Gauri Shinde: The biggest restriction now for filmmakers is the pandemic

The discussion around creative restrictions such as censorship in India, especially for the entertainment industry, have reverberated for a while now, but Gauri Shinde feels that while it is something that worries her, there is a far bigger concern at present.

“I think restrictions have just about started. So, I believe, there is still some time to be seen if, as a community we can overcome it, whether we want to, how we can work within frameworks. The biggest restriction right now is the pandemic. I hope it eases soon and we can all very freely breathe and do the stuff we want to do,” she shares.

Talking about creative limitations on filmmakers, the Dear Zindagi (2016) director says creativity beyond a point cannot be curbed.

“That’s because if we really want to say something, we will find a way. All over the world at all points in history, there have been restrictions of all kinds and creative people like artists, filmmakers and writers have faced it. Sometimes limitations allow you to think beyond the ordinary, and it can actually do something unique for you. I want to look at it, as however upsetting it is that one cannot work in freedom, because freedom is a basic requirement for any creative person or a human being. So for the time being, we have to use it to our advantage as much as we can,” the 47-year-old explains.

But as filmmakers, one must rise above all these restrictions as Shinde looks at movies as a strong medium of messaging with regards to the impact than any other kind of media.

“Art is not accessible to everybody, though it is also an amazing and extremely important form of messaging. But nothing really reaches a wide audience and a wide number of people as cinema or news does. I believe, fiction is far more impactful and has the potential for a really strong messaging. So, according to me, it is not an emerging medium; it’s been a powerful medium for ages,” she notes.

While films may have taken a back seat for her in the last five years, Shinde hopes that she can get back to movie making soon.

“I am just taking my time, one day at a time, a lesson that I have learned during the challenging times. Because we have as a world learned that we cannot predict much about our lives. I have been shooting some ad films in the interim and that keeps me sane. So hopefully I should make a feature film soon,” she concludes.