“Indian films are dominated by money and mafia. They attempt to sell dreams to the common man and tend to neglect harsh realities prevailing in society,” said Majid Barzegar, the popular Iranian director, who is here to showcase his controversial movie, ‘Parvez’, at the 18th IFFK.
“Cinema must be cinema and it should make the maximum use of artistic elements like realism, surrealism and fantasy. I feel that movies are made in India to instill in them unattainable, valueless and superficial dreams. They just fan the common man’s desire to be rich and lead a luxurious life,” says Majid, who has come down to India for the first time to take part in IFFK. Majid, though he does not remember titles, has seen a lot of Bollywood movies.
He feels that compared to western movies, Indian movies are uni-dimensional with a hero, who is capable of defeating any number of villains. “The central characters in Indian movies are superficial, who fight, dance and win the girl at the end. Majority of the movies are made with a business mind.
While, western films have successfully created characters capable of saving the universe, they’re well made,” says Majid Barzegar. But he had seen some good ones, too. Sholay, for instance. “It was a perfect blend of Western and Indian traditions,” he said.
His movie ‘Parvez’, a drama steeped in black humour and hugely popular in the international festival circuit, is part of the international competition section of IFFK. Iranian government initially refused to give the film wide release because it went against Iran’s religious mores.
“It’s always difficult to make films which are different from mainstream movies. The government often creates rules to restrict such films. But, nothing is impossible if we have the conviction,” says Majid.
Parvez tells the tale of a man in his 50’s who has lived his entire life in his father’s home and has never had a job. His quiet routine suddenly comes apart when his father decides to remarry and asks him to move out. The movie has won the Silver Apricot, the runner-up award, at the 10th Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Yerevan, Amenia.
Appreciating Malayalam movie ‘Kaliyachan’ – debut film by Farook Abdul Rahiman and Bengali movie Meghe Dhaka Tara – which is part of IFFK, he said Indian cinema is known all over the world. “I was overwhelmed by the warm response of the audience here. I came to India for the first time. In Iran, it’s snowing and here it’s damn hot. It’s a beautiful place and I’ll come again next year,” said Majid.
