In solidarity with independent cinema

Actor Adil Hussain feels depriving audience of watching meaningful films is a disservice to society

MAKING A POINT Adil Hussain

Having achieved fame as a performer both in popular as well as critically acclaimed films, actor Adil Hussain is now donning a new role. He was recently declared as the mentor and brand ambassador of Pickurflick which is a video-on-demand platform for curated, acclaimed and award-winning cinema from around the world.

Speaking at a media interaction announcing his association with the platform, Adil shared the experience of his first film Yug which was made in 1982. It was incidentally also the first video film made in Assam. He said that during that time there was no platform to exhibit the film and hence the cast and crew would go to different places with a cassette, a VCR player, and a television to show the movie in numerous towns. He was amazed by the technological advances that had taken place in the past few years which have made it so easy for a filmmaker to make his movie reach the viewers.

Talking about his first encounter with the power of cinema, Adil revealed that after watching

Yaadon Ki Baraat in 1973, “ he came out of the theatre as Dharmendra, all ready to avenge anyone who wronged his family”. He said, “Cinema is a powerful medium that shapes philosophy of both young and grown-up minds. Intimacy between you and the actors on screen is so much that these larger-than-life actors seep down into your emotional being. Depriving audiences of watching meaningful cinema is a disservice to the society.”

Adil said he perceived cinema as a “medium of art” and not as a “medium of product”. He further added, “I hope we at Pickurflick become successful in growing this small seed into a huge tree.” Pickurflick which came into being two years ago, aids independent filmmakers to showcase and distribute their films online.