Renowned filmmaker Kiran Rao, the creative force behind Laapataa Ladies and Dhobi Ghat, and producer of notable films like Laal Singh Chaddha and Delhi Belly, has shared profound insights about the dramatic transformation of Indian cinema's distribution and consumption landscape.
From Single Screens to Digital Platforms
Rao vividly recalls the era when cinema viewing was limited to theatrical releases for at least six months before television broadcasts. "When I first started out, the world was different. There were no places you could watch a film other than a theatre for at least six months, until it came on television. There was literally no such thing as the internet," she remembers.
The filmmaker emphasizes how the current scenario presents a complete contrast with multiple distribution platforms and diverse media formats available on each platform. This evolution has fundamentally altered how audiences engage with cinematic content.
The Social Media Challenge and Authentic Storytelling
Rao points out that social media now competes directly with traditional filmmaking content, creating an entirely new landscape for creators. "Social media is competing with all other kinds of filmmaking content. It's a whole new landscape for a filmmaker," she observes.
Despite technological advancements, Rao believes that human instincts remain unchanged. "To be relevant, one just needs to be authentic. Humans are still humans — our instinctive responses to stories, ideas, moments haven't changed. What makes us human hasn't altered, even though technology has," she asserts.
Changing Attention Spans and Storytelling Integrity
The filmmaker expresses concern about evolving viewer habits and their impact on narrative construction. "With the way people's attention has changed, creators and filmmakers try to reverse-engineer storytelling to grab attention. And that, to my mind, makes for weak storytelling," she shares critically.
Rao questions the effectiveness of attention-grabbing strategies that prioritize brief engagement over substantial narrative development. "If you're only trying to grab a person's attention for five seconds, that's not perhaps the best way to approach a story's bigger arc," she adds.
Nevertheless, the accomplished filmmaker maintains an optimistic outlook about the future of long-format storytelling. "There are a huge number of people who like the long format, who are interested in a good story. I don't think that will change so quickly," she concludes with confidence.
