MUMBAI: Director Mohit Suri, who delivered the blockbuster in the form of ‘Saiyaara’ earlier this year, recollected the most valuable teaching of his mentor.
The director had spoken with IANS during the celebrations to the response to ‘Saiyaara’, and said that he thinks the Indian audience watches films with their entire body and not the mind or the heart.
He told IANS, “India, as my mentor taught me, doesn't watch films with the head or the heart but with the body. When you see a thrilling scene, you clap. It's a body reaction. You have a sensual scene playing in front of you, it actually turns you on. You see an emotional film, you cry, which is a physical reaction. When you enjoy a hero's dancing, you get up and you dance. You see the reactions that you're seeing of people in the crowd, their body reactions and people are reacting and shouting and screaming. That's how India watches cinema”.
He further mentioned, “This is how we are emotional people. And we show our emotions with our body, not with our head and heart. So I think for a filmmaker, you need to enjoy things that way. And that's the only way to do it, the audience feels the same”.
Talking about ‘Saiyaara’, the film witnessed a terrific opening collecting INR 21.5 crore in India. ‘Son of Sardaar 2’, which stars Ajay Devgn and Mrunal Thakur, opened to a third figure of ‘Saiyaara’ at INR 7.25 crore, as per industry tracker Sacnilk. The film had pushed its release date after witnessing the storm unleashed by ‘Saiyaara’ at the box-office. However, it still couldn’t capitalise on the delayed release.
‘Saiyaara’ has done to this generation what ‘Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai’ did to the millenials or ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ did to Generation X with its debutants.