Films should reflect native culture, says Nagathihalli

Veteran filmmaker and Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy Chairman Nagathihalli Chandrashekhar said films should portray regional aspirations.

He was speaking after inaugurating a regional language film festival organised by Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy and Information and Public Relations Department at St Aloysius College in Mangaluru on Friday.

Chandrashekhar said the regional language films, which represent the local culture, folklore and ethnic values, have a great significance in world cinema. In a way, the regional films themselves are world cinemas in the true sense as they see the world through regional perspectives. “As a filmmaker, I believe in native films”, he said.

“Most of the films produced in Hollywood are monotonous in nature with similar themes such as science fictions. India is next to Hollywood in producing films. Compared to Hollywood, Indian cinema is vivid in nature," he said.

Chandrashekhar favoured the need for producing good films with a shoe-string budget. Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy plans to organise regional film festivals along the border areas, he said.

Filmmaker Rishab Shetty said good cinema surpasses the barriers of language. He stressed that the cultural aspects portrayed in films should be authentic as films act as references to a particular period of time.

Filmmaker Shivadhwaj urged the government to increase the subsidy for regional films. Both commercial and artistic aspects of the films are important, he added.

St Aloysius College Principal Fr Pravin Martis, filmmaker Richard Castelino, film festival convener Na Da Shetty and St Aloysius College Kannada Department Head Dr Saraswathi were present.