Hansal Mehta says ‘there is no agenda’ behind his films: It is my job to raise questions for the audience

Filmmaker Hansal Mehta responded to a question on how he retains the authenticity of his films without hurting sentiments. In a new interview, Hansal said that he neither judges the characters, nor is there any ‘agenda’ behind his storytelling. Hansal also added that the ‘only reason’ he tells stories is to allow the ‘audience to be the judge’. (Also Read | Hansal Mehta says he had to ’emotionally blackmail’ Harman Baweja to act in web series Scoop)

Hansal’s career

Hansal started his career with the television show Khana Khazana (1993–2000). He has directed several films since then including Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar (2000), Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai (2002), and Woodstock Villa (2008). Hansal also helmed Shahid (2013), City Lights (2014), Aligarh (2016), Simran (2017), Omerta (2018) and Scam 1992 (2020).

Hansal on his films

In an interview with India.com, Hansal said, “I do my work very simply. I don’t judge my characters and their circumstances. There is no agenda behind my storytelling. The only reason I tell stories is to allow the audience to be the judge, reflect and to question. In my opinion it is my job to raise those questions for the audience. In my work, the audience is an equal collaborator as much as the writers, actors, and everyone else. Because the audiences have to go back, take the story, think and make their own judgments about it.”

Talking about choosing the actors for his films he added, “I think the focus must be on the character. The person whom you are casting, you should see your character in them. That’s all I look for when I am casting. And I am of course helped by Mukesh Chhabra, who always pushes me to experiment and try new things. Then of course I can cast with such honesty, thanks to the producers and the platforms that have supported my work. And I am hoping that this continues.”

Hansal is all set to come up with an intriguing web series titled Scoop. The series, to be streamed on Netflix from June 2, will mark actor Inayat Sood’s debut on the platform. The series also stars Karishma Tanna, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Harman Baweja and Prosenjit Chatterjee.