Asif Kapadia: It’s a big shame that I have not been to India for so long due of the pandemic

The boundaries have become tougher to cross because of the global health crisis, and Academy Award winning director-producer Asif Kapadia is having a tough time accepting the reality.

“The whole situation is so complicated and confusing,” says Kapadia, as he talks to us from London and reveals how the virus is moving all around the world.

The 49-year-old says, “I’ve got friends in Brazil and the US, and they’ve had their issues. And the UK has had one of the worst experiences with the pandemic. Compared to the population, the UK had a really bad situation.”

The director recalls a time when people from India expressed confidence about getting a grip over the Covid-19 crisis. “I remember talking to people in India, for a long time, with everyone saying, ‘Oh, it hasn’t been so bad here’. Now, it has hit India hard. It’s kind of rolling around the world at different speeds at different times,” he shares.

Watching his country suffer from a distance is tough, and his inability to come to his homeland just makes things worse. As Kapadia puts, “It’s terrible. All I can do is just read about it, it’s a very difficult time. We just hope that everyone is okay, and that the country gets through this. I hope people understand that they do need to stay home, wear masks and be careful. There isn’t really an escape from this virus.”

The BAFTA and Grammy-winning director-producer, who picked India’s supernatural side as a subject for his latest web series The Last Hour, expresses his eagerness to visit the country, but is quick to admit, he isn’t sure when visiting India again will be possible.

“It’s a really big shame. It’s been a while since I’ve been there. But that’s the new thing. I don’t know how easy it’s going to be for us to just fly around as we used to back in the day,” rues the directive, who courted global fame with his documentaries, including Amy (2015) and Diego Maradona (2019).

Till then, Kapadia is focusing on creating entertainment, “Just like The Last Hour ,which can help people escape the new normal, and give them something to talk about while not being able to carry on with their lives as per normal.”