Guwahati: Legendary Indian filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli engaged film enthusiasts, students and independent filmmakers in an enriching interactive session titled “The World of Girish Kasaravalli – An Interaction with the Master Filmmaker” at the second edition of Guwahati Asian Film Festival (GAFF).
The session, moderated by acclaimed Assamese filmmaker and writer Reema Borah, explored cinema as a philosophical, cultural and social medium, moving beyond surface aesthetics and commercial definitions of filmmaking.
Highlighting the importance of film festivals in nurturing cinematic literacy and dialogue, Girish Kasaravalli said, “Film festivals play a major role because this is the only forum where filmmakers and audiences can truly interact. It is also the only space where you look beyond the plot. Plot is not the film — discourse is the film. Only in festivals like this do you get the opportunity to understand that.”
Known for landmark films such as ‘Ghatashraddha’, ‘Thaayi Saheba’, ‘Dweepa’, ‘Hasina’ and ‘Naayi Neralu’, Kasaravalli spoke about his belief in cinema as a medium of quiet resistance and introspection rather than spectacle. He emphasised the importance of authenticity, moral complexity and cultural rootedness in filmmaking, noting that stories gain universality when they emerge from deeply local realities.
He further reflected on how cinema must be guided by ideas and philosophy rather than technical obsession or visual ornamentation. “People often mistake information for knowledge and then try to create art. But cinema has a philosophy behind technique. It is not about what lens looks good; it is about what idea the image communicates,” he said.
During the interaction, Kasaravalli spoke about evolving cinematic grammar, mentorship, casting discipline, and the responsibility of filmmakers to remain intellectually honest in an age of abundant information and rapid technological change.
Borah steered the discussion through Kasaravalli’s formative influences, including his association with theatre and film stalwart BV Karanth, and how those early collaborations shaped his understanding of performance, narrative structure and collaborative filmmaking.
The session witnessed strong participation from cinephiles and film students, with questions ranging from visual aesthetics and storytelling choices to the future of parallel cinema in the OTT era.
The interaction formed part of GAFF’s broader objective to build meaningful engagement between industry professionals and emerging talent, strengthening regional film culture and encouraging deeper cinematic discourse.
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The second edition of the Guwahati Asian Film Festival was organised by Trending Now Media with support from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India.
