Sudipto Sen on why Indian cinema is struggling and what Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar got right

Sudipto Sen

• Sudipto Sen is the first international filmmaker to visit Israel's Nova Massacre Site.
• Sen plans to make a film on the October 7, 2025 tragedy, focusing on truth
• He believes cinema should confront uncomfortable truths, not avoid controversy

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Noted filmmaker Sudipto Sen has never shied away from difficult subjects, but his recent global engagements have pushed his creative and moral boundaries even further.

Sudipto Sen finds himself at the centre of international conversations around cinema, conflict, truth, and responsibility.

His visit to Israel, including being the first international filmmaker to visit the Nova Massacre Site, has sparked intense curiosity about his next cinematic move.

From Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, he says his visit was not merely observational it was deeply introspective and one that forced him to confront history, trauma, and the role of storytelling in times of political and human crisis.

In a tell it all exclusicve conversation with Moneycontrol, The Kerala Files director  speaks about why certain global tragedies dominate discourse while others are forgotten, how Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar found resonance when much of Indian cinema struggles, and why he believes cinema must remain a 'dangerous game of storytelling' rather than a safe, compromised exercise.

He said films like Dhurandhar are 'kind of fresh oxygen to this struggling industry.'

Excerpts from the exclusive conversation: 

In an era where conflict narratives are often polarised, how do you plan to tell stories rooted in human suffering without them being reduced to mere political debates?

Sudipto: I am well aware about the burning controversy about the Israel-Arab world conflict. I am much aware about the isolation of Israel in world politics, how that has intensified with the increasing propaganda of the west. As a filmmaker, I know much about the history also. Though the Jew genocide of Nazis is now a chapter of history - but, atrocities against the Jews never declined. People all over are talking about Gaza killings - but, unfortunately nobody is talking about what triggered that. October 7, 2025 killing of 1700 innocent jews and abduction of 100s - world decides to forget. As a filmmaker I felt responsible to tell the story of October 7, 2025.”

You were the first international filmmaker to visit the Nova site. Did you feel a moral responsibility to bear witness and to eventually translate that into cinema?

Sudipto: Exactly. The anger - the empathy of a filmmaker must find the way out with his cinema. I also did not take much time to decide to make a film.”

What do you have to say about the resounding success of Dhurandhar? Why do you think it worked and what resonated with the audience that other movies didn't in the past?

Sudipto: “Success of any Indian film is a matter of rejoice and happiness. That is what we work for. In recent years, the Indian cinema industry is inching closer to its lowest ebb. The success of my film or Dhurandhar - are kind of fresh oxygen to this struggling industry. And, I attribute the success of these films to a strong milieu of story-telling and logically perfect nuanced visuals. These missing traits are the reason for the downfall of Indian cinema. There lies the success of Dhurandhar.”

Your participation at the Jerusalem Sessions focused on cinema’s responsibility during times of conflict. Do you believe filmmakers today are doing enough to confront uncomfortable truths?

Sudipto: “Unfortunately, yes. Today filmmakers are scared - hence decided to live in their compromised saffer zone. That is why they are commonly behaving like ostriches. if your cinema is not a dangerous game of storytelling - then you are not a filmmaker.”

Sources suggest you may be working on a film inspired by the Nova tragedy. What ethical boundaries must a filmmaker draw when adapting real-life trauma for the screen?

Sudipto: “Only ethics is to be on the side of the truth. I don't make films emotionally - I make films with emotion. Even a real-life trauma has progression and evolution. As a filmmaker, my job is to follow the right trail and reach to the pinnacle of truth. Once there, the job of a filmmaker becomes easy.”

This visit has sparked global conversations around your next project. Can such experiences redefine the kind of stories you want to tell going forward?

Sudipto: “Reaching Israel - visiting Jerusalem, Haifa or Jaffa in Tel Aviv - was my dream come true moment. Witnessing 2000 years or more of old history is not any simple tourism. It is kind of revisiting the roots of our civilization. And, exactly standing there, if we see places like Nova sites or devastated kibbutz down south of the country - your heart will definitely skip a few beats. Definitely question your existence as a filmmaker.”

Sudipto Sen is known for his work in Bengali and Hindi films. His film The Kerala Story, and Bastar: The Naxal Story were widely talked about. Sen ha also established his production banner Sipping Tea Cinemas. He also received the National Film Award for best direction for his film The Kerala Story.