Panaji, Nov 21 (IANS): National Award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar on Sunday said aspiring film directors must have strong conviction in their stories if they wished to bring out a good film.

At the 'Masterclass on Filmmaking', held as part of the 52nd International Film Festival of India on Sunday, Bhandarkar said, "The concept of my film always originates from me. I believe in myself and my stories. I go for the film only when I attain strong conviction in a story."

Pointing out that what the camera catches stays for a lifetime, he said the pace of the film must be very engaging.

"I always try to maintain balance between art and commercial films and make engaging films based on realistic plots," the director explained.

While interacting with cinephiles, he said, "These days, OTT platforms provide good opportunities to aspiring directors and producers."

'Chandni Bar' gave a boost to his trust and confidence to move ahead, the director of award-winning films like 'Page 3' and 'Traffic Signal', said, while talking about his cinematic journey.

"I was there in the movie from beginning till end. Though it was a dark and depressive film, it was engaging and it worked," he added.

Talking about his future plans, he said, "We went through a very tough and testing time during the pandemic period. So now I am going to start work on a comedy film soon."

The Masterclass was moderated by noted film critic Taran Adarsh. The session ended with felicitation of Bhandarkar and Adarsh by National Award-winning director Nila Madhab Panda.