MID-DAY (August 28, 2017)

Dear Zindagi director Gauri Shinde says digital platforms may be booming in the country, but they don’t excite her. “There are many platforms, but the key is the idea and story. Once you have that, you can adapt it to any format. If I have an idea that excites me, then I think of the platform I can take it to. But digital, as a concept, doesn’t excite me unless there is something new to do,” she says.

After making English Vinglish in 2012, her next Bollywood venture, Dear Zindagi, hit screens after four years. Is there another Bollywood film that she’s working on? “Nothing,” says Shinde, adding, “I don’t think there’s any pressure of having to do anything. That’s not how I think. If there’s something compelling, I will take it up.”

The director likes the fact that Hindi cinema is pushing the envelope and films highlighting social issues are made these days. “I hope we manage the content well and somebody doesn’t make a film that again pushes it all back. It needs to also be done in an entertaining manner, because it’s great that people are accepting this kind of cinema and we can experiment and take the risk of making such films,” Shinde says.