Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj has spoken about the violence shown on screen and how it is “fine” for him. Speaking with news agency ANI, Vishal said that the “scale of violence in the Mahabharata is unimaginable.” In the last few years, cinema has witnessed a clear shift towards films driven by mass appeal and heightened violence. The success of projects such as Animal, Marco and Dhurandhar indicates that the audience of today has a high tolerance for violence, provided they are engaged by the story.
Vishal Bharadwaj talks about violence in Mahabharat
Vishal was asked about how much violence is too much. “Normalise se zyada mujhe lag raha hai ki bahut explicit ho gaya hai violence, which is fine for me, personally. I very often say, ‘We are the race that is born out of the Mahabharat’. Aur Mahabharat ka jo violence hai wo unimaginable hai. Aur itna graphic hai violence of Mahabharat ki jiski koi hadh nahi hai. Jismein jo killings hain aur jis ras ke saath aur pyaar ke saath usko original Mahabharat mein depict kiya gaya hai. So we are born out of that… humare DNA mein hai wo violence ka element (The violence has become extremely explicit. Personally, I am fine with that. I often say that we are a civilisation born out of the Mahabharata. And the scale of violence in the Mahabharata is unimaginable…that element of violence exists in our DNA),” he said.
Vishal talks about poetic violence
He also drew parallels with internationally acclaimed filmmakers such as Wong Kar-wai and Quentin Tarantino, who are widely recognised for their distinctive and bold portrayal of violence in cinema. “Aur ek poetic violence ek cheez hoti hai. Jaise meri film mein bahut jagah references hain… Aur meri film (O Romeo) mein mere characters gangsters hain (There is a thing called poetic violence, like there are references in my film). They are not poets and not managers. So we have to show the violence. And if you are not talking in terms of the contemporary language of contemporary filmmaking, which is happening around you, then you start feeling dated. Par usmein aesthetics bhi rakhne ki zarurat hoti hai (It’s important to keep aesthetics there),” he added.
Vishal on violence in society, how it’s shown onscreen
Vishal also maintained that as long as cinema reflects the violence that is already present in society, its depiction on screen should not be considered problematic. “Aur ek baat hai hamari society mein abhi jis tarah ka, jis level ka violence exist karta hai aur chal raha hai, toh usmein agar screen pe bhi dikh jaaye toh koi burai nahi hai. And it’s an adult film (O Romeo) (Also given the kind and level of violence that currently exists and continues in our society, there is nothing wrong if it is shown on screen as well),” he concluded.
Vishal is known to showcase violence and bloodshed in his films with an aesthetic lens. Films like Maqbool and Haider had their share of violence. His latest release, O Romeo, also features several violent scenes.
About Vishal’s latest film
O Romeo stars Shahid Kapoor and Triptii Dimri in lead roles. The film was released during Valentine’s Week. Apart from the lead pair, the movie also features Disha Patani, Vikrant Massey, Tamannaah Bhatia, Farida Jalal, Nana Patekar, Avinash Tiwary, Aruna Irani, Hussain Dalal, Resh Lamba, and Rahul Deshpande in pivotal roles. It is produced under the banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment.
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