Today’s audiences demand better content: Kiran Rao

Filmmakers are therefore pushing the envelope, says Kiran Rao

Filmmaker Kiran Rao, who is associated with the school of content-oriented cinema, is presenting Anand Gandhi’s film Ship of Theseus to the Indian audience. Releasing on July 19, she feels it’s a good time for such cinema today. “Times are much more encouraging for filmmakers and audiences. Today’s audiences are exposed to cinema and television from all over the world and hence, are much more demanding of better content. This is a great opportunity for filmmakers because you can take risks and push the envelope,” she says.

In complete awe of Gandhi’s direction, the 39-year-old says, “It’s an unusual film. It has a very interesting concept and is made with a lot of integrity. It is well-written, beautifully performed and incredibly well-shot film. In terms of cinema, it’s a complete film to watch.”

And though Rao agrees that the film is meant for a niche audience, she is hopeful of a good response. “It is for a certain kind of audience, but I’m hoping that the response will be much bigger than we can imagine. It’s niche because it has a certain narrative, idiom and structure. The language of the cinema is different from what you would expect from a regular, commercial film. But that doesn’t mean it won’t attract audiences. It will probably just be a smaller audience as compared to a regular, big film,” she says.