Anandita Dudeja
5. Mira Nair
If there exists a parallel cinema, then Mira Nair is the pioneer of its being. Not only did she make me fall in love with cinema, she made me understand the complexities of child sexual abuse and many such social conflicts through ‘Monsoon Wedding’. I have nothing but respect and admiration for the world she takes me in, because when I exit that world I’m a different person waiting to call out the evils. She doesn’t particularly belong here in this list, because in my head she is beyond all of it.
4. Vishal Bhardwaj
One of the most underrated names, he must’ve made Shakespeare proud. Sad, we’ll never know. The man of many talents, Vishal Bharadwaj’s cinema is so authentic with an awkwardness that is so unique to its artist that I was immediately drawn to it. He made Kay Kay Menon play Claudius, that is testimony enough for the madness that must go on in that chaotic mind of his. I’m pursuing a degree in Literature, withstanding the cliche I’ve read plenty of Shakespeare; and Hamlet to Haider is unbelievable, weaving Kashmir into it requires an astounding imagination.
3. Vikramaditya Motwane
Very early on in life, I was acquainted to Khaled Hosseini’s world when I read ‘The Kite Runner’. I was torn, by the gravity of depth in human emotion he could delve into. ‘Udaan’ to me is synonymous to the bestselling book, considering the overwhelming emotions I felt throughout. The only thing common between the two is how sad it left me, with epiphanies in abundance. Motwane’s world is so subtle that you can never foresee the cathartic experience you’re about to live.
2. Imtiaz Ali
His last film might be disappointment of the decade, but we can’t take away all that Imtiaz Ali has given us. Imtiaz’s films always evoke confused reactions, his niche audience keeps on defending him and the others keep on mocking him. I’ve always been on the side of the latter, because with his characters I’ve developed a personality of my own. Right now though, I’m tongue-tied because I don’t feel like defending him but I can’t keep myself from doing so. Nevertheless, Imtiaz does always acquaint an actor to his/her potential beyond their ability to self-affirm and that is exactly what the job of an amazing director is, to give the right direction.
1. Anurag Kashyap
Cinema and passion deems synonymous to me today because of this one man. A representative of a cinema that we did not know existed, a few years ago. His work is an amalgamation of all things real, brutally real. I stopped looking at cinema as just a medium for entertainment and started pondering over what a powerful agent it can be to bring about drastic changes in perspectives and mindsets. Kashyap is just another prodigy, who didn’t wait to be discovered. Instead, he paved the way for plenty of other people.
