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 says. "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 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 says. "This film cannot have a grand scale, it cannot have song-and-dance sequences and lavish sets as it will kill the sensitivity."

Some arthouse filmmakers are also turning to animation.

Govind Nihalani, the maker of films like Ardh Satya, is working on an animation film about a baby camel.

But a filmmaker changing genres may not always prove beneficial at the box-office.

The romantic comedy Bombay to Bangkok wasn't appreciated by audiences, who were perhaps expecting more from Nagesh Kukunoor, the maker of critically acclaimed films Dor and Iqbal.

Arthouse filmmaker Shyam Benegal says a director can only be successful by exploring different genres and not limiting oneself to a particular style.

Benegal is directing the comedy Sajjanpur ka Mahadev, returning to the genre more than two decades after he made Mandi.

"A director should never limit oneself, it is disastrous," he said during an event in Mumbai. "Being good in one format is very important but you need to explore and experiment for your own satisfaction."