Award-winning filmmaker Sudhir Mishra who is credited with critically acclaimed films like Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and social commentaries like Dharavi, debunks the “myth of a good time to make films.” At a discussion on the stage of a film festival in Chandigarh, Sudhir spoke about the need to make more films for the sake of promoting cinema.

“Making films is better than not making films, regardless of their outcome. The film which worked is the one only you could have made. As a filmmaker if you stop making films thinking this is not a good time, tell me, which is that mythical great time? If you come into cinema with that individualistic view, you will be in trouble, even with yourself,” he said, adding, “If you are a filmmaker, you should have 20 stories in your bag, if one is rejected you have others.”

Reflecting on the time he worked in the iconic Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro as the screenwriter, Sudhir says filmmaking was not as organized in that era. “Every heroine said no to that film at the time and the actors who were shooting for it didn’t have a better opinion either. One day on the set, Om Puri saab said, ‘ye kya likha hai tumne?’. I told him, ‘padha nai tha apne?’, and he said no. Naseeruddin Shah thought the film was a mess. At that time films got made basis personal equations, ‘tu bana raha hai film? Mein krta hun,’” he recalled.

Sudhir says despite setbacks, “I make films because that's all I know. I don't need research as I have a view on what's happened in real for subject of each of my films,” he said, adding, “Until it doesn't make me smell of the world, I don't know it's a film.”

Ask him if he considers himself a legend and he shot back, “I not a legend, because I'm not retiring. But yes, there's too much celebrityhood in this industry and people assume too much importance. All young actors of today will be forgotten in five years, because too much is happening in the world.”