Society is more violent now: Filmmaker Ketan Mehta

The Indian society is turning more violent now, said Ketan Mehta while expressing his concern about the young students of the country during the third edition of Taj Literature Festival which ended on Sunday.

Mehta said, "India is an extremely liberal country and its character is changing now. I am uncomfortable with that. We are witnessing a violent and polarized society now.

Mehta had made the films like ''Maya Memsaheb'' and ''Mirch Masala'' and is working on his next movie ''Rani of Jhansi''. '' He also made a movie "Toba Tek Singh" along with six directors from India and Pakistan to mark the 70th year of Partition. The movie will be released next month.

He also compared the current situation of the country with his movie ''Holi'' ' released in 1984. Holi, shot mainly on the campus of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, also based on the theme of student rebellion on the campus.

Speaking about 'Holi', which was based on the violence of society faced by students, Mehta said, '' There was a strike at FTII when I was a student there. I was reliving the experience through the movie.

"If an artist chooses to play safe, he stops being an artist. As an artist, I don't have the skill and I keep doing what I want to do," he said.

"Toba Tek Singh", which is part of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd's Zeal For Unity (ZFU) project, is a biography of famous Sanskrit writer Saadat Hasan Manto. It is also seen as an initiative between India-Pakistan.

Speaking about the movie, he said that it talks about a mental asylum in Lahore and the consequences of two countries decision on the exchange of lunatics few years later Partition. "It is an extremely poignant story about the greatest human tragedy. Manto is the maverick of the times and Pankaj Kapur has done a great job as Toba Tek Singh," he said.

Mehta also talks about his next movie ''Rani of Jhansi'' leading character Kangana Ranaut, said Kangana is the best fit for the role.

"Rani of Jhansi is one of the strongest woman characters in world history. Ranaut has fire in the belly and she has the hunger to do something new," said the director, adding that the film's shooting will begin in October.

Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor will be the movie thereafter.

"I had planned three movies as a series. 'Mangal Pandey, The Rising' was the first in the series and 'Rani of Jhansi' is the second, which I am currently working. The third will be on Bahadur Shah Zafar," he said.