Which Filmmakers Have Influenced Mahesh Bhatt As A Film Maker?

The name Mahesh Bhatt brings alive some of the thought provoking movies that Indian cinema had never dared to make. While on one hand Mahesh Bhatt has made movies that have made the best possible statements on his behalf like as ARTH, SAARANSH, DADDY, ZAKHM etc. On the contrarily he has also proved his mettle in the typical commercial potboilers making hits films like NAAM, SADAK, AASHIQUI, HUM HAIN RAHI PYAR KE. 

September 20 marks the birthday of Mahesh Bhatt, the genius filmmaker of contemporary cinema; Raaga.Com wishes him birthday greeting and takes a look at the filmmakers that have influenced Bhatt as a film maker. 

Speaking about the film makers who have influenced him Mahesh Bhatt in an interview said, “Indian cinema can be classified in to the commercial format - the one made by Raj Kapoor, Mehboob Khan, K Asif, Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt. The other form of cinema being the - ‘Art Cinema’ which was introduced by Satyajit Ray. He dared and captured the complex realities of rural India in his own distinguished way. Following his foot step we had Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani and M.S. Sathyu. It gave birth to middle-of-the-road cinema.” 

He added, “However I have been hugely impressed by eminent filmmaker Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who exceptionally bridged the gap between commercial cinema and the art cinema. Thus making movies that touched the core of film buffs. Movies that had substance and a dose of wholesome entertainment films like ANAND, AASHIRWAD, BAWARCHI, SATYAKAM, CHUPKE CHUPKE, ANUPAMA, ABHIMAAN, GUDDI, GOL MAAL.”

He concludes, “Thus I have been groomed by the cinema of the 1960s and some part of the 1950s. Even Ray impacted my psyche. The best of Indian cinema was responsible for pushing a man like me to make heart-breaking narratives with ARTH, NAAM, SAARANSH”