'Would they cut a Chris Nolan film without his permission?' Shekhar Kapur fumes over OTT editing of 'Bandit Queen'

Shekhar Kapur fumes over Bandit Queen editing

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has recently expressed his deep frustration with the editing of his 1994 film Bandit Queen on the OTT platform Amazon Prime. In a series of posts on social media, Shekhar Kapur made it clear that his iconic film had been altered beyond recognition without his consent, leaving him upset and disappointed. He questioned the ethical implications of such modifications and raised a significant point about the treatment of Indian filmmakers compared to their Western counterparts.

Shekar Kapur’s comments began after a tweet where he praised the Netflix miniseries Adolescence. The filmmaker commended the series for its bold and unconventional storytelling, noting, “I’m not the first one to say this but #Adolescence from #Netflix redefines what truly great series can achieve. It defies the regular 3 act structure of cause and effect and plunges you deeply into the minds of the characters and allows you to reflect upon yourself... It’s next level story telling. Watch it.”

In response to Shekhar's post, fellow filmmaker Sudhir Mishra remarked that such bold storytelling would be impossible in the Indian film industry, stating, “Nobody will let us do something like that. One should do it as an independent film. Something of our own which is wanderous, then stops, digs and goes where the smell takes us.”

He expressed his anger over the alteration of Bandit Queen on Amazon Prime, tweeting, “I wonder @IAmSudhirMishra if OTT platforms would let me make #BanditQueen the way I made it years ago. The Bandit Queen on #AmazonPrime is unrecognisable from my film. Someone has cut it beyond recognition. And yet it carries my name as Director. And no one asked me! Are we lesser beings than Western Directors? Would they have the guts to cut a Chris Nolan film without his permission?”

Filmmaker Kunal Kohli, known for films like Hum Tum, also weighed in on the issue. He empathized with Kapur, stating, “But the Shekhar Kapur before Bandit Queen would definitely not be allowed by any OTT to make Bandit Queen the way he wants to. Cutting / Hacking your film without your permission is shocking to say the least.”

Also Read: Jaya Bachchan mocks Akshay Kumar’s Toilet: Ek Prem Katha title, says, "ye koi naam hai? Flop film hai"

Hansal Mehta, another prominent filmmaker, joined the conversation by supporting Kapur’s frustration. “That is the point I’ve been trying to make @shekharkapur. Are we here to foster superior storytelling or to produce cattle-feed? Leave the good stories, the innovative storytelling, the silences, the slow burn, the experiments, the audacity, the budgets to the superior minds from the west. Welcome back to the days of colonisation,” Mehta wrote.

The controversy over the editing of Bandit Queen highlights a deeper concern about the evolving role of OTT platforms in the film industry. While these platforms have revolutionized the way audiences consume content, they have also raised questions about how they engage with filmmakers' original works. The debate surrounding Kapur’s film underscores the ongoing tensions between creative freedom and commercial interests in an increasingly globalized digital landscape.