`I make films, not art films'
SARASWATHY NAGARAJAN
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Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who ushered in New Wave cinema in Malayalam, is the recipient of the Dada Saheb Phalke award for 2004.
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PIONEER: Adoor Gopalakrishnan has always chosen the less-travelled path. PHOTO: C. RATHEESH KUMAR
"It is a recognition for the other cinema, for cinema proper," says Adoor Gopalakrishnan on his being awarded the Dada Saheb Phalke Award for 2004 in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema.
Graciously accepting the calls of well wishers and greeting the stream of visitors and fans, Adoor is unruffled as he patiently waits for the cameras to stop clicking. His home at Akkulam, on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram city, is a beehive of activities.
As one of the most feted film directors in India, 64-year-old Adoor is not new to this kind of adulation. In fact, this FTII graduate hit the headiness with his very first film, `Swayamvaram' in 1972, which won four national awards. This film is considered to have ushered in New Wave cinema in Malayalam. Adoor followed this up with eight feature films. Each one narrated a story that was rooted in the Malayali ethos and yet had a universal theme.
On a rain soaked evening, Adoor, the master raconteur of tales, took some time off from his hectic schedule to speak to Friday Review on a wide range of topics.
What was your initial reaction when you heard the news?
Total surprise. It was least expected. An official from the Information and Broadcasting Minster called me at around 5 p.m. on Monday to ask if I would accept the award. I saw no reason to decline it. This is the same award that was given to Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen ... directors whom I admire a great deal. It is a great honour.
You must be the youngest to receive this award.
Yes. It is a shot in the arm for cinema proper, which was being slowly marginalised. There seems to be a concerted effort to elbowit out. Even the media, knowingly or unknowingly, seem to be aiding this process by calling it `the tedium of the art film.' It is true that of late, some filmmakers seem to have hit upon a formula for art films. I don't make art films. I make films. This is the real cinema. It has to be seen and enjoyed, not suffered. One should know the craft to put this across to an audience.
As you have been doing since `Swayamvaram.'
`Swayamvaram' broke all the conventions then. It did not follow a typical plot, structure or format. It told the story of a runaway couple, how they come to a town and face life. Their experiences and anecdotes are a window to a cross section of society. It had a multi-layered structure and it was a new experience for the viewers.
Did the fact that you were a trained filmmaker make a difference?
What others learnt through trial and error, we were able to learn in three years in the Film and Television Institute of Pune. We knew why we had to use certain equipment for a certain shot. We learnt about composition, technique and what went behind the scenes. But that alone will not make one a filmmaker. For instance, Satyajit Ray did not go to any film school.
After I passed out, I made a number of short films and that was a valuable experience. I had to make those films. It was a lean period and I had to do it.
Nine feature films in 33 years.
I live with a film for a long time. My rate of rejection of my ideas is very high. When I get an idea, I wait for it to develop and grow. It is like a seed, it needs time before it can grow and bear fruit. At one stage I start a script, then I have to think of new ways of expressing it in terms of structure, format. It does not stop with the script. This creative process goes on till the final print is made. Since there is a wide gap between my films, I don't repeat myself. After one film is made, the long gap ensures that I completely forget about it. I am not burdened by my past. So, the next work is like a new beginning.
All your films are about Malayalis and Kerala.
I want to talk about things I know. The complexities of a situation will be best understood as I draw upon our lives and culture.
However, you films have always been appreciated and understood by non-Malayalis too.
There would be differences in the level of understanding and appreciation. For instance, I show an oil lamp being lit. For most Westerners, it would probably signify light. For us, there would be multiple levels of understanding even in this small gesture. There are more subtle relationships about society that we infer from this. We would best understand these intricacies and complexities.
Has the film culture of Kerala undergone a change? Would `Swayamvaram' have clicked at the box office if it were released now?
Initially, it was not a success. It became a success after it won four National awards (for film, director, and actress). Then it was released again and became a hit. That was how a national award helped it. Thirty years later, when I won an award for another film of mine, people stopped going to see the film as they decided that it was an art film.
You started the first film society (Chitralekha Film Cooperative) in Kerala. Now, there are film societies in almost every city. Do they help or mar the film culture?
It is encouraging to see the interest in films. But the real test comes when a film is released in the theatres and people go to see that film. Now, it depends on the theatres. Even when a cinema, let us call it real cinema, is doing well, they take it out after a week as their dates are already decided in advance. They have decided that a particular film is worth only one week. Most of the time, it is the word of mouth publicity that brings in viewers. Before that can happen, the film is taken out of the theatre. This is a serious matter that is affecting filmmakers.
Who do you think is promising among the young filmmakers?
Anup Kurien's `Manasarovar' was an excellent film from a debutant filmmaker. I am waiting for his second film. His first film was made on a tight budget and and yet it showed a great deal of promise. Many young filmmakers have disappointed me. There is a flash of brilliance and then it is gone. There is a lack of patience, a willingness to learn and absorb.
Most of them are in a hurry, they see something working in a film and blindly ape that in their next film without wanting to see if it will suit the subject. Many of the films that are made now are talkies. They show people talking in different situations, places and at different points of time. That is not cinema. That is more like television. Will any of us watch the TV if there is no volume?
The minute it falls mute, we try to increase the volume or switch it off. Only cinema has the power to meditate. And it is important for us to realise that.
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