Ramya & Zahan Kapoor dissect the 'then and now' of cinema
When actress Ramya , also referred to as the queen of Sandalwood, indulges in a discussion with one of the younger actors from the Kapoor clan, Zahan Kapoor , who is now known for his roles in Faraaz and Black Warrant, it is bound to be a conversation filled with comparisons in the world of cinema from then and now and between the north and the south. The duo were in conversation with Bengalurean Deepa Rao Acharya hosted at the Bangalore Art Weekend . Key takeaways:
20 years ago, there was no concept of bound scripts: Ramya
When I started out as an actress 20 years ago, we didn’t really have the concept of a detailed narration, forget bound scripts. My dialogues for the day were given to me on the day of the shoot, sometimes just before the shot too. I didn’t know anything about the technicalities of filmmaking, I learned most of it on the sets of my first film.
I am glad to see that aspect of filmmaking has changed completely today.
Theatre sculpts actors: Zahan
My love for the craft was very organic, thanks to theatre – I feel theatre sculpts you as an actor. I went through multiple rounds of auditions before bagging my role in Black Warrant, as they needed a certain physicality for the character. I’m grateful that I earned the part and was able to do justice to the role. When it comes to approaching a character, I like to do my research well by reading, watching interviews, etc.
South films have more character-driven narratives : Zahan
I think it’s very important to have empathy to easily get into the skin of the character. It’s essential to have the right rasa while playing a character, and I feel that South films have that on point. The global reach of South films like RRR, Kantara, Pushpa and KGF is incredible. It is credited to the character-driven narratives that these films have.
It is tough to sell films with a woman protagonist: Ramya
We need women-oriented stories, and some of my most favourite films are those that have been made by women and about women.
However, as a producer, I see that we do not have a viable market for women-oriented films . Here, it’s still the hero who sells. Kannada films are seeing tough times on the OTT scene too, with no takers. At a time like this, being a producer with a good film itself is a challenge, so working on films with a woman protagonist is a tougher challenge when it comes to selling the film.
20 years ago, there was no concept of bound scripts: Ramya
When I started out as an actress 20 years ago, we didn’t really have the concept of a detailed narration, forget bound scripts. My dialogues for the day were given to me on the day of the shoot, sometimes just before the shot too. I didn’t know anything about the technicalities of filmmaking, I learned most of it on the sets of my first film.
Theatre sculpts actors: Zahan
My love for the craft was very organic, thanks to theatre – I feel theatre sculpts you as an actor. I went through multiple rounds of auditions before bagging my role in Black Warrant, as they needed a certain physicality for the character. I’m grateful that I earned the part and was able to do justice to the role. When it comes to approaching a character, I like to do my research well by reading, watching interviews, etc.
South films have more character-driven narratives : Zahan
I think it’s very important to have empathy to easily get into the skin of the character. It’s essential to have the right rasa while playing a character, and I feel that South films have that on point. The global reach of South films like RRR, Kantara, Pushpa and KGF is incredible. It is credited to the character-driven narratives that these films have.
It is tough to sell films with a woman protagonist: Ramya
We need women-oriented stories, and some of my most favourite films are those that have been made by women and about women.
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