Bengali films will rock in the coming years

He is both happy and proud. Back from the Capital after having received the award for Best Film on Other Social Issues for Kaushik Ganguly's Chotoder Chobi, Shrikant Mohta, one of the directors of Shree Venkatesh Films, opens up on all that's close to his heart. Well, it's cinema, cinema and more cinema.
Excerpts:
How has the journey been over the past 19 years?
Well, it has been a roller-coaster ride where we have learnt so many things and evolved with time.The 'ups' have taught me to be confident, while the 'lows' have made me realize where I went wrong. I am happy that we can make all kinds of movies ��� be it a potboiler like Paran Jai Jaliya Re or an arthouse film like Raincoat. We got a lot of national and international awards, but there were times when our films didn't work at the box office. We took it all in our stride. From Bhai Amar Bhai, Ajab Gyaer Ajab Katha, I Love You to Autograph, Chander Pahar and Chotoder Chobi, the journey has been quite fulfilling. It also gives us immense joy to see actors like Dev, Jeet, directors like Raj Chakrabarty, Srijit Mukherji or Kamaleswar Mukherjee and composers like Jeet Gannguli or Anupam Roy ��� whom we launched ��� going great guns.Many ask me why we make south remakes and I tell them why not? Bollywood also make so many remakes! To me, a film is only good or bad and nothing else. And when we make films like Memories in March, Raincoat, Apur Panchali or Chotoder Chobi, we don't think of the box office, as these films are important for our CV too. We want these films to reach out to many.
What are the landmarks in your career?
Many. Sosur Bari Zindabad was a huge success at the BO, which made us realize that we can make a career in cinema. But today, filmmaking is my passion rather than business. Chokher Bali was the first offbeat big-budget film from our stable. Again, Chirodini Tumi Je Amar was a huge success, where we proved that screenplay is the hero of any film. Autograph changed the scenario further. Meghe Dhaka Tara, Chander Pahar, Baishe Srabon, Memories in March, Apur Panchali, Feluda are milestones in our career and we are proud to be associated with these films.
Do you feel that good times are back after a dull phase?
I strongly believe that every cloud has a silver lining. If you don't face failure, you can't rejoice success! Bengali films will rock in the coming years.