“Cinema cannot change the system of society. The education system must change for experimentation in cinema,” Ashutosh Gowarikar, the keynote speaker at the Flickers seminar, said today. The other speakers at the seminar were Nagesh Kukunoor, Khalid Mohamed, Mahesh Dattani, and Nagathahalli Chandrashekar. The seminar explored the new trends emerging in Hindi cinema today, and provided a platform for the audience to meet filmmakers and gain insights about the men who are shaping the future of Hindi cinema.

Nagesh Kukunoor spoke of the influence of passion and originality on his work.. “I believe in two things: passion and originality. There is no point in living life without passion. Be original. There are a million themes in this country. I am fiercely protective of my originality,” he said. Kukunoor had a word of advice for students, on how to choose a profession: “If you ever wake up and drag yourself to work, you are doing the wrong thing”.

While Khalid Mohamed discussed filmmaking from the perspective of a film critic, and called criticism “an invitation to thinking, Mahesh Dattani dealt with his transition from theatre to cinema. He discussed their similarities, particularly the art of storytelling. Nagathahalli Chandrashekar talked about the status of regional cinema and expressed concern that multiplexes catered only to the elite audiences. He also said that films should blend art and commercialism to cater to a larger population.