TED :Getting rid of Shekhar Kapur to break with the past and make the moment a purer adventure

At the TED conference, when I got up to speak – the first thing I did on the podium was tear up the notes I had made over two days on what I would say. I think many thought this to be a dramatic gesture for effect – but it was completely true for me. I think the idea of putting yourself in a state of panic to vanquish the mind, and through that to allow the possibility of words of greater truth to flow through, without judging and analysing those words is an exciting and adventurous way to be.
I did not succeed. Guess why ? Because I had previously agreed to show clips from my films. And standing there on the dias, I realized how little I wanted to speak about them. I had the need to let them flow away. They were impeding the flow of discovery of the truth of the moment now…
and I came off the Dias with a frightening thought – am I losing interest in film, or merely getting rid of an addiction to past successes that have little meaning now ..
I am very passionate about Paani. But I wish the pressure to make Paani was not because of the successes or failure of my past films, but as if I had never made a film before. I would like the adventure to be pure by getting rid of Shekhar Kapur

18 thoughts on “TED :Getting rid of Shekhar Kapur to break with the past and make the moment a purer adventure

  1. YOU are the problem
    YOU disappear,
    then creativity is
    when the creator takes possession of YOU
    In the moment of deep creativity YOU disappear
    Allow His creativity to flow through YOU
    CREATIVITY NEEDS THAT YOU SHOULD REMAIN A FLOW,
    AN INTENSE PASSIONATE FLOW

  2. hi. i was in the audience and i really really did enjoy your presentation/ performance. I say performance because you really put YOURSELF out there…as you spoke of panic and not knowing. it takes alot to do that, you become what you talk.
    as an audience i would have also loved to know your of your insight from your previous work, as much as i understand the desire to let the past flow away and talk of what it is in the present that inspires you.

  3. Let your ideas and passion fly Shekhar. Don’t allow us to get under your skin and create undue pressure. Let the present completely take over.
    Btw you were brilliant as always at TED:)

  4. shekhar, i have found, working hard to deconstruct, disown and free myself from the clutches of ‘my story’ started being very attractive in the beginning. It then started to grow into the next big thing for me. In no time breaking it down drew up on the energy, debunking the clutches of the old personality became the ‘new personality’. In trying to disown one I watched the growth of the another, the rebel. How did it change anything. Except in one calm moment, it hit home. It is not really about managing the story…or changing it..really..to allow any story to occupy our space is absolutely allright. ‘To allow’ is the key. When it is allowed to flow from that place of being grounded in awareness, the old patterns do not appear as hurdles. The new ones do not need deliberate effort. Allowing effortlessly – happens. Everything flows within which you could mark new creative boundaries too. The old too will seem to breathe fresh.
    Or..as kedar says it the script for paani might be one rankling you ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Hey!
    Making the moment a pure adventure!
    The frightening thought of losing interest in film…you had when you came off the dais, your adventure started? Or is it the moment when you tear the notes?
    Or is it that even before you thought of tearing the notes, a feeling comes even before a thought? Is THAT the moment where adventure starts?
    Or is it that it was your reaction to a feeling that was building up since long time?
    But then the entire process you are analyzing yourself aren’t you?
    I find it difficult to understand that how can a person get rid of himself. I would understand that a person can say about the past body of work in their chosen profession, as you said you want to get rid of Shekhar Kapur.
    That is not possible Sir, you are denying yourself. That would deny you the being, the sum of all experiences that you are. And why is it that it comes only to the past success and failures to associate with only Paani?

  6. Dearest Shekhar
    YOU CAN………………………..
    Be In The Moment not here and there Just in the moment

  7. is breaking free of the past possible? I wonder, who are we then if we scrap yesterday…isn’t our yesterday entwined with our today & tomorrow? Isn’t genetic theory all about that…Don’t we have to bear our past and that of our forefathers?

  8. Lol
    .
    Lol
    Shekhar….
    What took you so long to see what you did…
    .
    I woke ahead of you
    .
    you wake now
    .
    Go on feel the bliss of being the real you
    not the you layered with ‘conquests’
    .
    Kisi ke samaj nahi ayega jo mein keh gayi….
    lol
    .
    Good Nite~

  9. Shekhar, as we all know, directors loose their creativity some time after they make series of good movies. This happens with all great directors and there are no geographical boundaries. Watch any great director make movies late in his career and there is a good chance his movie stinks. You seem to be an exception because you have not been a consistent and usual movie director. So I am not surprised with your blog post here. I would like to see the clip of your TED appearance if it is available anywhere.

  10. Reminds me of what happened with my favourite band: Pink Floyd after they stumbled upon their creative genius in Dark Side of Moon.
    Dark Side was so big, and so unexpectedly that Floyd were not sure what to do next, and what do they think of: recording an album with household items as instruments – two songs into it they realised that what they were creating was a cacophony of sound, not music. This returned them to ground and they decided to do what they did best: create some songs which they liked and what did we get: Wish You Were Here: an even more personal and creative product than Dark Side. A simple lesson: problems arise when artist becomes bigger than the art.

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