Filmmaker Pratim D Gupta recently shared a long note on Instagram, pointing out how Vijay Sethupathi and Sai Pallavi shooting in Kolkata drew far more attention than Mani Ratnam‘s return to the city or his collaboration with award-winning cinematographer Avik Mukhopadhyay. Soon, Hrithik Roshan responded to the post. The actor agreed that audiences in India are more drawn to stardom than to cinema itself.
Pratim D Gupta’s post on cinema and stardom
In his post, Pratim D Gupta called the way cinema is celebrated in India “heartbreaking.” He noted that Mani Ratnam had returned to Kolkata to shoot a film after ‘Yuva’, but the spotlight stayed on Vijay Sethupathi and Sai Pallavi. He also pointed out that few noticed that the renowned director was working with Avik Mukhopadhyay, a three-time National Award winner, who was shooting a Tamil film for the first time.Pratim wrote, “Perhaps this is not just a media problem. Perhaps it is a cultural problem. We have created a strange hierarchy where being seen has become more important than having made something.” He added, “A star walks into a restaurant, and it becomes news. A great filmmaker walks into a city and we barely notice. A star waves from a car and thousands of people gather. A cinematographer creates an image that stays in our heads for twenty years, and most people don’t even know his name.“He concluded, “Cinema is bigger than stardom. And if we don’t learn to celebrate the people who make cinema, we will eventually reduce cinema itself to celebrity spotting.”
Hrithik Roshan agrees and says THIS about stars
Hrithik Roshan commented under Pratim’s post in support, writing, “Cinema is bigger than stardom. Well said. Unfortunately we have a very superficial understanding of cinema here in india.” He further said audiences believe a star’s on-screen persona reflects who they truly are.He added, “Like how kids believe. Somehow we haven’t grown up to understand where the actual art lies. I hope more people discuss this. And start getting fascinated by all the other perhaps even more important aspects of filmmaking.”
More about Pratim Gupta and Hrithik Roshan
Pratim D Gupta began his career as a journalist before turning filmmaker with 2012’s ‘Paanch Adhyay’. He has since directed Bengali films like ‘X: Past Is Present’, ‘Shaheb Bibi Golaam’ and ‘Maacher Jhol’, with ‘Ranna Baati’ (2025) being his latest. Hrithik was last seen in ‘War 2’ and had a cameo in ‘Alpha’. He will next direct and feature in ‘Krrish 4’.
