Dominance of Hindi language in Indian cinema, says Aparna Sen

“There was a talk of making a part two of ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’. I was asked to make it in Hindi. One of the lead characters in the film is a Bengali and the other one is a Tamil. And that is why I had made the film in English because that is the language in which both of them can talk,” Sen said at a seminar on national and regional cinema

Rueing the dominance of Hindi language in Indian cinema, acclaimed film director Aparna Sen today said she was once asked by a producer to make a sequel of her hit English film ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’ in Hindi.

“There was a talk of making a part two of ‘Mr and Mrs Iyer’. I was asked to make it in Hindi. One of the lead characters in the film is a Bengali and the other one is a Tamil. And that is why I had made the film in English because that is the language in which both of them can talk,” Sen said at a seminar on national and regional cinema here.

She said she was told that Hindi would be more acceptable by the audience.

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The highly acclaimed 2002 film ‘Mr & Mrs Iyer’ had Konkona Sen Sharma and Rahul Bose in lead roles.

On the promotion of Hindi, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore said the government is promoting Hindi in a big way and even Bollywood is also promoting Hindi.

“The government is obviously pushing Hindi. In government offices officers are told to promote Hindi and speak in Hindi. They are doing it in a full-fledged way,” Tagore said.

Actress-director Nandita Das said she is against the use of the term regional cinema.

“Because that would mean Hindi is national and all others are regional,” she said adding that market forces interfere with the world of cinema and arts.

Explaining why she has done many non-Hindi films, Das said to appeal to a mainstream audience she would have to compromise with the kind of work she wants to do.

Sharmila Tagore, who has worked with Satyajit Ray in a number of his films, said Ray’s Bengali film “Pather Panchali” (Song of the Road) was the first Indian cinema which put India on the world map.

Unlike popular perceptions Ray’s films used to do well at the box office, she said.

Bollywood director Dibakar Banerjee said Ray’s films were not slow but alive and fast moving.

‘Pather Panchali’ completed 60 years of its release this month.