The cinema audience is evolving faster than the film industry is: Yami Gautam

The Industry Conclave presented by ABP Group marked the beginning of Goafest 2022, with the first session of the day witnessing actor Yami Gautam in a one-on-one conversation with Rana Barua, Chairman, Abby Awards Governing Council 2022 & Vice President of The Ad Club. The two enthralled the audience by speaking about films, values and the need to imagine and build a life beyond numbers.

Rana Barua kicked off the conversation by asking about the opportunities and challenges thrown up by the plethora of new content coming in the digital world.

Yami Gautam responded by saying, “For an actor or any creative person, I think these are the best times, because these are the times exploding with opportunities and as an actor I feel so much more aware of the possibilities. You have theatrical, digital, web series, so much is there. It’s just a matter of some interesting writing now, which transpires on screen. Now the question is who will stand out. Also, it will really take a lot to keep the audience engaged with whatever we do.

When asked to share her views on why Southern language films are doing so well and what Bollywood needs to do to conceive Rs 1,000 crore films, Gautam remarked, “I feel the term Bollywood sounds off. There is something not so nice about it. So, let’s rephrase it; if we are talking about modern times and modern cinema, let’s call it Hindi cinema, and if we talk about the Indian film industry, that is where it involves all the industries together. Rather than making it sound like a competition, I’d say let’s celebrate and rejoice the way the films – be it Telugu film industry or Tamil film industry, or Malayalam, Kannada film industries – are doing great numbers at the Hindi film box office, I think that’s commendable and that must be applauded and I  am really happy about it.”

Adding further, Gautam said that directors need more free hand in expressing their vision. “We need to focus on the story and the script. A director only needs a good script and good actors and the rest gets mapped out and works out. We need to straighten our priorities. I would call it integration and when somebody does something remarkable, there must be some element that they are doing right and we must take inspiration from that. Rajamouli sir and all of them have created a legacy for themselves,” she said.

On being asked how she handles stress, Gautam said, “Stress is a part of everybody’s lives. It’s a journey which we all have to walk through on our own. The biggest difference is that when you are a public figure, all your joys and your sorrows are public as well, it’s all out there. So, the stakes are different in this aspect. You learn with experience and with time.”

Rana Barua then asked her, “What you think of the new evolving audience or the content that is coming out for Bharat. Are you seeing any kind of difference for this new evolving audience?

Gautam’s response was a profound, “Absolutely!”. She noted that there is this pre-pandemic era and the post-pandemic era. Audience needs content, new visuals, new stories in the post-pandemic era. I think the audience is evolving faster than we are. So we need to keep up with that pace. We need to push ourselves more to give them more. As an actor in whatever capacity, I will try my best. I am just a small member of this fraternity. I hope this is taken as a positive challenge and I think whatever we do, whatever film we do, it has to contribute something to Indian Cinema, it has to take it forward. And there is no competition or benchmark that we have to compete internationally, but why not. We have some of the most intelligent minds in the industry, so why not have more and more films coming out which are successful and at the same time did some really good work. The audience is really progressive, there is every kind of audience out there. This is the time to give our best and make this an even better place.”

On being asked if she had any message for SS Rajamouli, Gautam said, “To Rajamouli Sir, what else could I say which the world has already not said. All I want to say is that both I and Aditya are his huge fans. He has created a legacy and we hope to take inspiration not just from the commercial success of his films, but the idea and conviction that he has as a creative person. I think that’s commendable, that is what makes him, him. As creative people, in whatever capacity we are working, definitely look up to him, as an inspiration and hope we all push ourselves more and more and churn out and give out some interesting stories.”