Ketan Mehta: The Government needs to offer incentives to the Gujarati film industry

Just a few months after attending the premiere of his Bollywood film Rang Rasiya in the city, filmmaker Ketan Mehta was in Vadodara again recently. And this time, he was in an unforgiving mood while talking about the censor board, which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late.
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Says Mehta, “I feel that the censor board has become a completely outdated body! In a mature democracy like ours, such a body does not have any relevance anymore because over the years, it has been seen that it tends to reflect the ideology of the political party which is in power.So, why have a censor board which is a political instrument of the state? Once you start having too many filters to judge a work of art, it always turns out to be counterproductive.”
Listen to the songs of Rang Rasiya on Gaana.com
He wasn’t willing to say much when asked about the huge controversy that has erupted regarding the AIB Knockout, and quipped, “I have not seen the show and so, can’t comment much about it.” However, he added, “I have always believed in this dialogue, which was there in Rang Rasiya — Jeevan ka uddaishya hai kala se sundar hona. May be, had this issue not been given so much of publicity, it would have died a natural death by now. Also, I don’t necessarily agree with people who say that certain things are destroying our culture. Our culture and values are not so weak that they can be destroyed so easily.”
Mehta, whose journey as a filmmaker had started with the critically acclaimed Gujarati feature film Bhavni Bhavai, also feels that more needs to be done by the Gujarat government to encourage the Gujarati film industry. He says, “Regional films are doing very well in several states, and the Marathi film industry is a big example. The Gujarat government certainly needs to do more and offer incentives for promoting the cause of Gujarati cinema. I have heard that some very good Gujarati films have come out in the last couple of years and I hope that the industry is able to build on this new wave. I am also keen to direct a Gujarati film in the future. Right now, I am busy with my next Hindi project.”
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