Artistes will always fight for freedom of expression: Deepa Mehta
Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta swears by Tony Morrison's quote, "All art is political," and says artistes across the world will always fight for freedom of expression, trying not to succumb to "self-censorship". Mehta has been behind some of the most well-received films of in the past two decades such as 'Earth', 'Fire', and 'Water', the last two of which courted huge controversy in India.
When you fight for something, you realize its importance: Deepa
"Artistes will always fight for freedom of expression. When a time comes when there's no strife then we forget how important freedom of expression is. It's only when you fight for something that you realize its importance," Mehta said in an interview.
Deepa says there's always fear while fighting through your art
Deep says while artistes can fight to voice what they feel through their art, there could also be a looming fear in doing so. "You can get scared, depending on the climate. You've to be aware. But I think there's something really tragic about self-censorship. I'm not an advocate of that. But, art isn't made for the sake of making trouble," Deepa said.
Deepa believes art, culture gain extreme importance in growing intolerance
At a time such as today, where there is a clampdown of independent voices, Mehta says art and culture gain extreme importance. "But it's not just these times. In times of even perceived peace that writers and filmmakers have an opportunity to reflect the times. They are, from a very personal point, a mirror as to what's happening in the society," she says.
Deepa among the jury of the JCB Prize for Literature
Deepa was speaking on the sidelines of the inaugural JCB Prize for Literature where she announced the ten most distinguished novels of the year. Mehta and other jury members read over 60 Indian books and over 15,000 pages. Of these ten, the jury will select five and then eventually the final award of Rs. 25L will be given to winning novel on October 27.
