momentum, we asked his take on the log-running should they/shouldn¡¯t they debate. He said,
¡°There's a very thin line between liberty and censorship. Some people use this freedom wrongly and censorship for them is necessary. There are a set of people who just want to show sex and because of them, people like us get affected.¡±
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Diving deeper into the ever evolving digital space, we then tried to pick his brain on the whole Tandav controversy, which is said to have changed the game for makers and actors alike. In fact, many including filmmaker Anurag Kashyap have been very vocal about how the Tandav row put many shows on indefinite hold as creators feared for their projects facing the unnecessary wrath. We asked Dhulia if he is onboard with this point of view, he replied,
¡°Definitely. Yes, that was the starting point of it. Today as well when we are working on scripts, the platforms are constantly nudging and saying "change this, change that.¡±¡±
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Dhulia¡¯s web series Garmi is all set to release on April 21.
It narrates the tale of Arvind Shukla, a young man who moves out of his hometown with aspirations of becoming a civil servant but stumbles into the world of college politics, powerplay and crime. The trailer reveals the ugly side of collusion of student politics and the gundaraj.
We couldn¡¯t help but ask him if his inclination towards political stories stem from his student activism days in Allahabad.
He said, ¡°Any subject cannot be seen without looking at its political connotations. If you are talking about society, I am generally interested in picking up subjects which have a social theme. Yes, my concentration is more towards that I am not so much interested in the plot. Any plot doesn¡¯t encourage me to explore a film project.¡±
On being asked about the difficulties that he faced while shooting for Garmi, he said,
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¡°We shot at two locations, Bhopal and Prayagraj. Though it is set in a fictitious place, I was very apprehensive to go back to Allahabad for shooting. I had a terrible experience shooting Haasil there. We shot all scenes in Bhopal except the college sequences. I was looking for so many other locations but the sights of Allahabad University didn¡¯t let me think of anything else. With all my apprehensions and fear, I went to Allahabad and guess what we were welcomed with open arms. All the students, professors, everybody knew me and gave me so much respect I can¡¯t tell you.¡±
Tigmanshu Dhulia recommends
When asked which web series left a good impression on him, he said, ¡°Leftovers, Jubilee and Rocket Boys.¡±
Tigmanshu Dhulia's web series Garmi is all set to release on April 21 on SonyLiv.
(To read more such stories related to movies and shows released on OTTs, keep reading Indiatimes BINGE)
Bhavya Sadhwani heads Indiatimes OTT section - Binge. She calls herself an entertainment ninja and OTT content sucker. She loves to write on web series, movies, documentaries, reality shows and everything else that releases on digital platforms. She forms a special bond with those who share her love for cringe content.
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