Lyricist-director Gulzar, who gave cinematic gems like "Aandhi" and "Parichay", does not miss being behind the camera as he keeps himself connected to films by collaborating with young filmmakers.
"I don't miss making films. Though I am not directing films but I am still an active participant in films for Vishal Bharadwaj, Rakeyesh Omprakash Mehra, Meghna. The technology is very much advanced, I do try to understand it but I can't do it. The youngsters are very much aware about it," Gulzar said
After the screening of his 1971 film 'Mere Apne' on day one of Ladakh International Film Festival.
A retrospective of his work, curated by Bhardwaj, is being shown at LIFF.
Reflecting on his journey as a filmmaker, Gulzar said there is change in the way films are made today.
"Cinema reflects society. Today there is raftar (pace) among the youth... They want everything fast hence the same is reflected in films. There was not much technology but we were growing in cinema. Today conversation has taken a backseat. If I remake 'Mere Apne' today, I would reduce the scenes from 100 to 60," he said.
"Mere Apne", which saw Meena Kumari play an old woman, marked Gulzar's debut as a director. A remake of of Tapan Sinha's Bengali film "Apanjan", the film is noted for showing angst of youth.
Gulzar said it feels good that people talk about the film even after 42 years.
"The Vitnenam war was on and I remember there was a line written on the wall saying - we can forget our father's name but not Vietnam war. This is common thing as it used to happen in Bangladesh. So we used it as well in our film," he said during an interactive session with Bharadwaj at Sindhu Kala Kendra.
Bhardwaj, who has collaborated with Gulzar on his every film, said he first saw the film when he was six-year-old but did not understand it much at that time but came to appreciate it later.
