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Khushboo of Gulzar Poet, script writer, lyricist. Film director Gulzar, aka Sampuran Singh, is one of the most versatile artistes to leave his mark on cinema as well as literature. Winner of five National Awards and 17 Filmfare trophies besides the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Padma Bhushan, he opens up in an exclusive interview with V. Gangadhar
There seems to be a feeling of overwhelming friendship for the Pakistani visitors at Chandigarh and the rest of Punjab. This is a joyous moment.
These feelings had been there always but now they are out. I am very
happy that people have opened their homes to their friends from across
the border, restaurants are offering free food and snacks to them and
beauty parlours are providing free service. Close ties between
different communities had existed before Partition and that are being
renewed now.
Have the wounds of Partition finally healed? The hatred and madness were brought about by politicians. No one thought there would be so much of uprooting of families. When this happened, all the madness began. In 1905, the British partitioned Bengal but the bond could not be broken. The Partition of 1947 was the rape of the nation but people from both sides longed to see their former homes. Cricket has given them this opportunity. Visitors from Pakistan must be allowed to travel all over India. It were the politicians from both sides who closed the gates, not the people. Despite many wars, history does not teach hatred for any nation. Remember the words of Jonathan Swift, Burn everything that comes from England except its coal and people.
Strange that those left untouched by Partition, like the Shiv Sena, should protest against any contacts with Pakistan? Such groups in both the nations organise protests to draw political mileage, incite people on religious issues to whip up fear psychosis. People on both sides of Punjab speak the same language, eat the same food, follow the same culture. Though politicians have tried to be spoilsports, we can’t prevent cultural exchanges. I have heard so many Pakistani friends say, ‘We came to India to watch your films’. Mohanjedaro belonged to both India and Pakistan. Do you know that Pakistan has a film magazine similar to our Stardust? Pakistan historian Rashid Malik recently pointed out that though Gautam Buddha was born in Nepal, his influence spread far and wide. Similarly, Sikhism may be a part of India, but Guru Nanak belongs to the entire humanity.
When Manmohan Singh became the PM, it was stated that the Sikhs will finally forgive the Congress for Operation Bluestar and the massacre after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The President or the Prime Minister belonging to a minority community really does not solve national problems. Every political party tries to exploit the minority card. Forgiveness should happen on its own, not because X or Y becomes the national leader. Punjabis are large-hearted, emotional people; they get hurt easily and also forgive easily. Forgiveness of the Congress is left to the people. It is not easy to forgive or forget an occasion when thousands were killed only because of their religion, No politics was involved here. But forgiveness is part of history. Yet, history takes note of such happenings. From the 1970s, the minorities have lived under the shadow of fear psychosis. There cannot be real secularism under such circumstances.
Let us turn to films. Are the right Bollywood films getting international exposure? The mainstream of world cinema market is now open to India. Hindi films are now part of it. All the Hollywood films are not good, they have their own share of trash . It is not a question of good or bad films. People who can afford to promote their films abroad, do it.
Amitabh Bachchan once said a nation of one billion people that produces the largest number of films in the world, should institute its own ‘Oscar’ version. Okay, let us then do it. What is stopping us? We now have film awards functions in Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Johannesburg. But do we have the infrastructure for such events? Let us take our film festivals, the venue keeps changing every year. We must first build up on our film festivals and make them of international standards.
You have directed about 22 films, starting with Mere Apne in 1972. Can you describe your development? Well, I have been growing as a director. I mean, not by numbers but by the language of cinema. Some of my earlier films, I feel, were rather verbose. That was because of my association with literature. I think now I have learnt to talk visually: I mean, the taut narration of films like Maachis and Hu Tu Tu.
Achanak, one of your earlier films, was quite taut. It showed a man running away from a murder which he felt he had to commit. That is an interesting point. Yes, the theme of murder was treated in a most unusual manner in Achanak. Perhaps, it was a bit ahead of its time.
You have not made a film for nearly five years now. Why the long break? I am busy writing two volumes of poetry, bits of Mirza Ghalib and children’s books, which fetched me the Sahitya Akademi Award. I work for nearly 14 hours daily, scripting the stories of Tagore and Munshi Premchand for DD television serials. This archival work is satisfying. In fact, I would love to film some of Tagore’s short stories
With such riches around, why the eternal complaint that no good screenplays are available? We complain that our kids are now glued to TV and video games. Why don’t we bring them to our classics by filming them? Transferring pure literature to the screen is not easy. Look what happened in films like Sahib, Bibi aur Ghulam and Bhansali’s Devdas. That is why I am proud of Mirza Ghalib which reached millions of people through television. Do you know that producer-director Shakti Samanta’s Bengali film version of Devdas, closer to the original, did not do so well in Bengal as Bhansali’s Devdas, which was more of an extravaganza?
Ever been interested in a big-budget film with top-ranking stars? Not really. I can get producers for such films, but that would put pressure on me to keep within costs and affect my creativity. I don’t like market-oriented compromises and worry about returns all the time. You see, cost is not everything. Big stars, big money, they don’t interest me all that much.
You have a reputation of making the so-called ‘non- actors’ like Jeetendra and Suneil Shetty act. I saw the actor in Jeetendra despite his Jumping-Jack. image. An actor is as good or as bad as the script he gets. He was my neighbour and the producer of Parichay and Khushboo which I directed for him with him in the lead. Since I believed in his talent, I could prove he was a capable actor. When I worked with Hema Malini, I realised she was a director’s dream. As for Suneil, he is one of the best human beings I have come across. I think Akshay Khanna has loads of talent, I would love to make a film with him.
And Amitabh Bachchan? He is the most complete actor of Hindi cinema, more versatile than Dilip Kumar, though they performed in different eras. On a couple of occasions, I could have worked with Bachchan, it did not materialise. Sanjeev Kumar, who could play any role, did not even want to see the script when I offered him roles. Along with R D Burman, he was my main prop in films.
How would you compare Tabu with Jaya Bachchan, another of your favourites? Sensible, sensitive, Tabu was almost a new find for me in Machchis. She was superb in understanding the character she played in Hu Tu Tu. She knows how to put on a character and live with it. Jaya has that spark of spontaneity, Tabu works hard on her roles, without revealing the efforts she puts in. I have yet another favourite, Naseerudin Shah. A great actor we worked on the film, Libas and the TV serial, Mirza Ghalib, where he exhibited layers of talent. He worships acting, look at his contribution to theatre in Mumbai.
What did you learn from Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee? Bimalda was married to his art. That of making films. He did not bother about the whens, the hows and what costs that went into film- making and had lots of patience and perseverance. Hrishida, an outstanding editor before he became director, focused on the economy of the script. I called Bimalda guru and Hrishida, masterji
How do you view the director’s role in a film? He is the captain of the ship and he does not have to do everything himself. He has the actors and the technical crew to help him. But he has to decide how to steer the ship and how to anchor and so on. When the final result came out, he had to bear the credit or the discredit. The stars enjoyed the benefit of their glamour.
How do you explain their roles to your actors? I enact both the male and female roles. They understand exactly what I want. I enact the dialogue delivery, the voice modulation. It is my responsibility to bring tears to the eyes of my actors, it is their responsibility to shed them at the right moment. Actors like Jaya Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar excelled in this.
How do you deal with star tantrums? I deal with actors who do not create tantrums. They are sensible people who know what is expected of them. It is only the show-offs who don’t know their work and indulge in these tantrums.
How much physical intimacy can be shown on screen while filming love scenes? It deals with the situations in the script. I have filmed several love stories without offending anyone. It depends on your own level of sensibilities, that is why I call the director the captain of the ship.
Tell me some of the foreign films which impressed you? David Lean’s Bridge on the River Kwai; brilliant characterisation particularly by the British colonel Nicholson; Becket which clicked because of the playwright’s genius. On Golden Pond, the way it treated emotions, and the actor’s (Brando) craftsmanship in Godfather
Why don’t we ever make intelligent, realistic war films? Our war films are shrill, full of jingoism. That is because India had not been through a major war like World War II. Unlike the West, we do not have a war literature. The concentration camps in Europe, the atom bomb on Hiroshima, the Battle of Britain, these are mind-boggling events which left emotional scars. Because He Is In
the galaxy of celebrities of cinema, Gulzar stands a class apart.
Primarily a poet, he got his break in films as assistant to Bimal Roy.
While assisting Bimal Da in Bandini, he got a chance to pen his
first lyric when music director Sachin Da and lyricist Shailendra got
estranged for a short while. The song was Mora Gora Ang Layi Le.
It proved to be a hit and Gulzar came on the scene as lyricist and
screenplay writer. His debut as director came with Mere Apne in
1971 when he made the films specially to give the ageing Meena Kumari
a lead role. He has written some 60 films, directed 13 and written
innumerable lyrics. Some of the Gulzar classics include Koshish,
Achanak, Ijazat, Hu Tu Tu and Maachis. His
television serial Mirza Ghalib with Naseeruddin Shah in the
lead role and music by Jagjit Singh was memorable. Born as Sampuran
Singh Kalra in Deena near Jehlum in 1938, he came alive as a young
poet in Delhi’s Sabzi Mandi where his family settled after the
Partition. It was Mumbai that gave a free space for his
multi-dimensional talent. His anthologies of poetry include Ek
Boond Chand, Triveni, Raat, Chand aur Main, Pukhraj, Dhuan and Raat
Pashmine Ki. His anthology of stories is nostalgically
called Ravi Paar and he has many admirers across the border.
Some months ago he visited Islamabad to meet his ailing teacher,
writer Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi and was granted the visa in a day. His has
been a long and creatively fulfilling journey that prompted his
daughter Mehgna to write a biography called Because
He Is. |
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Inside
‘Boskyana’, Gulzar’s bungalow at Pali Hill, a Mumbai suburb, the
two dogs, ‘Pali’ the big bulldog, and ‘Kalia’ the smaller one,
were friendly and frolicsome. Gulzar’s daughter Meghna had dropped
in for a late lunch, and Gulzar himself, appeared in his book-lined
study munching some snacks. "Like most Punjabis, I do not have a
regular lunch," he explained. "But something to munch is
always welcome." For more than two hours, spread over two
sessions, we sat in the study and sipping lemon-flavoured tea, talked
about politics, Indo-Pak relations, cinema, Mumbai and life in
general.
