‘The director isn’t everything’

It is imperative to give screenwriters their due if Hindi cinema is to move to the next level, Bollywood powerhouse Karan Johar said at the 41st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

In a lively onstage conversation at the Glenn Gould Studio, a part of the festival’s official programme, he said, “The industry is trying out new genres and approaches all right, but we do not empower writers enough. The writer is the soul of a film. The director isn’t everything – they should contribute to that soul.”

With that goal in mind, his Dharma Productions, he said, has set up a new writing division to encourage the creation of original content for films. —PTI