The Oscar or the Academy Awards is one of the most anticipated awards that viewers wait for throughout the year. It is generally taken as the epitome of recognition for one’s work and achievement in filmmaking.
The Academy Awards is the most watched award show around the globe and everyone including Indians look up to it as the ultimate mark of recognition. So what really happens when the President of the Oscar Academy is in Mumbai, India for an interaction on films and cinema for the students of filmmaking? It becomes the talk of the town. Mr. John Bailey was present at the interaction with his lovely wife, Mrs. Carol Littleton who happens to be a film editor herself. Also present at the event to do the interaction and the interview was the lovely, Sonali Kulkarni.
Madhur Bhandarkar, Padma Shri and National Award Winner, was the filmmaker from our Hindi film industry who got the opportunity to interact and interview the man himself.
Madhur Bhandarkar burst into the scene with ‘Trishakti’ (1999), the failure of which made me stronger and more determined to achieve big. And then with ‘Chandni Bar’ (2001) which is a masterpiece and got a National Award as well, the journey then started. And since then, there was no looking back for Madhur. Movies like ‘Page 3’ (2005), ‘Corporate’ (2006), ‘Traffic Signal’ (2007), ‘Fashion’ (2008), ‘Heroine’ (2012) and ‘Calendar Girls’ (2015) made him the undisputed king of realistic cinema in Bollywood.
In a chat with Madhur, we got more insights into the how the interaction was. Madhur asked John Bailey about the importance of style, technique and script and actor in movies to which Bailey said that it entirely depends on the subject. The subject, script and content need to be nice and then the actor too who comes along is a nice one and together if the director is a strong visionary as well, there’s nothing better than that for a film.
Not just that, Mr. Bhandarkar also happened to ask Mr. Bailey on his experience in working with the best directors and actors to which he replied that it was an amazing comfortable experience throughout and will always be.
On the occasion, Madhur also happened to ask Bailey his insight and views on cinema and digital to which he said that undoubtedly digital is the way to go forward in future as it comes with great content and is also cheaper but the experience a 70mm cinema screen provides cannot be compared with digital. When asked about whether the content on Netflix or other digital mediums can compete for the Oscars or not, Mr. Bailey said that as of now, no such developments have taken place and the criteria of the movie being ‘theatrical release’ is still there.
Bailey also chipped in praising Bhandarkar although he hasn’t watched any Bollywood movie properly, barring the ones made by the legendary Satyajit Ray, he is well aware of the kind of realistic cinema which Madhur makes and is also aware about the songs and everything that compile together to make a Bollywood ‘masala’ movie. He added that Indian cinema does have a global appeal and people back there like how Indian cinema is as well.
But the best and perhaps the best thing that could happen to Indian cinema at the Oscars happened at the last.
We found out that there was a very progressive discussion between the Mumbai State Cultural Minister, Mr. Vinod Tawde and the President of the Oscar Academy, John Bailey regarding Mumbai having its ‘first’ permanent Oscar office. The proposition was discussed by Mr. Vinod Tawde, Mr. Bhandarkar and Mr. Bailey to which Bailey expressed his happiness saying that he would love to do it and would forward this proposal with the Academy people back there.
So given this proposition comes fruitful in the recent time, Mumbai could well head towards its first ever permanent ‘Oscar Academy Office’ with more jury members from India thereby enhancing the position of Indian films at a global stage. A very progressive and good news indeed!
