The Hindu : New Delhi News : Reaching out to children world-wide

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 27, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Reaching out to children world-wide

Photo: V. V. Krishnan

‘Positive values': Reputed film-maker Govind Nihalani.

Bollywood film-maker Govind Nihalani is all set to release his latest technologically-driven animation film, finds out Madhur Tankha

His socially relevant films have forced movie goers to sit up and introspect. Bollywood film-maker Govind Nihalani is now gearing up to release an animation film that despite being technologically-driven highlights issues concerning the common man.

Nihalani says for the first time in his long career he has taken recourse to innovative technology to make a film. His last film Dev was released in 2004 and all this while he has been putting all his concentration and energies into writing the script, directing and financing his international project in animation.

“As far as technology is concerned, Bollywood has certainly improved by leaps and bounds. Excellent films made with the assistance of modern technology are being produced. So I thought of taking up a project that is technologically-driven. Basically, I love graphics and everything related to it. The driving force behind making this animation is to reach out to a large number of children in the country and overseas. The film has a lot of positive values and conveys messages like my earlier films.”

The film will be dubbed in regional and foreign languages.

After completing his course in cinematography, Nihalani wanted to get a decent job so that he could support himself financially. “Luckily those days we had the National Film Finance Corporation that helped film-makers so that they could make small budget projects. It helped film-makers like me immensely.”

However, Nihalani came into limelight when he got the job of a cinematographer in accomplished film-maker Shyam Benegal's films. This association played a crucial role in polishing Nihalani's cinematographic skills and eventually his metamorphosis as a full-fledged director.

“Working under the guidance of Shyam Benegal taught me a lot about film-making. The best part was that he had tremendous confidence in me and gave complete creative freedom. The whole experience of working with a powerful film-maker like him helped me grow immensely. He is not just a director but a practitioner of cinema.”

The result was that Nihalani worked as cinematographer in Benegal's critically acclaimed films Ankur, Nishant, Manthan and Junoon.

Nihalani's next big break as a cinematographer came when British filmmaker Richard Attenborough, who was about to start shooting his epic Gandhi, roped him in for the prestigious project.

“Filming of Gandhi was an intense experience for me. For me the importance of Mahatma Gandhi has remained the same. He is undoubtedly our national icon but whether his stature has diminished among the young generation or not is something that I do not want to go into. But he has taught us one important fact that is relevant even today that we should not look at violence as a solution to problems plaguing society.”

Making a film on the Father of the Nation or someone who religiously follows his principles excites the film-maker in him but he is in no hurry. “Let me first get hold of a suitable script.”

Though Nihalani doesn't like to repeat his subject or actor, he has made one exception in the case of Om Puri. The versatile actor is his favourite and he has repeated him in films of different genres as he has full faith in his ability to deliver.

Nihalani praises Om Puri for his portrayal of a submissive husband in his much-talked about Aakrosh. A victim of oppression, the character (Om Puri) is so traumatised by violation of his humanity that he remains a mute spectator to all the injustice that happens around him. “His role of a police officer in Dev that highlighted insecurity felt by the minority community was outstandingly good. It was in complete contrast to Aakrosh but he did justice to it.”

Nihalani's Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa starring Jaya Bachchan as the protagonist was made to create awareness about women empowerment among the middle class. “It was about women and their way of life. It is about a woman whose life undergoes a change after the reality of Naxal problem dawns on her. It is about awakening of a mother, who is totally subservient to her family.”

While the film-maker firmly believes that films are made to make the audience ask uncomfortable questions on the current issues, he wants cinema to be entertaining. “Through the power of emotion and rationale, a film needs to create awareness on the plight of women in the country. Not many films have been made on this important issue in the Hindi film industry. Of course, there have been exceptions like V. Shantaram's Dahej. Now who cares for these issues? One cannot make it compulsory for film-makers to make movies only on this line. Even if films are made they have to engage the viewers' attention. They should appeal to them intellectually as well as emotionally.”

It is not possible to depict all the problems faced by women in just three hours of a film. “It is a fact that women in our country face oppression and poverty. It is important to highlight this negative aspect but ultimately it depends on the discretion of a film-maker.

Nihalani, who stuck a chord with television viewers through his sensitive television serial Tamas, feels that television soap operas create a point of discussion. “Unlike some people's perception, I don't think serials being produced these days are regressive. Every show is progressive as it creates debates at home and in communities. They have to appeal to the sensitivities and sensibilities of viewers.”

His upcoming projects also include a Marathi film based on the work of playwright Vijay Tendulkar. “I was earlier associated with Marathi film Shantata! Court Chalu Aahe (Silence! The court is in session) that was also written by Vijay Tendulkar. A different yardstick has to be applied in making a Marathi film,” he says.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi