The year 2020 is officially over. However, the changes that it brought about will be evident in the way things work for a while. For instance, storytelling through the visual medium. In 2020, several films that were meant for theatrical release, found themselves premiering on OTT platforms. Today, several filmmakers have more shows or movies meant for a direct-to-digital release on the cards than films for the big theatrical run, given the acceptance for their previous content on the online medium. One such filmmaker is Hansal Mehta, whose film and show both premiered in the OTT space.

Speaking about what he plans to do next, Hansal tells BT, “I am just doing what I always do — trying to reinvent myself and do something new. I am constantly trying to evolve for the better or for worse. I am trying to tell new stories, experiment with new and different characters. What has changed since last year is the fact that producers are now allowing me to tell the stories that I want to tell with complete freedom.”

Talking about the greatest challenge that lies ahead for filmmakers now, he says, “I think the challenge that lies ahead for all of us is how one works in this current scenario. The Coronavirus pandemic is still here. With the popularity of digital content, storytelling patterns have changed. We are not sure about how things will be after this is over. Storytelling, I’d say, has gone through a paradigm shift, and we have to adapt to it. I think I have adapted to it.”

Hansal, like everyone else, spent a lot of time indoors with his family during the lockdown. He was even seen catching up with friends like Vishal Bhardwaj and Anurag Kashyap on video calls. “The biggest learning from this pandemic is that there is no greater joy than being with family and friends. The time taught us who our real friends are and how much we long to be with those people who genuinely matter,” he says.