If content is king, why is the writer (instead of the director) not known as the captain of the ship?
– Because filmmaking involves many other aspects, besides writing. So while writing is of paramount importance for a film, there are other factors also which are very important and for which the director needs to take responsibility. It is the director who has to bring together all the talents and utilise them optimally to make a film. He has to cast correctly, extract great work from out of his actors, music director/s, lyricist/s, choreographers, cinematographers, action director, editor, sound recordist, etc. It is the director who converts the written material into a film.
It is said that there’s no dearth of talent in India. And yet, the success ratio in films is abysmally low! Isn’t this an anomaly?
– Yes, it is an anomaly. The reason for this anomaly is that the entry for new talent is very difficult. The big people in the industry don’t have the time to assess the potential of newcomers and hence a lot of talent is ‘rejected’ without being tested. Since stakes are so high, established producers prefer to work with tried and tested talent rather than investing time and big money in training and then giving break to new talent.
Can Hollywood wipe out Bollywood?
– Not for the next decade or two, at least. Maybe, never.