I'm not drawn to formulaic films: Leena Yadav

Filmmaker Leena Yadav, known for her critically acclaimed film "Parched", says she is drawn to complex and flawed characters and doesn't see herself exploring formulaic movies as everything is just perfect in it.

"I am not drawn to formulaic films because there is no space for flawed characters to exist in that set up. Sometimes in my scripts characters have been one dimensional and I have changed them on set... I can't see a black and white character because I haven't met any," Leena told PTI.

The filmmaker explains, it's the detailing and the back stories of characters which fascinate her.

"If I see a villain, I want to see his vulnerabilities. Why did he become what he is? I truly believe we start off as good people and then circumstances shape us. It bores me if I see a hero who is perfect. There has to be some kind of flaw in him," she adds.

Leena, who made her debut in 2005 with Aishwarya Rai-Sanjay Dutt starrer "Shabd", appreciates people who can pull off a successful commercial entertainer but cannot see herself venturing into that space.

The director says she's intrigued with the grey side which exists in people and wanted to explore that even in her latest Netflix comedy-drama, "Rajma Chawal."
"For me, everybody is complex. In 'Parched', the men were equally victims of the conditioning. Similarly, with the father-son relationship in 'Rajma Chawal'. They both can be flawed but let's have a conversation around it."
While streaming on a platform like Netflix removes the pressure of the box office figures, Leena says the number game can get "tricky."
"It is not that I don't bother about box office. According to me 'Parched' was a very commercial film too."