WIRED2016
'Every story being told is an idea for rebellion,' says director Shekhar Kapur
Kapur wowed the audience at WIRED2016 with his views on storytelling, rebellion and philosophy
By Amelia Heathman
Friday 4 November 2016
Director and philosopher Shekhar Kapur in conversation with WIRED UK's editor, David Rowan
Michael Newington Gray
"For centuries we have been telling stories to try and come to terms with our infinite selves; our finite view of the individual. We're always trying to make sense but life isn't supposed to make sense - it goes beyond sense and reason."
Film director and philosopher Shekhar Kapur took to the stage at WIRED2016 to share his unique take on the world and our role within it.
The Indian film director, actor and producer made his directorial debut in the cult Bollywood film Masoon in 1983 and has since gone on to gain international recognition, BAFTA awards and Academy Awards for his work.
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At WIRED2016, Kapur talked about the power and impact storytelling and film can have on the way we live.
"Films have the power to shape politics, it can shift to a large extent how people perceive things," said Kapur.
This was something he found when he made 1994 film, The Bandit Queen. The film was banned by the Supreme Court in India, in part due to the way it portrayed the caste system in India.
And rebellion is key to his film work. As a filmmaker, he wants to tell stories and the way to do this is through changing ideas and perceptions.
"Every story telling is an idea for rebellion," said Kapur.
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Drama has always been a part of Kapur's family. He is the nephew of the famous Indian actor Dev Anand and was discouraged from going into films by his father. He spent several years working as an accountant in England before launching himself into a Bollywood, and later Hollywood, career in 1975.
He doesn't see himself as a "crossover" filmmaker, crossing the line between the different film industries of India and the West.
"The great part of globalisation is you can forget your identity, forget your cultural identity and become global," said Kapur. "I don't consider myself Indian, I consider myself a filmmaker and an individual body."
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Kapur's latest project is a TV series based on William Shakespeare, called Will.
"I went to the Globe Theatre and I understood that actually, Shakespeare performed in the way we perceive and see Bollywood. He was writing Bollywood plays; the audience were being entertained all the time."
Television, Kapur said, allows the director to explore their instincts at a rapid pace. Due to the fast moving nature of television, compared to making a film, Kapur found: "You don't have time to question yourself. You're taking a risk and you might not know what you're doing."
During this process, he found that he had to let the moments engulf him to get to the fundamental core of creativity.
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"I'm on a drug called instinct and intuition. You allow it to engulf you; you have no idea what the moment holds for you," said Kapur.
View session on Evernote
As well as directing, Kapur set up the social media platform Qyuki, similar to the workings of Facebook, but focused on empowering creatives in India.
"I was in India and I realised Facebook was getting quite boring and generalising, so I thought the new Facebook needed to be more cultural," said Kapur. "This is how all startups begin - people want to change the world and do something new."
And Kapur is using the power of technology too for his next venture, a VR experience exploring the enlightenment of Buddha.
"I'm trying to understand if I can take VR and AI and give the experience of what was going through Buddha's mind. What did he mean about eternity and what did he mean when he said time has no existence?"
Exploring the boundaries of virtual reality will be an appropriate new venture for Kapur, who is set on pushing creativity to the limits and puzzling and inspiring his audiences along the way.
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