'Bollywood is not for me'

HONEST OPINION

The week-long Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFes) brought together several national and international artistes. One such artiste was Siberian film-maker Goran Paskaljevic, who basked in the glory of the festival as seven of his films were screened. This is his second visit to the country and in an interview with Metrolife, Goran says that he has just fallen in love with India and is keen to make his next film here.

Goran, who is visiting India after 22 years, is here for six weeks. “It has changed so much from the last time I came here. It has become so modern. But this is my first visit to Bangalore,” he says. “I’ve got the chance to attend several film festivals and meet film-makers. I enjoyed the ‘Kerala Film Festival’ where I thought the audience was fantastic,” he adds. He is looking forward to going to Jaipur, Agra and Pune in the coming days.

 “The trip to the North is going to be for pleasure. But I like combining business with pleasure. So I will keep looking out for stories,” he notes. “It’s also a great opportunity to know more about the country, which is so diverse. It will really take years to figure India out,” he adds. 

Goran, who is looking forward to visiting India once again in June, says, “I am keen to do a production with an Indian producer. The film might be set right here. I’d love to have an Indian actor on board.” Although he has a story in mind for his next film, Goran says, “I’m not going to reveal even a bit of it!” The film-maker is particularly fond of Bengali actor Victor Banerjee’s work. “In fact, I’d like him to act in my film,” he exclaims.
 Thrilled that several of his films were screened at the festival, Goran says, “I loved the choice of films. I’m glad that so much importance has been given to world cinema. And I must say that it has been very well-organised.” Recalling the people who came to him after attending the screenings, the director says, “They were moved by the films.

That’s the reaction I was looking for. It has been similar in different countries.” Some of the films that were screened were ‘Honeymoon’, which released in 2009; 2004-film ‘Midwinter Night’s Dream’; ‘Beach Guard In Winter’ made in 1976; ‘Powder Keg/Cabaret Balkn’ and ‘When Day Breaks’, a 2012 film.

Although he wasn’t able to watch many regional movies, Goran has picked up the DVDs of several Indian movies from the directors themselves. 

“I am interested in contemporary Indian films. But Bollywood is surely not for me. It consists of commercial movies made for the Indian audiences,” he opines. According to Goran, many viewers like to watch the same kind of films again and again. “But there are some who look for something different,” he says.