“I don’t make films based on the flavour of the season. Like if comedies, remakes or sequels are working, then I wouldn’t make them. I made every film different, whatever inspires me at that moment I do it,” Santoshi told PTI in an interview.

The versatile filmmaker started his career with the 1990 hit Ghayal, starring Sunny Deol, and delivered both commercial and critical hits such as Damini, Andaz Apna Apna, Ghatak, China Gate, Lajja, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Khakee.

With his latest feature Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh, he makes a return to the movies after a gap of 10 years. His last directorial was Shahid Kapoor-starrer Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, which had a dull run at the box office.

Filmmaking today has become a business because of the corporate studio system, Rajkumar Santoshi said.

“I have never made a film thinking of a star and then worked on a story that pleases the star. What happened after Phata Poster Nikla Hero is that a corporation had come in and they would tell me (to) write a story for this particular star,” the 66-year-old writer-director said.

“The situation is the same and that’s why I took a backseat. For seven-eight years, I was not active because the genuine makers have vanished. People are rejecting films as the content is not good,” he added.

With his films, Santoshi said he has always tried to present the reality of life. He gave examples of his films Ghayal, Ghatak and Damini, and said the movies stand for seeking justice, being fearless and the status of women in society.

“I have not made big money. But one thing I took care of in my films are women. I make sure they are respected. We don’t have double meaning dialogues or vulgar scenes or movements in the song. I don’t use abusive language either. I don’t want to cause discomfort to audiences,” he added.

His latest movie Gandhi Godse: Ek Yudh depicts a war of ideologies between Mahatma Gandhi and his assassin Nathuram Godse.

Rajkumar Santoshi says Gandhi Godse Ek Yudh gives platform to titular characters ‘to express their ideologies and debate on them…

Director Rajkumar Santoshi, who is currently promoting his upcoming film Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh, recently said that people have been bad mouthing the two historic characters that form the narrative of his film but “without knowing them”. The movie has Mahatma Gandhi and his assassin Nathu Ram Godse at the centre and is an alternate telling of history where Gandhi and Godse engage in dialogue about their ideologies.

Talking to ETimes, the Damini director said, “Lots of things are being said about Gandhiji and Godse. In recent times, lots of people bad mouth Gandhiji. And of course, Godse is an accepted and known villain to many people because he killed Gandhi. They call him a terrorist also. But without knowing them.”

Rajkumar Santoshi added that he felt that “injustice” had happened to both the characters. In the case of Gandhi, he said that “a lot of allegations were laid out against him but he never got the opportunity to explain”. The Ghayal director said that with Godse too, even though he gave a statement, “his voice was suppressed”. “He gave a statement, explained the circumstances, the reason, what compelled him to take such a drastic act but for some strange reason, his voice was suppressed. That is why people are misinformed, misguided. They have formed a different kind of opinion,” he said.

The Andaz Apna Apna director said that he has taken cinematic license in the storytelling of Gandhi Godse – Ek Yudh but every dialogue spoken in the film is “history”. “We have kept Godse’s lines as it is, what he said in the statement. Of course, in a cinematic form,” he said. The filmmaker added that the movie gives a platform to both the characters “to express their thoughts, their ideologies and debate on them”.