Speaking at the trailer launch of The Vaccine War, actor Nana Patekar expressed his displeasure over the success of mediocre cinema that is being passed down to the audiences as entertainment.
While he believes that the emergence of the OTT has blurred the lines between commercial and mainstream, providing ample opportunities for actors with substance, the veteran actor did not mince his words when pointing out that audiences are force-fed films that are not high on intellect but sadly end up minting money at the box-office.
While the actor did not take any names, netizens and a certain section of the media has been quick to conclude that Patekar might be hinting at the success of Gadar 2 and Jawan, both films which have succeeded at the box-office in quick succession.
To quote him, Patekar said that ‘an insider in the industry will introduce his kith and kin through films and force his/her presence on the audience. As the actor/actress gradually does a few films, the audience ends up overlooking their flaws and eventually accepting them. The actor maintained that this is a dangerous trend and then when a film like The Vaccine War comes along, the audiences are able to differentiate between a good film and a bad one.’
Patekar stars as the lead in The Vaccine War, which has been helmed by Vivek Agnihotri. With role inspired by the works of former ICMR chief Dr. Balram Bhargava, the film also stars Pallavi Joshi, Nivedita Bhattacharya, Sapthami Gowda, Girija Oak Godbole, Mohan Kapur, Raima Sen and Anupam Kher.
The film releases in cinemas on September 28.
