Bollywood director Anubhav Sinha says Hindi film audiences are still smitten with star power, but he is happy that new genres of films are making their way to theatres.
Sinha has worked with established actors like Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt, as well as with newcomers.
"Bollywood is not moving away from its age-old paradigm. We love our stars and worship them. Pick up the top 10 grossing films of Bollywood, they are all in the same Bollywood space and recipe. Most of them are star-driven films," Sinha told IANS over he phone from Mumbai.
But now, audiences are accepting films in new genres like the thriller "Kahaani", which is a positive sign.
"What is happening is that audiences are also accepting stuff from outside the Bollywood recipe. That is good news," he said.
The director, whose upcoming film "Warning" has newcomers like Suzana Rodrigues and Santosh Barmola, said that working with fresh faces has its merits and demerits.
"You can be way more relaxed with a newcomer than what you can be with a star. But both the avenues come with their pros and cons. It is a choice which a director should make...whether to rope in a star or not," he said.
Sinha, who has even directed superstar Shah Rukh Khan for "Ra. One" said that the big names he has worked with have been very supportive.
"The stars whom I worked with were nice and hardworking people. Being with them on a set or film was not difficult," he said.
Sinha is also producing Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla-starrer "Gulaab Gang". He said that working with both the actresses has been "a great experience.
"I'm working with two ladies who I've been a fan of even before I came into the industry. I met them at different points, but getting to work with them and putting them together in a movie is a great experience. Seeing them together is fantastic," he said.
"Gulaab Gang", directed by Soumik Sen, is a film based on women activists. Sinha disagrees that Bollywood is moving towards women-centric films.
"'Mother India' was made decades back, so was 'Bandini'. 'Mere Apne' had a female protagonist. I don't know why we want to jump to this conclusion that audiences are changing or that cinema is changing. We made these films long back. They became successful long back," he said.
