Filmmakers try their hand at something different

By Prithwish Ganguly

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Shyam Benegal is making a comedy, Jahnu Barua tries his luck with romance while Subhash Ghai turns his back on lavish sets to probe the mind of a terrorist.

After years of getting typecast, several Indian filmmakers are switching genres to explore different avenues.

National Award winner Jahnu Barua, the director of several acclaimed arthouse films, is making the urban romance "Har Pall" - starring Preity Zinta, Shiney Ahuja and Dharmendra.

Barua said casting Bollywood stars in his film would help attract a wider audience.

"Though arthouse films bring out serious social messages, they have limited appeal," the filmmaker told Reuters. "I feel one can convey a social message effectively to many people by making a film that is little commercial and has some popular stars."

Subhash Ghai, known for elaborate song-and-dance sequences in Bollywood films like "Taal" and "Pardes" in the 1990s, has directed the uncharacteristically sombre "Black & White".

The low-budget film about a suicide bomber opens in cinemas on March 7.

"You have to treat a subject according to its demand," Ghai told Reuters. "This film cannot have a grand scale, it cannot have song-and-dance sequences and lavish sets as it will kill the sensitivity."