India’s most prolific director Shyam Benegal released two very dissimilar, almost antithetical films. To no one’s surprise, both Zubeidaa and Hari Bhari, released within two weeks of each other, attracted sizeable attention from both the critics and the discerning public. Here, in this throwback interview, he talks about his two films.
Was it difficult to make Karisma Kapoor do the more complex scenes in Zubeidaa?
No, no. I personally believe that if an actor knows the character’s motivations, it’s her own intuitive interpretation of the character that makes the performance work. But the actor MUST understand the character’s motivations. Sur mein hona chahiye, na? The actor must know why her character is placed in a situation, where she’s coming from and going.
You’ve already said Karisma Kapoor has given a performance on a par with Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil. Were you tempted to extend Karisma’s role for commercial reasons?
No, no. I used her presence exactly the way it was supposed to be. There’s a certain enigmatic quality to the character which had to be preserved. Audiences can say, if we were in her place we wouldn’t have behaved the way she did. But they aren’t in her place. She’s her own person. In creating that kind of enigmatic persona, you need to go only to a point. If you go beyond that, you ruin everything.
Audiences were disappointed with the length of Rekha’s role in Zubeida.
She’s there as much as she’s required. Anything beyond would have been unnecessary. But Rekha gave all of herself to the small role.
A lot of people find Manoj Bajpai miscast as the royal prince?
Yes, a lot of people have mentioned that. I thought he was right for the role. I didn’t want the character to be overpowering. He had to be restrained and not insecure and showoffy. He isn’t a flamboyant prince as a lot of people expected him to be. I have observed a large number of people from royal families. They don’t necessarily exude any kind of physical presence but have a great dignity to them. The actor’s diction and speech were important to me. I wanted the character to be lean, and not exude an overdone machismo.
The whole period atmosphere connected to the cinema In Zubeidaa was done earlier in your Bhumika?
Yes, but in Bhumika, the period was from the 1930s to the 1950s. There was a whole range of historical events there, including the Second World War. We could hear all the events on the soundtrack , for instance when Ayub Khan takes over Pakistan, Stalin takes power, etc. The whole movement of time in Bhumika was through the soundtrack and, of course, changing fashions as reflected in the clothes, etc. In Zubeida the whole story occurs in a short span of two years in the 1950s.
The extensive use of sound to convey historicity in Bhumika could have been an economic constraint?
No, it wasn’t. On the contrary, it was much cheaper to make a film back then. The technique in Bhumika was different. A smaller world was created within a larger world. You know how people live in bubbles of their own making where the world at large remains distanced although it impinges on their lives? That’s what I did in Bhumika. In Zubeida the larger and the more intimate world aren’t too far from each other. The people in Zubeida belong to a society that was concerned with changes going on around them. The Prince in Zubeida becomes involved with politics . That really happened when princely kingdoms were threatened with merger. These people were actually the movers and shakers of society.
How do you explain the surprise success of your little-big film Hari Bhari in Mumbai?
Hari Bhari is packing in the theatres with large sections of middle and lower class women . Among these women, health and reproductive issues are far more serious since the rate of level of education is low.
You made Hari Bhari and Zubeidaa one after another. Where does your versatility take you now?
I don’t know. I’m working on something. Zubeidaa took some time to complete. Now I’m working on some subjects. I’ve two or three subjects in mind. But I don’t know which film I’ll make next.
