October 2, 2012
For a man who is known to have made path-breaking cinema since the early 1970s, Indian film director and screenwriter Shyam Benegal now says there is much to be learnt from young filmmakers.
Shyam Benegal at Kerala Social Centre, Abu Dhabi
October 2, 2012
For a man who is known to have made path-breaking cinema since the early 1970s, Indian film director and screenwriter Shyam Benegal now says there is much to be learnt from young filmmakers.
Shyam Benegal at Kerala Social Centre, Abu Dhabi
He has focused his camera on a wide array of subjects ranging from rural empowerment in Manthan (1976) and caste politics and sexual exploitation in Ankur (1973) to the flamboyant lifestyle of an actor in Bhumika (1977).
His latest project, a 10-hour story on the making of the Indian Constitution, he says, “is very interesting to me, but hellishly difficult to achieve”.
Khaleej Times caught up with the ace director when he was in the Capital city, along with wife Nira Benegal, for a three-day retrospective honouring his cinematic legacy.
The 77-year-old director spoke at length about the direction Indian cinema is moving in, the influence of social media in cinema, and his brief trip to the Kinokuniya book store at The Dubai Mall. Organised by the Indian Film Society of UAE (IFSUAE), in collaboration with the Embassy of India and the Kerala Social Centre, the retrospective showcased some of the director’s finest works. Benegal’s movies such as Zubeidaa, Sardari Begum and Mammo were screened over the three days. A series of student workshops and master classes were also held from September 27 to 30.
“It is the 100th year of Indian cinema this year. We made our first film in 1912, but it was released in 1913. After that, we never looked anywhere, but ahead of us. At present, Indian cinema is truly booming. In the last 10 years especially, we have had an extraordinary bunch of young filmmakers who are making movies that did not seem possible for a very long time. When I look at movies made now, we all seem to belong to the Jurassic period,” said Benegal.
He said the work of current directors like Anurag Basu and Dibakar Banerjee are praiseworthy.
He remained diplomatic when asked about his favourite actors. He said: “Actors are very sensitive beings. All the good ones who have worked with me are my favourites.” Elaborating more on his latest project on the Indian Constitution, Benegal said that the script for the movie is currently being written. “It is a very crucial period. It gave ourselves an image of who we are and what kind of a nation we constitute. There will be a lot of historical re-construction in the project,” he added.
Commenting on Arab cinema, Benegal said: “The industry is still very young; movie directors here are still finding their way. I would like to see more films before I make any comment.
“But Arab films itself are very old. Take Egyptian cinema for example, it is very old like Indian cinema. It has a typical form and a certain convention that is traditional to India. You also have excellent films from Algeria, Morocco and Turkey.”
Speaking about the future of Indian cinema and the direction it is heading in, Benegal said: “Indian cinema is exploring experiences like they have never done before. Today, it is come to a point where old people like me have to learn from the younger generation.
“Thematically, we are opening up. It was unthinkable in the past to do films that dealt with individual psychologies, same-sex relationships or transgender themes. But either through humour, or a serious negotiation of the subject, new movies are being made,” said Benegal.
He added that platforms like YouTube and social media forums like Facebook are also playing a huge role in the change that is coming about in cinema today. “Social media has a huge impact on young people. There is a lot of exchange of ideas from across the world over the Internet. Today, there is no reason why you can’t be a filmmaker, but to be a good one, is still something else,” said Benegal.
Courtesy: KhaleejTimes
