Known for movies like "Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! " and "Hum Saath Saath Hain", which glorified the joint family system in India, filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya says his banner Rajshri Productions will now produce entertainment that will talk about progressive Indian families which are more nuclear in nature.
"The concept of family culture is changing from 'we to I'. The idea of a joint family has come down to nuclear family. The internal relationship between a father and son has also changed. So, we at Rajshri Productions will be projecting that progressive concept of family and relationship in our upcoming projects -- whether it is on TV series or films," Barjatya told IANS here.
The filmmaker spoke to IANS in reference to his new TV series "Ek Shringaar... Swabhimaan" on Colors. It features Prachee Shah Pandya, Sangeita Chauhan and Ankita Sharma.
The story of the show, which went on air on December 19, revolves around how a single mother brings up her daughters, who face difficulty in finding their life partners due to their higher education and high-profile jobs.
Talking about choosing such a topic, Barjatya said: "I have seen how people are constantly talking about gender equality, women empowerment and education for girl child. These are good thoughts that need to be spoken out, but they are missing on something."
"What is the point of discovering the equal ability of a girl child if you are not allowing her to pursue her dream in the professional field? As a man, why are you egoistic when your wife is more educated than you or earns more money? Why do the in-laws don't support their daughter in-law to continue her job after marriage? Why a girl's career has to be compromised in the name of family responsibility?"
"It might sound outdated in urban India, but not in small town middle-class families where the majority is living. These thoughts are my core inspiration to make this TV series."
With the language of Indian cinema changing and women-centric films being made more frequently, what's his take on the evolving projection of women on screen?
He said: "It's not only about women, but the youngsters' love story has changed. They are realistic, which is good. Nevertheless, I have a problem with its projection. Why do they (filmmakers) mostly highlight the flamboyant side of youngsters? They are not all about partying and sleeping around? Their mindset is highly career-oriented and that should come out on films more."
Appreciating the film "Pink" as one which had the correct projection of women, Barjatya terms the Amitabh Bachchan starrer as "one of the best in recent times".
Talking about produce some contemporary films, Barjatya said: "As a banner, we are planning to produce two films next year that are on contemporary topics. One of them would be directed by my younger son. He is from the new generation, so his outlook towards life, relationships and society is different. As a father, I appreciate his individual take on story and filmmaking."
"However, as a production house, we will be maintaining the tradition and value of Indian culture that we hold close to our heart."
