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"I normally make films on relationships"

ACCLAIMED DIRECTOR : He believes in distancing himself from images of the past

Even though his cinema has been well appreciated, Rituparno Ghosh has absolutely no airs about himself, says Madhur Tankha...

Though acclaimed film director Rituparno Ghosh grew up in the City of Joy where politics and soccer influenced the life of almost everyone, yet these elements are not visible in his films. For, he believes in distancing himself from images of the past.

Ghosh, whose much-talked-about Bengali film "Dosor" was premiered at Habitat Film Festival in the Capital recently, says: "I normally make films on relationships and this one too deals with the same subject. In fact, `Dosor' traces the phenomenon of marital infidelity through a number of topics rather than one couple. `Chokher Bali' was also about marital infidelity. But this film studies the subject much more dispassionately."

Stating that technology becomes obsolete very quickly in filmmaking, the director says he decided to make the film in black and white as this medium adds another dimension to filmmaking. It has its own kind of seduction value. Talking about the legendary Satyajit Ray, Ghosh says he grew up watching his films. "I have been inspired by his filmmaking craft. His films have had a definitive influence on me. But there is also a trap in following him. If you refer to Ray's body of work for every scene, then you are not doing justice to cinema," he adds.

As for his upcoming film "Sunglass", Ghosh says he will be directing the film in both Hindi and Bengali. "Konkana Sen Sharma will be the heroine in both versions and in the Hindi film Sanjay Suri will play the lead opposite her. Rest of the cast will remain the same."

On censorship his stand is clear. "In a free society nobody forces a person to watch a particular film. You cannot cheat the public. If you have used half-clad women in your film to titillate the audience then you must be honest enough to write on the poster that it contains adult scenes."

Even though his cinema has been well appreciated, Ghosh has absolutely no airs about himself. He plans to make a play on "Raincoat", but says he is handicapped by the lack of knowledge of stage.

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