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In the Frame
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Jaya Raju, Nandini Reddy and Saraswati Rao may soon call the shots in the film industry, writes RADHIKA RAJAMANI
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LIGHTS, CAMERA, Action... Sunny times are ahead for women directors. Aparna Sen, Kalpana Lajmi, Tanuja Chandra, Vinta Nanda and others are calling the shots in the Hindi film industry and are ready to set the screen ablaze with star power. These winds have already blown across the Vindhyas. Revathy is in the thick of action now with her second film in Hindi. In Telugu cinema Vijayanirmala reigned supreme and entered record books. Jeevitha has made her presence felt. Kavita Lankesh is shining in Karnataka. In Hyderabad, a new `breed' of women film-makers such as Jaya Raju, Saraswati Rao and Nandini Reddy are on the rise. They are brimming with creative ideas and energy with a penchant to do something different. Jaya Raju's (scribe-turned-director) Chantigaadu is already being talked of for its different treatment even within mainstream cinema. Saraswathi Rao, assistant director of Morning Raaga (a film by Mahesh Dattani), Nandini Reddy (who assisted Krishna Vamsi) and Sabiha Sultana (who assisted K. Raghavendra Rao in Gangotri and Rajamouli in Simhadri) have plans to don the directors' cap shortly.
With audience tastes changing and the multiplex trend gaining ground in the cities, there is space for all kinds of cinema - high, medium and low budgets. Crossover is in vogue and here to stay. It's not as if Telugu cinema is devoid of fresh ideas but as Jaya says, "there is scope for creativity." "There are new kinds of films these days. We (read film-makers) were like horses with blinkers till now, without them the horses are running in different directions," says Nandini. "Anything which doesn't fall into a masala movie is termed crossover today. Like parallel cinema earlier. While parallel cinema was more in touch with rural India, crossover depicts ultra modern India," voices Saraswati.
Not so happy with the present trends in cinema, Jaya, Saraswati and Nandini have clear-cut ideas about the films they want to make. Jaya, Nandini and Sabiha want to work in the commercial format, yet evolve their own style. "I can't have double-entendre dialogues, obscenity and showcase the heroine as a glam doll. I want to make clean Telugu films and show the Telugu culture which is unfortunately overshadowed by Westernisation." Nandini is definitely against senseless violence. Working within the same film formula, Sabiha would like to impart some new treatment. Saraswati Rao feels there is a social responsibility that goes with cinema. "The visual medium is so strong that it does have an impact - I would be careful in what I want to say in a film."
Jaya has sailed through her first effort. "The appreciation is amazing for a medium-budget film." Saraswati Rao has a script for a Hindi film - "it's a political satire bordering on absurdity. I don't know its commercial value but I need to find a producer who can take the risk." "I have two-three ideas and I have to flesh them out. But since I learnt my craft in the Telugu industry, my first film would be in Telugu," says Nandini. Sabiha wants to make some heroine-oriented films in an industry dominated by hero-oriented scripts.
Language is no barrier for them. They are willing to experiment in Telugu, Hindi and English. They want to explore the gamut of cinema and not be restricted by genres. Star presence is not important. "Star or no star, any film should be able to arouse curiosity in the audience and one can make an impressive movie without stars (Chantigaadu is testimony)," says Jaya.
Getting into a hitherto male bastion calls for nerves of steel. Although some like actress-director Revathy have never faced any kind of differential treatment, Jaya admits that the scene is different in Telugu cinema. "There is an opinion that women cannot direct, do not have a creative mind of their own. But if one means business, then things are all right. Initially the technicians were indifferent to take any suggestions but slowly they were impressed, " says Jaya, who also adds that somebody asked her whether she had a ghost director for the film. "There is a pre-conceived notion that women-based films are soppy-weepy ones. Nobody can think of action. Male technicians have initial apprehensions, as they have never dealt with women. Slowly things are changing and it is up to you to win them over. Most times women are appreciated for their forthrightness and grit," chips in Nandini. "It is often thought that a woman assistant director can only handle heroines and their costumes and not more than that," expresses Sabiha.
Jaya's next project is to make an international film a la Mira Nair, Aparna Sen and Gurinder Chaddha. "This English film, to be shot from sunset to sunrise, would look at life of people from all walks of life in one night. There will be some philosophy besides a political touch. The script is ready but other pre-production logistics have to be worked out." Saraswati is also keen on children's films. Sabiha wants to direct after gaining a little more experience.
With different sensibilities and the likes of Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Guru Dutt and others influencing them, it won't be long before these women shout Lights, Camera Action...
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