Humility is his hallmark
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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The 10th edition of Lights On with K. Viswanath and Suhasini Maniratnam, was a fiesta for film buffs.
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SHARING THOUGHTS: Suhasini Maniratnam and director K. Viswanath. Photo: K. V. Srinivasan.
Three aspects of the recent Lights On session, which had K. Viswanath as the fulcrum, made a tremendous impact — his humility, candour and his camaraderie. In a show of this kind it is not always easy to gauge the mood of the personality on stage. But that evening it was very clear that the film legend was completely at ease with the discerning gathering, and enjoyed his interaction with them.
Kasinadhuni Viswanath's penchant for the letter `S' may be the reason for nearly all his films beginning with the alphabet. The trend continued and you had him conversing with Suhasini, at Sathyam Cinemas' Studio 5. Suhasini, the facilitator, had done her homework. "When Prasanna (the curator of the show) asked me who I would like to be in conversation with, I suggested Suhasini. She's an intelligent person and a great actor," he smiled. (Suhasini has worked under his direction in `Siruvennela.')
It was a laudable effort from the actor. The way in which she conducted the show said a lot about her organising skills. The hostess had segmented the two-part session into three — Viswanath's concepts, his execution and audience's reaction. "The interaction will be more structured then," she explained. She also had pertinent posers from Padma Subramaniam, K. Balachander, Kamalhaasan and SPB, which Viswanath fielded with spontaneity. On the flip side, Suhasini shared with the audience Viswanath's admiration for the fluent verbosity of our politicians. He quickly clarified that he had no interest in Politics.
Highly respected
"I tried to make films that appealed to viewers all over South. My choice of canvas was such. And I saw to it that the greatness of our culture was given importance," said the ace technician whose films have been successfully dubbed in Tamil. Viswanath has tasted success in Hindi too. "Producers must be waiting for you to make more films. Why don't you," asked an avid fan. "Is that so? Please bring them to me," he quipped. On a serious plane he noted, "I'm terribly embarrassed when people touch my feet. I have frailties and shortcomings like any other. Then I realise that it's my work and the honesty in it that has earned me this respect."
While Suhasini recalled `Subalekha' Sudhakar's comment on seeing `Black,' ("We did it 20 years ago in `Siru Vennela!'") a voice in the audience said that `Forrest Gump' also was more like a Viswanath creation. When Satyajit Ray could achieve international recognition why has not Viswanath who is on par with him, the questioner wondered. "Somehow talent in the South doesn't get its due," agreed the filmmaker.
"I believe in silences," said Viswanath as he spoke of the importance he gave to body language with analogies from his works. Profound statements from the renowned maker provided much food for thought that evening. "I always considered myself a trustee of the producer's money. If he got his returns I was happy. As a director every part of the film was my responsibility. But when a film did well, it was not my feat alone," he stated.
Now that he has turned actor too, does he make suggestions to the director? "Not at all. It's his concept. I should respect it. A surgeon may have operated upon several patients, but when he is on the operating table himself, he has to submit to the surgeon in whose hands he places himself," he smiled. The metaphor drew applause.
Viswanath touched the zenith of modesty when he said that he drew all his stories from his observations of the goings on around him. I don't watch TV or films. Nor am I a voracious reader. And if the music in my films has been good it's because of the maestros who worked for me. People refuse to believe that I don't know music. But I have an ear for it," he laughed.
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