From Deepak :”You know Shekhar, today I watched Bandit Queen. I was in early school when it was released and it was out of bounds then. I can’t understand how something made so way back seems to grab me NOW from the first moment. You know this is your most honest attempt. You – simply are not there in the movie, neither is there technique. Nothing..nothing at all sat between me and the murk and dust of chambal. This movie ironically is more ‘masoom’ than any of your other movies including ‘masoom’ itself. Phew..a blast from the past..still so raw and tough and so bloody gritty..
\nwhere is that rawness and fearlessness these days(this is not directed so much at you..but at all filmmakers today)..does the passing of time,weathering at the hands of emotions and knowledge cripple the ability of an artist to express instinctively ?”
\nThank you Deepak. I always say Bandit Queen is my most honest film in that I just did not allow anything to come between the ‘moment’ and the film. It took courage and sheer obstinacy too. For holding on to my instinct for dear life and shooting so fast that no one had time for doubt. Not even myself. Often thinking too much will cause more doubt and less courage. Partly it was the actors complete faith in what I asked them to do and also in their ability to invent their roles in their own identity. The ravines of Chambal spoke to me constantly and being and living in the harsh environment itself forced an act of adventure that became both challenging and exciting. It was guerrilla film making at it’s most adventurous.
\nAnd last not least – this as an ode to the greatest and the most underestimated Director of Photography I know – Ashok Mehta, who’s courage and energy was boundless and from whom I learned much of my visual instincts from. The very same visual style that I adapted for the Elizabeth films<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From Deepak :”You know Shekhar, today I watched Bandit Queen. I was in early school when it was released and it was out of bounds then. I can’t understand how something made so way back seems to grab me NOW from the first moment. You know this is your most honest attempt. You – simply […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bandit-queen"],"yoast_head":"\n