Since he began his second innings with Mulk (2018), director Anubhav Sinha has left the tricks and tropes of mainstream cinema behind. His offerings over the past five years, from Article 15 (2019) to Thappad (2020) and the recent Bheed, have been hard-hitting dramas highlighting society’s ills. He admits that not only as a filmmaker, but also as an audience, he doesn’t quite enjoy masala entertainers anymore.

“I loved Pathaan; it has euphoria. But now, it’s difficult for me to watch them because I start looking at gender bias, and [underlying] things like that. I have become a little cuckoo with such films, and need to correct myself,” shares the filmmaker.

Sinha recounts how during the making of Ayushmann Khurrana-led Article 15, which looked at caste divide prevalent in the country, he lent a gritty treatment to the film, despite the scope for adding commercial elements. Would he add any mainstream tropes to the movie if he was releasing Article 15 today, when high-concept stories aren’t working in theatres?

“In Article 15, when Ayushmann’s character joins duty and a party is thrown for him, I could have had a Beedi Jalaile there. But I chose to have a guy there singing out of tune. It’s easier said than done, but if there ever was a genre where a political film could have action and great songs, there would be more films in the universe. But there aren’t any.”