"I have a feeling for crisis rather than plot"

GOVIND NIHALANI is one of the few film-makers who continue stroking artistic creativity without bothering about returns. He likes to hit his viewers hard, overwhelming them with strong statements. Nihalani’s preoccupation is with violence in contemporary society.

This intensity comes out even as a cinematographer in memorable films like, Ankur, Nishant, Manthan Bhumika, Junoon, and as second cameraman in Attenborough’s Gandhi. In each movie, he has made a powerful statement, from Aakrosh, Ardhsatya, Drohkaal, Drishti, Party and now to Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa. There are those who condemn Nihalani’s obsession with words but no one can deny his hold over the cinematic medium.

The tele serial Tamas (1988) is rated by many as his best work. It brings out the brutal realism of the Partition. Nihalani is an intellectual who can analyse trends in cinema. He is an avid reader, a lensman and ad-film-maker, a script-writer and director.

In an interview with Belu Maheshwari, he talks of various aspects of film-making. Excerpts:

Your movies have a very powerful storyline. Are you an avid reader who is motivated by the written word?

Yes,I read quite a bit. Literature has played a significant role in my life and in my evolution as a sensitive artist. However, it is not because of the writers that I choose a story. I have got inspired scripts from Vijay Tendulkar, Satyadev Dubey, Mahesh Elkunchwar and Shashi Deshpande. Basically, I choose a script because of an element of drama.

What is your criteria for choosing a story, if not the novelist?

I have a fondness for strong drama. In my films, you can see a pattern. I have a feeling for crisis rather than a plot. My film begins when the protagonist faces a crisis and a choice has to be made in life. The kind of choice the character makes becomes the film. The dilemma comes across strongly. This gives the films a vitality.

How was Tamas rated as your finest work?

No one came to me with Tamas. I did not know Bhisham Sahni before. I was browsing at Sri Ram Centre in Delhi when I was working for Gandhi. I had been wanting to make a film on the Partition for a long time since I was also an affected person. I was very young but the Partition had left very emotional and traumatic memories. My first memory of blood, of fear and panic comes from that time.

When I was looking for stories on the Partition I frankly did not know what I wanted. I immediately liked the title Tamas. Sheer instinct made me pick up the book. I read the first paragraph of the book and was hooked. It took me six years to make a movie of it.

What do you attribute the success of Tamas to?

Tamas shatters the eye and mind with the brutal realism of the Partition though it avoids an overload. The victim remains the ignorant tool of political forces which manipulate him to gain power. The film had strong characterisation and excellent emoting. It touched a chord in people.

Why have you not used television again to make a statement?

I have made three tele-plays written by three masters — Ibsen, Strindberg and Lorca titled Little Yore, Pita (father) and Rukmawati Ki Haveli. They were all made for DD so they did not get noticed in spite of being shown many times. Tele-soaps have never drawn me, as they are very long-winding. I do not have that kind of patience.

You are being accused of shifting loyalties from parallel to commercial cinema. Is this switch because of money?

I am making a film in what is known as a more popular format. I do not look upon it as abandoning one kind of cinema for another. I take it as an extension of my ouvre. The bottomline is, whatever genre you may choose to work in what is important is the content. If you narrate Mahabharata Ki Katha, you can choose the form, but the crux of the matter is has the essence been communicated?

Are you not making a crass commercial film?

Issues are a part of your sensibility and if you are true to your sensibility, these concerns keep recurring. Your perception of certain issues can change and this will get reflected in your work but the sensitivity is there.

I am 70 per cent through with the film. I am enjoying making it thoroughly. Criticism comes from the film-makers who did not succeed in the commercial set-up. Give me a chance, see my movie and then decide.

Can you illustrate the difference between parallel and commercial cinema?

For commercial cinema it is essential to have a star who brings, with him, his own audience following his own image. You can either work parallel to that or against it. For example, Amitabh Bachchan is one of the finest actors we have had. He can carry off the corniest line and sound convincing.

Music and choreography are very important. There is a certain stylisation and heightening of emotion. It is essential to have a strong, dramatic narration. The most important factor is that you have to arrive at a certain and definite conclusion at the end of the story. Commercial cinema cannot take ambiguity. You have to give certain answers.

In parallel or art cinema all these elements are not important. What is important is the type of grey areas you explore, the kind of complexities, the issues you raise. Simplicity is the essence of popular cinema while in the other you get engaged in exercises. There is a place for analysis, reflection.

Do you think parallel cinema is more individualistic?

That is the general thinking but personally I feel even in commercial cinema your individual style matters. This is also reflected in your vision, ideological position and the ability to communicate. Ultimately, in both cases it is the director’s thinking which prevails.

In commercial cinema, you have to bother about the financier, distributor, exhibitor. Isn’t the end-product a hash of everyone’s thinking?

There is definitely pressure on you to recover your costs. My experience, (like that of most successful directors); has been if you know your job there is no one who dictates. The distributor also gets a signal. If you have a good music director and star cast, you cannot make an art film. Parallel cinema, is more personal, you can choose your subject without the compulsion to simplify.

How did you sustain yourself financially in parallel cinema?

My sustenance has come not from cinema alone. My work as cameraman and the advertising films and documentaries in which I work from time to time help to sustain me. Parallel cinema has not made me bankrupt, I have managed to recover my cost and survive.

What are the noticeable changes in cinema that have taken place in the last 25 years?

As the profile of the viewer changes, popular cinema responds accordingly. Romanticism and idealism of the Independence era have gone. Today the largest component of audience is between the age group of 15 and 35. They want to see films about achievement, upward mobility and the films are reflecting that.

Technically we have become more sophisticated but we are still stodgy in certain areas. We still rely on scripts and ideas from Hollywood. The new films are more entertainment oriented and tight-paced. With computer technology taking over you will see further difference.

Most film makers justify the rubbish they dish out as catering to audience taste. What is your comment?

I do not agree with them. In case of most such film makers if you give them total freedom and resources, they would still make what they are making. It is a matter of sensibility, of approach. I think the audience is waiting to be surprised, excited, to see something fresh and new. In Hindi, about 100 to 120 movies are made annually. Every single film is made to please the audience, only 10 succeed. Why? It is their own insecurity which makes them come up with trash. Audience ko dosh nahi dena chahiye.

How do you feel when top commercial stars want to work with you?

I feel great, Amitji ke saath to kam karna hi hai. What is holding me back is the right type of subject. I am happy working with Ajay Devgan. He sent me word that he wanted to work with me, as I had not seen his work, I wanted to see it. Without any hassles, he sent his cassettes. He did not even hear the subject. If the person has so much faith, you too feel responsible towards him. Most of these stars are hasslefree and committed to their work.

What about the current crop of whiz-kids like Mani Ratnam, Ram Gopal Verma, Shekhar Kapoor, Aditya Chopra and Sooraj Barjatya?

They are true to their sensibilities, they are totally focussed and know where they are going. They are very aware of the international scene. Their technique, script-writing, performances, sets and costumes are all oriented towards an international look. They have the energy, the resources and imagination to make their kind of movies.

Do you feel the film industry has a bright future in spite of the video piracy menace?

It is infuriating to see people pirating your work without having anything to do with it. But I feel it is a matter of time when some stringent laws come up. In Bombay, J. Riberio is advising us on antipiracy. It will take time because we are up against a tough, organised enemy, it is like a war.

I really feel that in spite of hiccups the future of film industry is bright as our need for entertainment is strong. If we keep pace with the times in terms of mores, values and technology, there is no reason why people will not see movies.