'Films are a means to mass entertainment'

Noted filmmaker Shyam Benegal is back, this time with a comedy, Welcome to Sajjanpur starring Shreyas Talpade and Amrita Rao. A 360 degree shift from his socially conscious films, Benegal quips its time to indulge in some lighthearted cracks. And he promises the audience a lot more.
1. Tell us something about your film Welcome to Sajjanpur.
It's a comedy dealing with illiteracy, wherein the central character is the only literate man in the entire village.What are the issues faced by him, the kind of day-to-day pressures he braces up to, form a part of the film's comic element. Shreyas has done a brilliant job. There was only one name in my mind when I thought of the character and none could understand the character better than he has.
2. Your stories have always revolved around issues that plague society. How were you inspired to take up illiteracy?
The film is not entirely based on illiteracy. There are a lot of other issues like, political, social, gender empowerment and so on. I have tried to portray all this with a comic angle. It was actually a real life issue that triggered it off.
One of the peons in my office is illiterate. He recently got married, but is living alone in Mumbai. Now, his wife keeps sending him these very passionate letters (she is the literate one of the two) and he has to get it read by someone else. The first time he did that, he literally turned beet red. Since I was a witness to these episodes frequently, it set me thinking in terms of a full-fledged film.
3. The film marks your maiden foray into comedy. Why the sudden shift?
I thought it was the time to do something radically different from the general perception about me. Also, it's like a new thing I wanted to experiment with. I have always wanted to do all kinds of cinema and thought that probably now is a good time. It helped me to see a lot of things in a lighter vein.
4. Your films are unique by the kind of message they lend to the audience...
I don't think so. I don't believe in giving forth any kind of messages through my films. Yes, it deals with a certain kind of subject, but that doesn't mean that I would like to pass any kind of judgment.
I think films are a means to mass entertainment and it should strive only towards that. Audiences should feel involved with it and take away some element of the film with them. I make films because I am passionate about seeing a particular story in reel. I would like to see it in a perspective that is only mine and hope that the audience would like what I show them.
5. There was a major gap between mainstream and art films. But off late, the lines are getting blurred. Do you think that the acceptance level of the audience has indeed widened?
I think people were always an accepting recipient of any kind of film. However, till now only mainstream films with big names and backed by a lot of money elbowed out the smaller ones. There wasn't much choice given to the audience. Now due to the spurt in multiplexes, audiences have a variety of films and can savour the kind of films they like. There are all kinds of films happening and this is a great time for experimentation.
6. What are your current projects?
I am working on two untitled films, one a comedy and the other a melodrama. I think it will be comedy that will take precedence as of now.