Audience are hungry for good cinema, says Singitam

‘People need to be exposed to international cinema at least for five years’

Film director Singitam Srinivasa Rao being felicitated by Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G. Nageswara Rao and former V-C G.S.N. Raju in Visakhapatnam.

While a large number of films are being made in India, in terms of quality it’s lagging behind countries like Iran, some small European countries and Korea. To improve the quality, people need to be exposed to international cinema at least for five years, says veteran film director Singitam Srinivasa Rao.

For it to happen and make them popular, the films screened at the international film festival in Goa should be shown with subtitles on a television channel instead of a piecemeal approach, he says.

‘Build theatres’

“During the last five years there has been an encouraging trend with low-budget, content-based films being received well. The audience are hungry for good cinema. As of now the reach of good films through film societies is limited to elite audience,” he says. Majority of viewers are not exposed to it and a bridge is required between good cinema and audience, he asserts.

For a film making minimum money is very essential. It will be commercially viable if the new, luxury apartments that boast all facilities including a swimming pool go in for a theatre with something like a capacity of 100, he suggests.

He is optimistic that once good cinema gains ground it will change the system of education and culture.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao, director of acclaimed films like ‘Dikkatra Parvati,’ ‘Taram Marindi,’ ‘America Ammayi,’ ‘Pushpak,’ ‘Aditya 369,’ among others, was interacting at a programme organised by the Vizag Film Society on Friday.

‘Biopic on Yellapragada’

Evincing interest on making a biopic, he said he had been looking for 15 years to make a film on noted scientist Yellapragada Subba Rao, who invented methotrexate, one of the first cancer chemotherapy agents and his struggle in the US. The 88-year-old filmmaker says he has scripts ready for the next 12 years and would announce his next film in three months.

Mr. Srinivasa Rao directed actor Kamal Hasan in several films, including ‘Pushpak’ and ‘Vichitra Sodarulu.’ He and the actor enjoyed a joke on them, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said replaying to a question on the chemistry between them recalling the jokes on ‘Amavasya Chandrudu,’ which later gained the status of a cult film.

On the shift in his choice of films from the early stage to later clean, entertaining cinema he said the sci-fi film ‘Aditya 369’ was first planned as a satire with focus on palace intrigue and even the script was ready. Even the script was ready but for fear of drawing flak from various sections, a commercially viable film was made. It’s the producers who take the risk and spend on making the film, he said.

Andhra University Vice-Chancellor G. Nageswara Rao felicitated him in the presence of former vice-chancellors G.S.N. Raju and V. Balamohadas and VFS secretary Narava Prakasa Rao.