`Hold the audience in thrall'
GOWRI RAMNARAYAN
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Frank and objective, Shyam Benegal indulged in self-analysis at Lights On.
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PHOTO: SHAJU JOHN
FOCUS ON CHARACTERS: Shyam Benegal.
His `Ankur' and `Nishant' brought in New Wave cinema in the 1970s. With 24 features including `Bhumika' and `Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda,' bio-films such as `Making of the Mahatma,' television serials based on literature, travel and history, educational films for rural children, hundreds of commercials, and documentaries on diverse subjects, Shyam Benegal is part of Indian film history.
In conversation with filmmaker K. Hariharan for `Lights On' (Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai), Benegal was his usual frank, urbane, objective self. He plunged into self-analysis with the very first question about his stylistics being dictated by the narrative.
"Brechtian theories are much misunderstood. If you alienate yourself from the audience instead of holding them in thrall as cinema should do, you can't create a new universe." His definition of narrative and form was not limited to Hollywood/Bollywood models. India being a land of incredible diversities, filmmakers in different parts of the nation would have their own ways of framing experiences.
Benegal noted that his films were not plot-driven but character-driven. The evolution of each character was vital, and the casting crucial. "Yes, I did want to take stars, it would have made distribution easy! I went for actors because no star would act for me."
Historical accident
It was a historical accident that when he began to make films a host of excellent technicians and actors, trained at the Pune Film Institute and the National School of Drama, were readily available.
"A challenge to work with them. I had to know when to yield and when to hold onto my ideas." He recalled lively arguments with his cinematographer Govind Nihalani, who had to be convinced that Benegal's focus was not always on pictorial but on narrative elements.
Aren't Benegal films also mostly message-driven? Had he felt the need to make more films like `Mandi?' "I enjoyed making my first ensemble film in the black comedy, `Mandi,' as I did later in `Trikaal.' Shabana once said to me, `Shyam, must you always be making a `cause' film?' I'm not consciously didactic. And no one pressured me even while making films on national leaders. Causes get into stories that look into issues. My perspectives are historical and personal, subaltern and elite. I had to explore Gandhi's work in South Africa. I wanted to change the historically incorrect popular perception of Bose being anti-Gandhi — for myself."
Surprisingly, even disappointingly, there were no film clips to illustrate key moments in the talk. Hariharan noted Benegal's skill in using the right lens and sound design for his purpose.
Impact of the lens
His study of Satyajit Ray, Yasujiro Ozu and Orson Welles had made Benegal realise that the lens determined whether a figure dominated or diminished in impact. From Ray he also learnt about the architecture of sound in a film, of which music was a part. "I'm now embarrassed about using sound merely to illustrate and underline the visual in `Ankur'." Benegal had also made many serials for television from his massive 53 hours long `Bharat Ek Khoj,' a history of the subcontinent based on Jawaharlal Nehru's "Discovery of India" to short stories from Indian literature.
Does it irk him that though they demanded extensive preparation and intensive shooting, their shelf life was a short one? "Not at all," Benegal replied. Nor was he onvinced that their shelf life was short. Apart from repeated telecasting on Doordarshan, `Bharat Ek Khoj' was soon to be available on DVD format. Can filmmaking be taught? Benegal's vehement "No!" bore the stamp of experience.
He added, "But it can be learnt. Unlock your creative impulses. The teacher's job is to initiate students into the excitement of filmmaking. Techniques can be taught, but not their creative use."
Refusing to denounce present day films as frivolous, Benegal declared that a `Rang de Basanti' reacted to its own times as did his films when he made them. "My regret is that today films have become totally urban-centric. Rural India doesn't seem to exist at all on the big screen. Nobody wants to put money into it anymore. To me that's a real tragedy."
The final question struck a light note. You are a gourmet cook and famous for providing excellent food on the sets. What's the connection between your cooking and filmmaking? Amidst laughter Benegal replied, "Therapeutic, of course! Besides, armies march on their stomachs. A well-fed film crew has its morale up. I enjoy certain kinds of cooking but don't always get to indulge in this hobby because my wife says it's too much trouble to clean up after me."
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