Filmmaker director Shekhar Kapur, who is known for his contribution to Indian cinema with masterpieces like Mr India and Bandit Queen, is all set to make a sequel to his 1983 directorial debut film Masoom. In a conversation with us, Kapur spoke about his inspiration for the sequel, his daughter Kaveri, who will make her acting debut with this project and how his films are all about the story, never the star. Excerpts:

I have decided to make Masoom 2 - The New Generation for a reason. The story revolves around the next generation and their issues. The new generation is constantly thinking about who they are, where they are headed and so on. I want to make a film about them, their value system, how they relate to parents, single parents, and the entire debate about the old generation versus the new generation. There have been films on the new generation, but they have only touched the surface.

My daughter has been an artist for a long time and when I read her lyrics, I realized she is more of a philosopher. At her age, she talks about philosophy with Deepak Chopra. I have been discussing acting projects with her, but she kept saying, ‘No, that’s not me’. Then we watched a few Alia Bhatt films together, and she admired her work. That’s how she got interested in acting. I always knew she would act. When she was younger, I used to call her my entertainment machine; she would crack jokes and it is not easy being funny. She is talented like her mom (actress Suchitra Krishnamoorthi). The inspiration for the Masoom sequel came from Kaveri because she has often spoken to me about how their generation suffers from anxiety and how life is tougher as there are many opportunities, but the pressure is higher. I am currently writing her dialogues, but I hope that someone from her generation will share more about their issues. I don’t want my daughter to feel that I failed her. The film will also feature the old cast, including Shabana Azmi.

Social media has definitely put pressure on Gen Z because it is creating an artificial aspirational life for them. Many young people I meet have become victims. People on social media keep sharing posts about how great their life is, which is not the reality. With ChatGPT and AI, it is a different life for Gen Z.

In India, I agree (I did less work), but I did a lot of work abroad. I am proud of the fact that I worked with actors in Hollywood when they had started their careers, like Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger (directed him in Four Feathers). After Bandit Queen, I figured that it was not easy to tell different stories. Now, with OTT, things have changed, and actors like Manoj Bajpayee are winning accolades. But, in those days, it was not possible to work with Manoj Bajpayee and make a film. You had to take a star, and when you work with a star, things change. I have never made a film which is a star vehicle, whether it is in the east or west. I have always worked on a movie where everyone is subservient to the film and story. Even when I worked with Sridevi in Mr India (1987), she was not a star; she had acted in Himmatwala (1983) and later became a star.

I will never make Mr India 2 because I have already made the first part. But, I would not mind if they take another director and make the film and remember that the original was born because of the joy of filmmaking.

The big-ticket films do make sense because they are like a joy ride. But then, every now and then, we get a film like 12th Fail, and it reminds us how there are interesting films like these, too. I have enjoyed watching a lot of good content on OTT, like Panchayat, and many good writers have moved over to OTT platforms. I agree that social context is missing in films today, but then directors should be motivated to make films like Naya Daur and Pyaasa, which were so socially relevant.