Subhash K Jha shares an unpublished in-depth and open interview with the brilliant auteur Rituparno Ghosh.
With Bariwali, you stepped into Hindi cinema. Was that a good experience?
But why should Bariwali be a stepping stone to a Hindi film? My earlier films like Unnishe April and specially Dahan too have been shown and appreciated in Mumbai. I’ve been getting offers to do Hindi films even before Bariwali. But yes, this is my first film which has been seen by a wider audience, maybe because Anupam Kher, being a Mumbai actor, could generate some curiosity for the film.
Unnishe April is actually the film with which you arrived?
Yes, but before that, I made a children’s film with Basant Chowdhary and Moon Moon Sen called Diamond Ring , which was commissioned by Shabana Azmi on behalf of the Children’s Film Society. It never got released and became important only after Unnishe April. I’d still like Diamond Ring to be released. I think it’s the best film I’ve made probably because it was my first film, which I made when I was fresh out of advertising. Now I’m sure I’ll discover lots of immaturity in it. But it’s still my favourite.
Do you fear the responsibility of being the neo-Ray who’ll revive the Bengali film industry?
I don’t, because I don’t have to do anything. I don’t want to carry out this responsibility. If my films help the Bengali film industry in any way, I’m extremely happy. As for being compared with Satyajit Ray, I’m extremely flattered. I feel I’m majorly overrated. I came into Bengali cinema at a time when intelligent urban films were going out of fashion. That’s why I found a place quickly. I can’t compare myself to the masters of Bengali cinema.
Who are the masters who have influenced you?
Satyajit Ray has been a very major influence. I am an unabashed fan. As a child, I dreamt of making films after seeing his films. People compare my Unnishe April to Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata. But Bergman hasn’t been a conscious influence. Hindi cinema, I did see Raj Kapoor and Bimal Roy, but not Guru Dutt. Gulzar and Hrishikesh Mukherjee were part of my formative years, so I watched a lot of their films.
Aparna Sen?
She has been an influence as a human being, not as a filmmaker. I’ve been quite close to her, and one reason is our affinity to the cinema of Satyajit Ray.
How did you get into cinema?
My father, Sunil Ghosh, used to be a low-budget documentary filmmaker. He used to work at home, and I watched him. That took away the fear of filmmaking from me. He used the dining table to edit his films while we had our meals elsewhere. I was never allowed to go to film school. Anyway, Unnishe April was supposed to be produced by NFDC. They rejected my script twice. Aparna Sen was a great help. She got a friend of hers to co-produce the film with me.
Are you ready for Hindi cinema?
Not quite. I‘m terrified by my unfamiliarity with the Hindi language. I can’t be happy with someone else writing my dialogues. That’s why I keep postponing it. Besides, I want to make a film in Hindi only when I have a story suitable for the language. The subject has to choose the language. But yes, no matter what the language my film has to be about human relationships. That’s my forte. I’m committed to AB Corp Ltd to make a Hindi film for Mr Amiabh Bachchan. He told me, ‘Can I apply for the job of your first Hindi film producer?’. That humility is so typical of him. That’s the only concrete offer I’ve got in Mumbai so far. Anupam Kher, of course, has offered me a carte blanche. Now I’m doing another Bengali film with Nandita Das, this one based on Rabindranath Tagore’s Chokher Bali.
Just like the director in your Bariwali.
Chokher Bali has been my dream project for a very long time. So when I made my director-protagonist in Bariwali make a film about that novel, I was vicariously fulfilling my dream. Today’s Bengali cinema has moved away from literature towards Hindi cinema and South Indian films. But I’m finally making Chokher Bali. There was a delay because I had to get proper go-ahead from the Tagore Foundation. Also, Nandita’s Water controversy made it almost impossible for me to shoot with her in Varanasi until I convinced them I was doing a Tagore story. Besides, I wanted her hair to grow to a length that could be parted easily. Yes, this would be my first tryst with Tagore.
Is Bariwali inspired by 36 Chowringhee Lane ?
There are some inherent similarities between the two films. The lonely spinster, yes. But then loneliness runs through all my films.
Was Raakhee your first choice for Bariwali?
Yes, she was. She was very kind to me. She’s like an elder sister, and I feel so guilty about not doing the film with her. You see, initially, NFDC was supposed to produce the film. But they were only willing to give me 25 lakhs. The entire film was set outdoors. I couldn’t possibly make the film with that money. I returned the money. Raaakhedi took me to Pramod Chakravarthy and also spoke to Shakti Samanta. She had seen Unnishe April and really wanted to do Bariwali. She’s very fond of me. Whenever I went to Mumbai, she made fish curry for me. I feel I’ve treated her like the director in Bariwali treated the protagonist Banolata. Even her saris for Bariwali were ready. I apologize to her profusely. But such things do happen. Initially, Kalpana Lajmi wanted Dimple for Darmiyaan. Kiron did it. For Bariwali, I had approached Jaya Bachchan as well. She wasn’t keen on this. She wanted to do my Titli. It was she who told Kiron about Bariwali.
Were you apprehensive about Kiron Kher’s ability to look Bengali?
More than her looking Bengali, I was very apprehensive about Kiron’s looking vulnerable. I even wanted her to grow a hairlip for the role. I wanted my character to reveal her weaknesses. Finally, I made Kiron cover her strong lips with her sari and keep her usual open hair tied in a choti or a bun. The moment she opened her hair, she was no longer my Banolata. Kiron got herself a Bengali tutor. I wanted her to learn to cook fish. Now Banolata and the mother and daughter in Unnishe April are favourite characters.
