खरीच ‘दुसरी गोष्ट’

नचिकेत जोशी 

“चित्रपटात दाखविलेल्या सर्व घटना व पात्र काल्पनिक आहेत, त्यांचा कुठल्याही जीवित अथवा मृत व्यक्तींशी संबंध नाही. तसे साधर्म्य आढळल्यास तो निव्वळ योगायोग समजावा.” दुसरी गोष्ट हा चित्रपट पाहताना तुम्हाला कितीही वाटले, की हा चित्रपट माननीय आणि अती सन्माननीय सुशीलकुमार शिंदे यांच्यावर आधारीत आहे आणि केवळ त्यांच्यासाठीच आणि त्यांची महती गाण्यासाठीच तयार करण्यात आला आहे, तरीही तो निव्वळ योगायोग समजावा. त्यामुळे सुरवातीला काहीसे मनोरंजक वाटणारे कथानक अचानकपणे ‘दुसरी’कडेच निघून जाते आणि 

पडद्यावर दिसते ती ‘दुसरीच गोष्ट’!

चित्रपट नेमका काय आहे?

सोलापुरच्या एका वस्तीतील दहा-बारा वर्षांचे एक अवखळ पोर चैन भागविण्यासाठी छोट्यामोठ्या चोऱ्या करीत असते. अचानक एक घटना घडते आणि चोऱ्या करण्यापेक्षा शिक्षण घेऊन मोठे व्हावे, असे ते स्वतःच ठरवते. त्याची आई आणि काकी त्याला नेहमी एक गोष्ट सांगत असतात. ती म्हणजे, पहिली गोष्ट. यापेक्षाही वेगळी गोष्ट तयार करण्याचे काम चित्रपटाच्या नायकाकडे येते आणि तो कामाला लागतो. शाळेतून महाविद्यालयात जातो, कोर्टात फेमस ‘पट्टेवाल्याची’ नोकरी करत करत शिक्षण घेतो, मग पुढे तो अर्थातच फौजदार होतो. मध्ये त्याची दोन प्रेम प्रकरणेदेखील होतात. (नायक म्हटल्यावर नायिका आलीच, मग नायिका म्हटल्यावर त्या दोघांचे प्रेम, रुसवे फुगवे आलेच आणि मग सरतेशेवटी गाणे हे ही आलेच, त्याशिवाय चित्रपट कसा पूर्ण होणार!) नेहमीसारखा त्याला एक ‘गॉडफादर’ (शरद पवार) भेटतो आणि मग नायक नोकरी सोडतो आणि राजकारणात उतरतो. आधी आमदार, मग राज्यमंत्री, त्यात नायकाने केलेली धडाडीची कामे असा सगळा सोपस्कार करीत गोष्ट चालत राहते. मग नायक आपल्या ‘गॉडफादर’लाच डिच्चू देतो आणि गोष्टीत रंगत(?) आणतो, मग पुढे तो सहावेळा मुख्यमंत्री होण्याचा प्रयत्न करतो, आणि शेवटी तो मुख्यमंत्री होतोच. यानंतर मात्र तो मागे वळून पाहतच नाही. मुख्यमंत्री मग राज्यपाल नंतर केंद्रीय उर्जामंत्री आणि शेवटी केंद्रीय गृहमंत्री अश्या यशाच्या अनेक पायऱ्या चढतो आणि दिग्दर्शकाची महत्वाची असणारी गोष्ट संपते.

चित्रपटात कोणी आणि कसे काम केले आहे?

या चित्रपटाचा नायक एकूण चार भूमिकांमध्ये चित्रपटात आहे. बालपणीचा नायक आदित्य गानू(दगडू उर्फ प्रसन्नकुमार शिंदे) या बालकलाकाराने साकारला आहे व त्याला तो बऱ्याप्रकारे जमला आहे. पुढे येतो तो तरुणपणीचा नायक, तो म्हणजे सिद्धार्थ चांदेकर. एका चांगल्या कलाकाराचे वाईट काम म्हणजे सिद्धार्थरुपी नायक. धडधडित खोटी वाटणारी मिशी आणि त्या बरोबर कृत्रिम वाटणारा अभिनय आपल्या डोळ्याला खटकतोच. त्यानंतरचा प्रौढ नायक संदीप मेहता यांनी साकारला असून त्यांच्या वाट्याला पाच ते सात प्रसंग आले आहेत. पण दिग्दर्शकाने खरी हद्द केली आहे ती अतिप्रौढ किंवा वयोवृद्ध नायकाबरोबर. विक्रम गोखलेंसारखा एवढा चांगला अभिनेता दिग्दर्शकाने अगदी वाया घालवला आहे. काही प्रसंगांमधून ते अगदीच ठळक दिसून येते. याव्यतिरिक्त आनंद इंगळे(भरतराव परब) यांनी साकारलेला ‘गॉडफादर’, जो आपल्या चांगल्याच परिचयाचा आहे. तो त्यामानाने भाव खाऊन जातो. बाकी नेहा पेंडसे, स्मिता सरवदे, भारती पाटील, पुर्वी भावे यांचा वावर हा गोष्ट चालू ठेवण्यासाठी होतो. सोबतीला अजून काही निव्वळ योगायोगाने आलेली पात्रे आणि घटना चित्रपटात आहेत ज्यांना आपण अगदी जवळून ओळखतो.

पटकथेवर जास्त मेहनत घेण्याची गरज पडली नसावी. कारण इथे पुन्हा निव्वळ योगायोग लेखकाने साधला आहे. सुशीलकुमारांची आपण अनेकवेळा ऐकलेली कथा हुबेहूब साकारायची होती. मात्र ‘निष्ठावान’ आणि दिल्लीचे खास सुशीलकुमार निट दिसत नाहीत. मात्र, काल्पनिक पण योगायोगाने सत्य असणाऱ्या घटनांचा वापर करण्याचा प्रयत्न लेखकाने केला आहे. फक्त यातील पात्रांची नावे, मात्र त्यांनी खरोखरच काल्पनिक ठेवली आहेत, पण प्रेक्षक सुजाण असल्याने त्याला ते समजण्यास उशीर लागत नाही. संगीत अशोक पत्कींचे आणि शब्द दासुंचे असले तरी ते चित्रपटात कुठे आहेत, हे प्रेक्षकाला पटकन समजत नाही आणि समजलेच, तर ते का आहेत असे वाटत राहते.

दलित नेत्याचा सर्वोच्च पदावर पोचण्याचा संघर्ष दाखवायचा की त्याचे चरित्र मांडायचे यात दिग्दर्शकाची गल्लत झाली आहे. ज्याने ‘बिनधास्त’, ‘संत तुकाराम’ यांसारखे चित्रपट बनविले त्या चंद्रकांत कुलकर्णीकडून झालेल्या साध्या चुका एक रसिक म्हणून बघविल्या जात नाहीत. पत्रकार परिषद हा प्रश्नोत्तरांचा कार्यक्रम असतो, भाषण करण्याची सभा नव्हे, एवढा साधा संकेत दिग्दर्शक विसरून जातो. चित्रपटाचे सेट, तर अगदीच मामुली आणि खोटे वाटावे, असे आहेत.

चित्रपट पाहावा का?

प्रश्न हा आहे, की हा चित्रपट का बनविला आहे? सुशीलकुमारांचा जीवन प्रवास अनुभवायचा असेल, तर एकदा पाहू शकता, पण जर चंद्रकांत कुलकर्णींचा चित्रपट असे समजून चित्रपटाला जाणार असाल, तर तुमची घोर निराशा होऊ शकते. कारण ती चंद्रकांत कुलकर्णी, अजित आणि प्रशांत दळवी यांची नव्हे, तर दुसरीच गोष्ट आहे.

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Hitting the Rustic Notes

Ek Hazarachi Note offers music that is rustic in feel yet contemporary in its treatment

Team m4m

Rustic music with contemporary treatment is how one can describe the music of the upcoming Marathi film Ek Hazarachi Note. The music of the film consisting of five songs composed by National Award winner Shailendra Barve was launched in Pune on April 16.

According to Barve, the music plays supportive role to the script by maintaining mood and the feel of the story that captures the lifestyle of the rural folks. “The compositions have flavors from the tribal and folk music. It helps to represent the rural scenario,” said Barve, who won the national award for Sanhita in 2012.

Music of the film was launched by veteran actor Usha Naik who is also the plays lead character Budhi in the film. Singers Aarti Ankalikar Tikekar, Neha Rajpal, Vivek Naik were also present on the occasion along with debutant director and producer Shrihari Sathe.

The songs are penned by Shrikant Bojewar who has also written the story of the film. Budhi’s theme song, sung by Neha Rajpal, is a fantasy of Budhi which represents happiness and sadness of the character. Song named Krishna teeri is a traditional ovi, veteran classical singer Aarti Ankalikar Tikekar has sung its female version while Amol Bavdekar has lend his voice to the male version.

From Left to RightVivek Naik,Neha Rajpal, Aarti Anklikar-Tikekar,Usha Naik,Shailendra Barve Directer and Producer Shrihari Sathe​

“Besides knowing that lyrics of the song are woman specific, we used male version of the ovi just to trigger the emotions through it,” explained Sathe at the music launch.

The story of the film has parallel political track and to describe this scenario song named Dennare-Dennare is added in the movie. It is used as a theme song in the film. Apart from this, a traditional song Dhondi-Dhondi Pani De is also included in the film with new lyrics and different music treatment.     

Ek Hazarachi Note will heat the theatres on May 9 across Maharashtra.  

                                                Check out the official trailer

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The Marathi Imprint

m4m explores why Marathi films are enjoying repeated success in the National Awards

Apoorva Tapas

Amruta Subhash in Astu

Marathi cinema continues to prove its mettle at the National Film Awards this year as well. At the 61^st edition of the National Film Awards declared on April 16, regional cinema and independent films dominated the scene with Marathi films winning 9 awards. So what is about this cinema that makes the jury sit up and take notice every year?

“There is a lot of curiosity about Marathi cinema. Be it the fresh perspectives or fascinating subjects,” explains Ganesh Matkari, renowned film critic. Emphasizing on new things happening in the industry, he says, “Within the last few years, an influx of new passionate filmmakers has taken Marathi cinema to a new level. They all come in with new perspectives and a strong desire to tell good stories.”

Marathi films such as Fandry, Astu,Yellow and Tuhya Dharma Koncha have won awards across the board for direction, acting, playback singing and dialogues. All the four films tell different stories and touch upon different cinematic genres.

Renowned cinematographer Mahesh Limaye whose directorial debut film Yellow won three awards says, “Despite smaller budgets compared to mainstream Hindi films, Marathi cinema thrives because of its quality of storytelling.” His film is about the triumphant journey of a girl with Down’s syndrome. The protagonist was played by the real inspiration for the story, Gauri Gadgil (champion swimmer at the Special Olympics). She was honored with a special mention along with her co-actor Sanjana Rai who plays her younger self. The film won the Special Jury Award. 

Lately, substantial stories are coming into the fray with strong commercial support. “Producers are backing really good films now,” says actor Vibhawari Deshpande, who plays the lead role in Tuhya Dharma Koncha that won two national awards. She further adds, “From the time of Prabhat Studios, Marathi films have always delivered quality. Veterans like Jabbar Patel, Smita Talwalkar and Sumitra Bhave have solidified the quality of Marathi films and ensured that our cinema is taken seriously.” Bhave has won the award for Best Dialogues for Astu this year.

Overjoyed with her award for Best Supporting Actor (female) for Astu, Amruta Subhash says, “Shwaas breathed a new life into Marathi cinema.”

Ever since then, contemporary directors like Umesh Kulkarni, with his films Deool and Girni are paving way for a new generation. Nagraj Manjule, who made the highly acclaimed film Fandry, has won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Film of a Director. With a wave of new and upcoming directors bringing in their ethos of quality content and excellent cinematic craft, Marathi cinema promises to deliver at all levels.

Awards List:

Indira Gandhi Award- Best First Film of a Director - Fandry

Best Film of Other Social Issues - Tuhya Dharma Koncha

Best Supporting Actor (Female) - Amruta Subhash - Astu

Best Child Artist - Somnath Avgadhe - Fandry

Best Female Playback Singer - Bela Shende - Tuhya Dharma Koncha

Best Screenplay (Dialogues) - Sumitra Bhave - Astu

Special Jury Award - Yellow 

Special Mention - Gauri Gadgil and Sanjana Rai - Yellow 

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I choose my own stories: Sujay

Neelambari Bhoge

Following the tradition of enriching Marathi Cinema, National award winning filmmaker Sujay Dahake is back with a film - ‘Ajoba’ that is based on a true story of a leopard. ‘Ajoba’ – the leopard’s miraculous journey from Pune to Mumbai was mapped with the help of a radio transmitter tied around his neck by a wildlife biologist Vidya Athreya. Dahake shares with us his experience of making this film packed with extra-ordinary story and rich visual effects.

Why did you choose to highlight this story?

From a very long time, I wished to make a movie based on environment and wildlife. The incident of the leopard ‘Ajoba’ made this possible for me to come up with a full length film. While scripting there was no hero or protagonist but ‘Ajoba’ gave me a heroic character and to address all these issues, I found a hook in Ajoba and also got a hero to the story.

Why did you cast popular actors Urmila Matondkar and Yashpal Sharma in the film?

As the story demanded, I was looking for actor in her early 40s. The actress I was looking for had to be athletic, energetic and in shape and Urmila suited the role well. As Urmila speaks good Marathi, the idea of roping her struck us. However, we were a bit skeptical as she is a famous star in Bollywood. I narrated the story to her and she readily agreed. Talking about Yashpal, as per the script, I wanted an unknown character that has no dimension and is mystic. My earlier choice for this role was Nawazuddin Siddique. We shot this film like a documentary, took actors to certain places, stayed there for 15 days, especially in leopard prone areas. This delayed our schedule and we missed Nawazuddin’s dates. Eventually our next choice was Yashpal for whom I wrote the role again keeping him into perspective.

What obstacles did you face while shooting this film especially the shots with the leopard?

The film has been shot in Junnar, Malshej Ghat, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Pune and Mumbai but the scenes of the leopard are shot in Rajasthan in the wild. Leopard is an elusive animal and very hard to see. To catch a glimpse of him was itself a boon and then capturing him in the camera was a difficult task. We spend almost six days and waiting for 12 hours each day and amidst this he would arrive for just 40 seconds. We would keep the camera on standby and then he would come out from the den or from hills and would disappear for hunt. We would hardly get footage of a minute.

Tell us about the technical aspects of the film.

We have roped in the same cameraman of ‘Shaala’ Diego Romero from Spain. The film promises to be different in terms of technology as we have used British lenses called ‘cooke’. We have also made use of several visual effects. Maximo Ricky – the one who designed the tiger of ‘Life of Pi’ is designing the leopard for us.

How has been the journey from ‘Shaala’ to ‘Ajoba’?

The experience of making ‘Shaala’ boosted the confidence in me about choosing my own subjects. Whenever producers approach me, they never come to me with a script but ask me what do you have next or what do you want to do? That really helps me to convey myself as a filmmaker. ‘Shaala’ gave me a lot of awards but I am happy about the National award. 

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The Art of Transition

Praveen Lulekar

The laid back, eccentric journalist of the novel takes the form of Nilu Phule on screen and the image coincides with the raw shape your mind had formed reading the original. The haunting ‘ushaha kaal hota hota…’ compensates for all the descriptions and leaves you with a feeling of terrible helplessness – ditto the novel. Dr. Jabbar Patel’s Sinhaasan was, in many ways, a benchmark for transition of a novel to screen.

The art of transition has returned to Marathi cinema, this time as a trend. With Duniyadaari, Sat Naa Gat releasing this month and the recent successes like Jogwa, Natrang and Shaala, the trend seems to be catching up. We explore the reasons, the process and the difficulties of this experiment.

Sameer Surve, director of Shree Partner says there is no fixed process as such. “Va. Pu. Kale’s novel is written in a non-linear format and it suits a film’s narrative,” says Surve. For Renuka Shahane, who transformed her mother Shanta Gokhale’s novel Rita on screen, it was a mathematical problem. “I divided the events of the novel in several sections and arranged them in chronological order. I then kept the ones that were that were uniform with the main story of the protagonist,” described Shahane.

Talking about the “span” of a novel, Surve opines that all the elements cannot be brought into the film. Shahane, in fact, regrets the fact that she could not carry many elements of the novel. Rajan Khan, whose novel Sat Naa Gat has been made into a movie has a similar opinion, “Carrying all the elements on screen is not possible. There is a main storyline around which incidents are woven in a film.”

The actors have a huge responsibility of portraying a character written with such minute details in a novel.  “The character should go close to the audience’s perception and also not distance itself from the novel. The challenge is to find a common denominator,” says Padmanabh Bind, who played the lead in Shree Partner. Khan is extremely liberal with his approach in this case. “For me, the director is also a reader. And a reader has to be given the liberty to imagine a character with his own view. The director casts actors as per his perception of the character,” he says.

The most critical aspect is however giving justice to the novel. Dr. Anand Yadav, on whose novel Natrang was based says that he was satisfied with the product. According to Khan, the concept of justice and injustice is itself wrong. “The product may work or fail but it is never a waste. Also, the novel will always remain alive as an independent creation,” Khan adds. As far as the involvement of the writer in the film making is concerned, Dr. Yadav was completely aloof from it. Khan was also not insistent about writing on screen but remained available for discussions. “The people who know the visual medium should take care of that,” he says.

The trend highlights the dearth of good screen writers on one side, but it also allows directors to plunge in the wealth of the rich Marathi literature. “It is difficult to resist the temptation our literature offers. While it is difficult to form a 2 hour screenplay on an original idea, a novel offers you a screenplay of 7-8 hours,” Shahane summarises.  

            

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Revisiting Khairlanji

The incident that shook the state of Maharashtra is being recreated through a Marathi play and an upcoming Marathi film

Neelambari Bhoge

The September 29, 2006 was marked as the black day in the history of progressive state of Maharashtra. It is that unfortunate day when four Dalits in Khairlanji village of Bhandara district were killed by villagers due to land dispute. In this brutal incident, members of the Bhotmange family belonging to the Dalit caste Surekha and Priyanka, were paraded naked in public and gang raped before being murdered whereas the  (add members, the man of the family )

Even after seven years the scars of the incidence are still fresh but the reality behind it may have become blurred in people’s memory. To remind people about this reality, a two act Marathi drama ‘Dhadant Khairlanji’- (Indisputably Khairlanji) was staged in September, 2013. Right after this drama, director Raju Meshram is now adapting the massacre into a film-‘Khairlanjichya Mathyawar’.

During his two year research for the film, Meshram met people who were familiar with this incident. He secretly visited places and met people to study the mentality as to why such incidents happen. “A woman was trying to be a good person in her life by motivating the rural people. Instead of going with her ability, the people have not only killed her but also her thoughts. From cinema point of view it is an important subject and that is why I decided to make this film.” He further added that he wants to spread the message of peace from his film.

The film stars Kishori Shahane along with Anant Jog, Dr Vilas Ujavane, Milind Shinde, Dr Sandeep Patil and debutant Pratiksha Mungekar. The entire cast of the film has undertaken special efforts to fit into the character. “The language and the looks are completely different, for which I have worked hard. The character is so real that you cannot play with it. I also faced some physical strain because I had to plough, climb hills and do things which we are not used to. However, it was a great experience altogether,” cited Shahane who is the protagonist

of the film.

To give an international treatment to the quality of the film, Meshram has made use of “4.5k Anamorphic Red format” that is used for the first time in Marathi film industry. The film is going to be dubbed in Hindi and English. The film has been shot in Akola and nearby places that matched the original locations.

Though the film gives a message of peace, “Dhadant Khairlanji” produced by Lokayat Creations gives a scathing commentary on Khairlanji killings and also tries to get to the heart of the problem not only by accusing fingers against the upper caste but also by advocating strong self critique of Dalit middle class.

The play is penned by noted Marathi writer and poet Pradnya Daya Pawar and directed by NSD veteran Shivdas Ghodke. Speaking about the play, Pawar said, “I realised that drama as medium has a strong potential of reaching to masses. People actually witness the incidents that happen on stage.”  

The play was staged in September, 2013. Till date there have been 10 shows and the group is willing to stage shows across Maharashtra.  In 2007, ‘Manu-Kalank’ a play directed by Texas Gaikwad was also based on the Khairlanji incident.

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Mahadevbhai: Diary of an Onlooker

Praveen Lulekar

The man and the ideology called Gandhi have been analysed from various perspectives – in art and otherwise. But history is often lost in wrong perceptions that either glorify or mortify its characters. Aasakta Kalamanch has come up with a recreation of Gandhivaad on stage through the lenses, and more precisely, through the pen of a kin of the Mahatma – Mahadevbhai, his secretary and onlooker.

Based on the daily diary entries of Mahadev Desai, the drama Mahadevbhai was originally written in English by Ramu Ramanathan and was staged in 2002. It has been translated and published in Marathi by Maya Pandit in 2012.

Speaking about the ideological and lingual adaptation, director Varun Narvekar says that the simplicity of the play brings Gandhi to a human level, “It goes in to details like how Mahatma Gandhi strategised, his use of press and ideals like self-dependency. Mahadevbhai narrates many incidences that elaborate these principles through Gandhi’s actions. He was an eye witness to Gandhi’s work from 1927 to 1942.”  

The drama also experiments with its presentation. Only one actor engages the stage for the 90 minutes’ duration. Omkar Gowardhan, who plays Mahadevbhai, Gandhiji, Sardar Patel and Dr. Ambedkar amongst other characters, says that it is more a plunge into the psyche of these characters than their physical attributes like body language. “We tried to understand the moral standings of these figures through historic events like the Gandhi-Ambedkar pact of Yerawada. The narrator – a character of a struggling actor, is telling the story in his own way,” he says. The Marathi drama, unlike its English counterpart, does not use any properties on stage. “This was done as a challenging experiment with the purpose of doing more number of shows efficiently,” informs Narvekar.

The motive behind the interaction of these figures is to present Gandhi from all perspectives. “The drama was originally written because Ramanathan felt that there was a trend of anti-Gandhi dramas like ‘Me Nathuram Godse Boltoy’, ‘Gandhi-Ambedkar’ and ‘Gandhi Viruddh Gandhi’. There was a need to balance,” says Narvekar. In spite of this, the playwright has not taken sides and has narrated a story based on facts. Commenting on the conflicts between these men, he adds, “I think we should get over the controversial issues. There are a lot of good things we can learn from Gandhi and the other historical figures.”

The drama will open with shows on 5, 6 and 7 July at 7.30 PM at the Sudarshan Rangmanch.

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A story teller in the making

Internationally acclaimed director NagrajManjule narrates his journey in the filmmaking exclusively to m4m

Praveen Lulekar

Director NagrajManjule's short film Pistulyawas received with a rave response and it went on to write its name on the National Awards. Manjule is now stepping into the forte of feature films with Fandry. The film has been winning hearts at various national and international film festivals - at London, Mumbai, Dharamshala and Abu Dhabi among others.

This young director’s life itself looks like an extraordinary story into making with a beginning from a small village to gaining accolades from the world audience.

He talks about himself, about Fandry(thatis set to release early next year)and his views about cinema very frankly. Manjule’s self-mockery, his admiration for the works of his peers and the distinct absence of method in his art and his speech speak volumes about his down to earth nature. 

Tell us something about yourself, when did you discover the passion for film-making?

I liked to watch films from an early age. I didn’t know at that time that there is a person called director behind these moving images. But I had developed an interest in writing poetry and reading literature from my school days in a small village- Jeur based in the KarmalaTaluka of Solapur.

I particularly liked Bollywood films and I am still a die-hard fan of Amitabh Bachchan. I also watched off-beat works of ShyamBenegal, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and others. One of my friends, MithunChaudhary, was a teacher at the Department of Communication Studies at New Arts College in Ahmednagar. He persuaded me to join there. Friends and family encouraged equally. So, I became the student of my friend. I made Pistulya, my first short film there. It was widely appreciated and developed confidence in me.

What influences did you gather from watching films?

I watched Cinema Paradisowhen I was studying Mass Communication. I found a reflection of my life in that film. It inspired me and gave me a start to writing a story. I wrote Pistulyaa few days after that. Bicycle Thieves also influenced me. I was introduced to short films with UmeshKulkarni’s Girniand Mithun’s Compulsory Helmet.

You mentioned literature being in your basics. Do you think films can be an extension or even a type of literature?

I won’t say they are related directly. But story-telling is the common thread. Infact, in every art – sculpting, painting, singing, a story is told. Human beings have a deep need to express and find various ways to do so. I think film and literature may be connected in this aspect.

But literature gives more freedom to the reader. When I read Cindrella in school, she was like a girl in Karmala for me. Years later when I saw a film version of Cindrella, she was completely different.

What are the personal and social referencesto the story of Fandry?

Fandryis the story of an age of adolescence when everything seems possible. You take every little thing to heart at such a time. Today, as a grown up, I understand that I am not Amitabh and a girl will not necessarily like me. There is acceptance. At 14, you don’t understand this.

Any character cannot be isolated and seen without the reference of the society he or she lives in. In the Indian context, this becomes even more important as a person has a complex background that is based on caste, religion and so many other factors.

This is your first feature film but you have tasted success with Pistulya (received two national awards in 2011). Did you have the baggage of expectations on you?

The only expectation I have from myself is to do my work neatly. I have learnt this not from cinema, but from life that nothing goes as per plan. Life has ruthlessly destroyed some of my funny plans. You learn to accept. Your hair get grey, you get older. Just because you have put a lot of effort in your film doesn’t mean people should like it. The film should be good for that. I hope Fandrywill be liked.

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A Unique Chemistry

Praveen Lulekar

The box-office opens in 2014 with one of the most awaited films – Ravi Jadhav’s Timepass (TP). The lasting impressions of Vishu from Balak-Palak (BP) and Shirodkar from Shaala will probably be still in our minds when we watch Prathmesh Parab and Ketaki Mategaonkar, the lead pair of TP. But the actors seem to be involved in a different chemistry here.

They talk about their careers and their roles in TP, exclusively to m4m.

Both of you have started your careers at an early age. What are the advantages and drawbacks of this?

Prathmesh – It feels great from within that people recognise us. There is an identity – in college, among friends, everywhere. The drawback is the flip side of the same - common life becomes difficult.

Ketaki – I think it depends on how you react to it. You cannot carry the filmy image in your friends’ circle. In fact, friends’ support you every time you experience a low.

Prathmesh – And friends also keep your feet on ground during your highs.

And how do your families support you?

Ketaki – I think parents are completely comfortable if they know you are not going to skip studies.  Not only family, but teachers help you in the process. And I also have my singing riyaaz  every day. My family motivates me for that.

Prathmesh – Trust is very important when it comes to family. If we are properly doing our studies, they do not stop us. If we shoot for 2-3 months, we are expected to study at least a month before the exam. There were definitely some problems initially, but we have started adjusting to them.

Coming to TP, what was the reason you selected the film?

Prathmesh – I think I connect with the subject easily as a college student. Our generation thinks of love as a Timepass, we will also think of marriage as a timepass. There is nothing wrong with fun, but we should also get serious where we need to be. I loved the subject. Also, Ravi Sir was the reason I jumped on the opportunity.

Ketaki – Even I loved the subject and the story. It is for the first time I get to do a full-fledge love story and I am really happy about it. Shaala had that theme of attraction, but this is complete romance and also comedy. Also, I get to sing song in rains (smiles).

 How did you two establish the chemistry on screen?

Prathmesh – Ravi Sir had a workshop for us. The strength of our acting skills gets tested when you are working in tandem. We need to understand each others’ strong and weak points. Also, the other’s good work pushes you to perform well.

Ketaki – Yes, that happens with me also. I think it is important that the wavelengths match. But more important is that the chemistry should be inbuilt in the script. If it is not there, it becomes difficult to work it out on screen.

Do you fear of getting typecast? Both of you did similar roles in Shaala and Balak-Palak (Mategaonkar and Parab respectively).

Ketaki – No, the characters in Shaala and TP are completely different. Shaala was in the 70’s, so the girl was more conservative – she walked with her eyes down and had those two plaits. For TP, I studied the mannerisms of the girls of the ‘80s. I watched Qayamat Se Qayamat Taq and Maine Pyar Kiya, obviously not to imitate but learn. The girls were very confident and practical.

Prathmesh – Contrarily, the boys of the ‘80s were very filmy. I think we should focus on the script and do our character properly. Vishu (Parab’s character in BP) was very advanced in the matters of love; Dagdu (his character in TP), hardly knows the first thing about love. I should understand these subtle differences. What is the ‘type’ of the character can be thought of later.

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‘The Glory is on my Craft…’

Oscar winner and the master of his own craft sound artist Resul Pookutty pours his heart out to m4m

Praveen Lulekar

Resul Pookutty is an amiable man with a smile always lingering beneath his beard. The sound artist made every Indian proud when he won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing for Slumdog Millionaire.From Black to Gandhi My Father to Slumdog Millionaire, this Padmashree awardee has grown from strength to strength. His days in Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have a huge impact on him as a professional as well as a human. Going ahead, he has stuck to his basics and simultaneously been dynamic with his craft.

He now comes full circle with his attachment with Pune and Marathi films. The tie is a professional one this time – he debuts as the sound designer of A Rainy Day, a Marathi film by Director Rajendra Talak. Happening on the backdrop of rain, the film does not use any background music. Instead, it embeds whatPookutty calls “a palette of sounds”, that captures rain in various rhythms and moods.

In m4m’s ‘Interview of the Month’, Pookutty talks about his relationship with Pune, with FTII and the larger picture of films and sound designing today.

You have a long relationship with Pune. Tell us about your learning curve at the FTII?

I think learning at film institutes is very unconventional. You know we all have guilt while we bunk a class to watch a film in school. But here watching a movie is studying. That is the first difference. I learnt that life is a construction of things here. I saw a painting, a work of architecture or listened to a piece of music and learnt to appreciate it. I became a better human being, a new person because of the institute.

What technical skills learnt here have you carried into films till today?

I think the beauty of learning and teaching is that you can carve yourself. When I learnt sound recording at the FTII, I learnt it with the analog technology. Today, everything is digital. So what you learn and what you practice differs. Technology also keeps evolving.

But FTII gave me a solid foundation. I can easily learn any new technology today with that base. I think it is wrong when people say that you cannot teach singing, acting or any art form. You learn history, technology…such factors shape you.

Many directors grow in institutes with short films; how important is a short film to a sound designer?

A short film is equivalent to one reel in a feature length film. In a classical structure, the film is divided into a start, middle and an end. For a good film, every reel has this structure. Short films give everyone in it this opportunity to work towards quality. Unfortunately, they do not have a commercial viability in our country.

Is commercial success important to a sound designer?

Yes it is. I come to a press conference and tell that a certain film is good. People go to watch it, and if they don’t find a reflection of what I say in the film, I get rejected. It is important for me for a film to succeed.

Talking about your connection with Marathi, it is now being formally established with A Rainy Day.Have you been attached with Marathi before this, when you were in Pune? 

Yes, of course. I have watched people like Makarand Deshpande, Vinay Apte, Vikram Gokhale and Usha Jadhav very closely. I was very active in Pune, there are so many things happening here. With Rajendra Talak and A Rainy Day, the bond with Marathi has grown commercially now. On an emotional note, I see this as a chance to pay my respect to Maharashtra that has given me so much.

Apart from Marathi, you have worked in other regional cinema like Tamil and Malayalam. Putting that in perspective with international cinema, what changes do you do with respect to your work?

It’s true that culture changes as language changes, but the basic human emotion remains the same. As far as regional cinema in India is concerned, it is easier to understand since the cultural aspect remains more or less uniform. The variable of culture acts when you work in a foreign condition. Like I did a Swedish film afterSlumdog… and I had to understand the culture of Sweden before I could start my work.

And what differences do you note between regional and mainstream commercial cinema?

The basic difference is the target audience. The second factor is the work method which gets inverted with respect to regional and mainstream cinema. While making a regional cinema, we say let’s make a film you and I would enjoy. We will later think about how to market it. Like in A Rainy Day, I had complete freedom to work in my own way.

While making a Ghajini, the marketability factor has to be considered beforehand. Accordingly, the film is made.

Finally, how does life change after an Oscar, if it does at all?

There are two things in this. I, as a person, have not changed at all. I approach my work in the same way as before. Secondly, people’s perspective towards me has changed. But I think the glory is on my craft and not on me. It is a good thing because it brings a lot of youth in cinema. And with youth, formal education comes in.

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