Your films are powerful social statements. Do you consciously choose the stories for these statements? Or do you discover them while you making the film?
Some images come to mind again and again. Some keep haunting me for days. By some coincidence, a story I have read lends itself to my concerns at a given point of time or a given frame of mind. I start reworking the story and end up writing a new interpretation. Vaidehi, the original author of Gulabi Talkies, calls the film a “spin-off story.” None of my films resemble the original work on which they are based. Surprisingly, no writer has ever objected to it. They love my film versions of their literary works. One good thing about Kannada culture is that the writers can distance themselves from their work and look at the film as an independent creation.
How did you choose Gulabi Talkies over other stories?
I had read Vaidehi’s story a long time back. A few years ago, when I began preparing for a lecture on the politics of imaging to be delivered in a distant village in Karnataka, I happened to watch the image of Saddam Hussein captured by US forces and beamed on CNN. The images appeared to me to have been tailored. It triggered a process of introspection. Had we turned ourselves into easy targets for news channels that, under the guise of feeding us with news, were actually forcing their opinions on us? Were we looking at something immediate through tinted glasses provided by so-called information technology, instead of understanding on the basis of our experience? I went back to Vaidehi’s story. I reworked it and changed the setting to that of a fishing village. I gave Gulabi to a Muslim identity though she is Christian in Vaidehi’s story. I introduced the character of Musa. As we wrote and rewrote the script, questions like loneliness, the craving to belong to someone, desire, disillusion and disappointment, hope and aspirations, global and local, harmony and conflict began to weave themselves into the narrative.
You have said that the backdrop in terms of time and setting is placed in a socio-political context. Would you elaborate?
In the 1990s, the government of India allowed fishing vessels from other countries to operate along its shores. This affected the local fisherfolk badly. Coastal Karnataka witnessed widespread communal tensions. For the first time, the right-wing politics of the two communities, both by socially-deprived and socially privileged classes of Karnataka began to be accepted. Ironically, around this time, the government of Karnataka decided to install one TV set in each of the Gram Panchayats. These are the four incidents that happened around the same time, apparently unrelated to each other on the surface. But if you dig deep, you find that they are not unrelated.
Umashree, the actress who played the title role, is a comedienne on stage. Why did you choose her for this different role?
I had seen her on the stage. She was brilliant in essaying any role she was given. Her portrayal in Krishna Murthy’s adaptation of Odalala (The Fire Within) by writer Devanuru Mahadeva was incredible. She played a 70-year-old woman looking for her lost hen, the hen being a symbol of hope. Umashree has an interesting history. She entered films as a comedienne and later switched over to character roles. Through the ‘80s and ‘90s, she was seen in every second Kannada film before entering politics in the ‘90s and cut down on her acting assignments. She was later elected as president of the women’s wing of the now-defunct Krantidal formed by Bangarappa. When Bangarappa dissolved the party and joined Mulayam Singh Yadav, Umashree switched over to Congress and was our MLC for one term. She began with amateur theatre.
Your actors, even from mainstream Kan- nada cinema, are very natural, strip ped of their starry glamour and spontaneous in your films. How do you explain this?
Actresses in mainstream Kannada films are brilliant artistes. They do not worry about the glamour factor at all. They are ready to do anything to give the best shot. They place full faith in the director and are not worried about the audience. If Soundarya looks little glamorous in Dweepa, it is not her fault. For the first time, I worked with make up artists and costume designers from mainstream Telugu cinema. Our reference and preferences varied. Rain washed away the entire make-up, wetted the clothes too and made everything look fresh.
How do you prepare your actors?
I never rehearse till I reach the sets. I discuss threadbare, all movements including minor details with my cameraman, associate, assistant director and art director. They and the actors are given copies of the scripts. Two spare copies are on the sets for ready reference. The artists are aware of what we are going to shoot on a given day. When the cameraman does the lighting, I rehearse with my artists. I first let them interpret it freely and then start modifying it little by little and change it to suit my requirements. This gives the artists the feeling that they are doing it all by themselves. I have noticed that any direct imposition of my ideas on artists makes them uncomfortable. This can lead to stiff performances. I give them lot of movement and work to do so that they can express feelings in a casual flow. K.G. Krishnamurthy who plays Musa in Gulabi Talkies is an N.S.D graduate and a reputed theater director. M.D Pallavi, who plays Netru is a playback singer. Ashok Sandeep, who plays Vasanna is a TV artiste. Except these four, the rest are from local theater troupes. Some of them faced the camera for the first time.
How did you shoot the entire film including the indoor shots, on location?
My films are always shot on real location. For Gulabi Talkies, I located a spot that suited my needs. I asked my art director, Ba Su Ma Kodagu to construct a hut with removable thatched walls. The story demanded a rock and a series of boats lined up along the shore. The way in which the spot matched the descriptions in the script so precisely was amazing. We treat the locals with respect and they respond warmly. Two popular actors from our team mingled with them. We did not ask them to clear the field to suit the frame. We took only such shots that did not get into their line of work. This created a sense of belonging and warmth. They would readily pose for a shot though they had never faced the camera before. My associate directors and three friends were asked to handle the locals. Every member of the unit such as production assistants, production controllers, light boys and those handling the reflectors, joins in controlling the crowds during the shooting.
Do you incorporate changes during the making of the film or at post-production?
Yes, I do, but only in the detailing. The structure and the politics remains the same. Some- times, changes are made for genuine reasons. In Dweepa, changes were inevitable because of the rain. In Bannada Vesha, I incorporated a few changes because of some problems the actors had. I had to make changes in Haseena when some people from the Hindu rightwing sought to make trouble. Mooru Darigalu, my third film, is the only one where I changed the structure on the editing table because it was a story within a story. It was conceived as a several flashbacks telescoping within themselves. We had to iron out and make it a linear narrative with just one flashback.
How long did it take you to complete Gulabi Talkies?
We began shooting from October 2 last year and finished shooting in 38 days. By December 31, the film was censored. Since the 1990s my films have been done on budgets ranging between Rs 32 and Rs 35 lakh. Nayi Neralu cost us little more and Dweepa is the costliest so far - around Rs 50 lakh.
Among your entire repertoires, which do you hold close to your heart?
Thayi Saheba and Ghatashraddha. In Ghatas -hraddha the integrity of the narration and the austerity of the images bring a transparency to the film. Thayi ...has a script that operates at many levels - the personal and the political, gender issues, freedom and bondage and yet, at the bottom lies a simple, emotional story.
Which Indian filmmakers do you hold as your personal favourites?
Satyajit Ray and Adoor Gopalakrishnan. I have seen their works repeatedly and understand their worldview. I also like Mrinal Sen and Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s films. Unfortuna- tely, I have seen their works just once. There are other Indian filmmakers but unfortunately I have not caught up with their films. I am ashamed to confess that I have seen only two films of Aparna Sen. It is an irony that I can get to watch international films sitting in Karnataka but not the works of my fellow Indian filmmakers.
How do you respond to awards now that you have won so many?
My response is both positive and negative. I feel happy because a committee comprised of filmmakers and critics gives the awards. They do not go just by the storyline. They go into all aspects of the film. I feel sad if the audience cannot get to see the film or do not like the film because it is as important to me as the jury members. I will be happy when my films are able to generate as much enthusiasm in the audience as they do with the jury.
