The much-awaited trailer of Rajkumar Santoshi’s Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh was finally unveiled on Wednesday. The movie marks his daughter Tanisha’s acting debut alongside newcomer Anuj Saini.
Santoshi, who is returning to the big screen after a gap of nine years shares, “I felt the market was dictating the creativity. The star system isn’t good, they want scripts to be written around them. If a film becomes a blockbuster, it’s a collective effort. All the stars are briefed on what to do, what to say, what to wear, etc. There was a time when there were Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, and Dilip Kumar, who had their own style, and you couldn’t tell them how to act. They were ahead of the director, they had their charisma. The whole film in today’s time is about a hero walking at high speed, where are the plot and dialogues? I feel that when high-speed cameras are banned, filmmakers will start making good films.”
A few years ago, Santoshi was in the news for a historical movie, which didn’t materialise. “I was planning to make Battle of Saragarhi with Randeep Hooda but no one cared to check with me and no one in Bollywood is a family. It was a setback for me. I am not saying that a star isn’t important to a film but if he/she would work in sync that a good product will come out,” he adds.
Sharing his take on the historical significance, he says, “My take is, I might dislike the person but I will fight for that person. It has been done in a democratic setup. I feel Godse’s voice was suppressed back then. People have to understand and think about what happened. It might look like a religiously-motivated film but whatever is said in the film is said by Godse and Mahatma Gandhi. We have cut the teaser and trailer in such a way that people will be curious to see the film in theatres. Let them see and then decide if they agree or disagree. No one has attempted this ever before in para history. From this film, people will know Godse.”
“I haven’t taken sides in the film, if I would have done that then I would have not done justice to my film. I am prepared for the consequences and controversies but I’ll move on to make Andaaz Apna Apna 2,” he adds.
On a concluding note, Santoshi feels that the current generation only bothers about International craft. “The current generation only enjoys it when a foreign singer comes and they hoot and clap in the concert. I remember when the committee at the Censor board saw the film, they had moist eyes. There were women too. They gave me a U/A certificate and told me that this film should be shown in every school and college,” he signs off.
