Abhishek Bachchan, talks with Subhash K Jha, Exclusively, on his excellent film Shararat, featuring an incredible cast that included Amrish Puri, Mohnish Behl, Helen, Om Puri, Tinnu Anand, Daisy Irani, and Dara Singh Randhawa, which released in 2002, unfortunately opposite Devdas…
What do we do when a meritorious film is completely eclipsed by a mega-event in cinema? Devdas left little room for a small sensitive effort like Shararat to grow, let alone glow. The first and foremost reason why Shararat deserves a chance is for its ability to create a harmony between life and sorrow, death and laughter. The film evokes a nostalgic ache for the young and yet leaves us with a lingering affection for the old.
Gurudev Bhalla’s Shararat enters the bleak but brave world of the old and the dying. His admirable autumn sonata suffers a serious shararat (mischief) due to its untimely release. Sanjay Bhansali’s Devdas overpowers this big-little film, like the steamroller that threatens to demolish Aashiyana the Utopian home that a group of old people in Bhalla’s film have built as an island of succour in a world that has no patience with or place for the economically and physically infirm section of people.
The compassionate , tender and often sensitive depiction of life for the old is remarkably well handled by Bhalla. The fact that the inmates at “Aashiyana” (a beautifully constructed and shot bungalow in scenic Ooty) are all so vividly etched by writer Urmi Juvekar is a decidedly big advantage for the adventurous director. His narration is never weighed down by the heavy burden of its theme.
Every actor cast in the old folks’ home brings a tearful smile to our face. Tinnu Anand as the forgetful Saifuddin, Dara Singh and Daisy Irani as the jovial Mr & MRs Gujral, Helen as the desolate Anuradha Mathur and A.K. Hangal as the dejected Gajanan Desai are painted in the most vivid sepia colours that contour their loneliness and dignity.
Of course, it’s Amrish Puri who once again effortlessly leads the cast. As the bragging , irritable, fastidious Prajapati who appoints himself the unofficial leader of the twilight brigade at the old folks’ home Puri delivers another powerhouse performance that occasionally rips a hole in our soul. He’s indeed the soul of Bhalla’s film. His shared moments of solace with Helen and a brilliantly written sequence where he quarrels with one of his colleagues Subramaniam (K.D. Chandran) are so poised in their drama , we wholeheartedly welcome a new directorial talent named Gurudev Bhalla.
Cleverly Bhalla’s film uses the protagonist Rahul’s character as the outsider looking into the wizened world of heartbreaking dejection, sharing the audiences’ impatience and gradual guilt about the plight of the old. Abhishek Bachchan as the brat who evolves into a caring and compassionate creature proves himself again in the emotional scenes. In the closeups his eyes sparkle with mischief and grief as he goes from daredevilry to compassion. But his body language specially in the obligatory drill-exercize song and dances still need severe correction.
Though he’s a master of quietly convincing craftsmanship, Bhalla fails on the formulistic front. His efforts to imbue a ruddy conventionalism on the rather unusual theme crashland painfully. The mandatory romance between the brattish hero Rahul (sent to the old folks’ home for community service by a judge, who behaves as though he ‘s been watching Home Alone too many times) and a journalist (Hrishita Bhatt) is so painfully contrived, we wince each time a romantic song in some exotic foreign location overtakes the otherwise-sincere narration.
The mandatory villainy represented by the facial contortions of Mohnish Behl and Ashish Vidyarthi, and a search for a formal climax also take the film far away from its original, undoubtedly noble intentions. By the time actor Raj Zutsi, playing a repentant son, rushes towards his deserted father A.K. Hangal, the film becomes a full-blown farce.
And yet there’s no denying the powerful impact of the earlier scenes. Bhalla weaves the light and dramatic moments at the old folks’ home in a beguiling play of light and shade. One of our most brilliant cinemetographers A.K. Bir makes a welcome comeback. Bir bathes Bhalla’s autumnal world in striking pastel and ebony shades.
Everything looks a shade or two more vivid than life, and yet lifelike for their vivacious representation of the tragedy of decrepitude. Technically, the film wears a finely gleaming appearance that contrasts tellingly with the film’s sombre theme. Though the background music by Babloo Chakravarty is appropriately evocative, the songs by Sajid-Wajid, though largely situational, hamper the film’s flow to a large extent.
By going into a very real social problem , Shararat amply atones for all its digressive trangsressions. When the steamroller begins to make its way towards the old folks’ dream home, we begin to wonder if the demolition machine should be christened Devdas.
Abhishek Bachchan Speaks On Shararat:
What do you remember of Shararat?
I played Rahul a very spoilt son of a very rich man. I won’t call my character rebellious. But he has a very devil-may-care attitude to everything he does in life. He’s very bad with authority and just loves to do his own thing. Quite a brat, this Rahul.
Most unlike a certain Abhishek Bachchan, no?
Absolutely. I take that as a compliment. My character in Shararat is disciplined by his mother. But his father lets him have his way arguing he has worked hard to let his son be happy. Rahul ends up in serious trouble with the law on his 21st birthday. His gift of the gab can’t get him out of this one. Hrishitaa who plays a journalist, convinces the judge to let me do community service instead of serving a sentence in jail.
That was a new one?
But it’s very much part of our legal system, though not many people know about it. We did research on the subject before plunging into the film. What I liked about Shararat was, it gave me a chance to play a character who evolves in the course of the story. It’s very interesting to play characters who grow.
Is that why you have been avoiding run-of-the-mill subjects?
I don’t look down on run-of-the-mill projects. But as an artiste I’m more intrigued and excited by scripts which have a gentle twist in the tale, which aren’t conventional. Fine, Shararat didn’t work to the extent that I’d have liked them to. But at least I tried to do something different. Finally, the winning and losing has nothing to do with the attempt. There’re no guarantees in life or in cinema. It’s easy to lean on the safe , far more dangerous to crane one’s neck out.
You had some very talented co-stars in Shararat?
Look at the amount of talent I got to work with in Shararat. At first I was petrified to be working with stalwarts like Helen Aunty and Viju Khoteji. Of course I knew some of them like Dara Singhji and Hangal Saab on a personal level. Tinu Uncle (Tinu Anand) is of course a close family friend. I was the junior-most member of the cast. I thought they’d eat me for lunch. Who was I to stand up in front of them? I felt I wasn’t worthy of the honour. But you know what?
Tell me?
I came back from my 45-day outdoor in Manali with some good friends. They pampered me and cooked for me. They helped me with my lines. It was like being with my family. It was such a moving experience (he sounds genuinely moved). Really, I had an unbelievably easy time shooting for Shararat. The minute the camera was on we could see Helen Aunty, Dara Singhji and all the other veterans transform into magical figures. Their confidence was so contagious.
How was it shooting with the legendary Helen?
Helen Aunty is a dream. She’s such a wonderful person and so sweet. I’ve admired her from my childhood. And now I had this opportunity to work with her. The same was true of Hangal Saab, Tinu Uncle, Amrish Puriji. I kept warning myself , ‘Listen, don’t mess it up. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’ It was really an unforgettable experience for me.
Director Gurudev Bhalla says you were almost like a bridge between him and the veterans?
Nothing of the sort. I was just doing my job. It’s just that we ‘re friends and Guru could communicate his ideas easily through me. We went to Manali and finished ninety percent of the film in fifty days. It was great fun. I think it’s essential to keep learning from talented seniors. It helps you to improve on your performance. You might feel you’re doing fine. But your self-opinion may be biased. Such actors help you to know where you’re going wrong. It’s very important to be fluent in your performance.
