Transcript of the interview with Mahesh Manjrekar

How did you go about making Astitva? It is drastically different from your other films, commercial ventures like Vastav.

Actually I don’t want to be caught in a group. I don’t want people to expect a Mahesh Manjrekar kind of a film. I would like to keep the surprise element. I get tired of a subject and if I don’t get that subject out of my system, I can’t get another one in. A similar subject won’t excite me because I exhaust myself on it. I am very passionate about any subject, so I need to do it well.

How do you think will men react to Astitva?

They are in for a rude shock. I am not absolving myself of it – after all, I am man myself and when I wrote the script and the characters I saw myself in the mirror too, and the cravings that I had. But I feel that the censors should have given the film a certificate of 15 years and above because it is then when boys become men and develop new ideas. So what do I expect from men who see the film? I want them to be a little more sensitive, a little more understanding towards women. I don’t know how the men will react because most of them have a fixed mindset. So if about 5 to 10 per cent of the men are affected by this film, I will be happy.

How did this way of making films or this creative craft develop?

I have not bothered about it. I don’t even need a teacher for making films. I don't think it’s necessary. I have done professional theatre for about 20 years. Even in theatre I did different subjects; I didn’t get caught in the commercial web. I wanted to be different as a result of which I suffered a little bit because the producers were losing money and I had to balance it.

I did quite a lot of television episodes with B P Singh. He used to stay near me and we would travel together. He had a car and while going back home we would discuss about the stories, the dialogues, etc. Whatever he taught me was more than enough to start a film.

As for the method of making films, I would say that there are no rules as such. The only thing important is that you should have the confidence to do it and have a good story. I know a lot of people getting caught in many technicalities, which is unnecessary.

Do you tell a story which the audience wants to listen or what you want to say?

If I knew what the audience wants to hear I would be the richest guy in the world! There are a lot of people who think they know what the audience wants but are sadly rejected. You see, 90 percent of all our films flop. I do films that affect me, my family, my friends. I need to be affected by what I am showing. I needed to relax and unwind which is why I made Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rahta Hai.

I made Astitva because I felt women in India have been ignored or abused. So I held a mirror in front of the people. I don’t make films thinking that the audience will like them. What I think is that the majority of them should be affected by what is happening on the screen.

Do you believe that the Indian audience are open to introspective films?

No, I don’t believe in it and I don’t give people a chance to introspect. There is this atrocious tendency of the people, like the producers, to categorize commercial and art cinema. I have seen some atrocious commercial cinema and some very good commercial cinema. If you give people a decent film with good performances and something to chew upon, they are willing to accept it. There are examples of people accepting serious films like Ardh Satya, Fire and Bandit Queen. So it’s just a gimmick that the people don’t want a good film. If you do good film and do it honestly, there are people who are going to see it.

Were you relaxed with the Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rahta Hai?

Yes, I was relaxed. I had a ball of a time, and it was fun. I was all knotted up and waiting to unwind after making intense films like Vaastav, Nidaan and Astitva.

Govinda is alleged to have a reputation for coming in late for shoots. Is that true?

I think that all these producers make a big hoo-haa about the stars coming in late, but there are many directors who also come in late. I can’t understand why Govinda has become a punching bag for everybody. There were a couple of times he landed late for my shoot but he always compensated by shooting late. He will never force you to pack up early and he always does a very good work. Also he is ready for a scene within a few minutes whereas other actors will take about an hour.

How do you work on an idea for a film?

What happens is that I throw my ideas around. I am not secretive about it, like some scientist sitting in NASA! Whenever I am doing a film anybody is allowed to come and see it, even before it is completed. Suppose 10 people come and tell me that there is something wrong in this scene, there must certainly be some logic to it and I can correct it.

Whenever an idea comes to my mind, I tell it to my wife, who is my biggest critic and my biggest supporter. If she doesn’t identify with it, I throw it out. Also I share my idea with say Tabu or Namrata even if they are not doing the film to test the character's role; I do it with everybody with whom I have worked with. I call them up and say, "I have thought of a subject, you are not in it, but anyway tell me what do you think of it?" I don’t find anything wrong about it. It is better to take their advice. So I write a film and then cast. Not the other way round. I don’t think that there is star I must get for this film. That's the producer's work. I stick to my creative brief.

And Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rahta Hai?

It’s a fun film, with lots of laughter. It is not a comedy. It is the kind of film you got to see in a relaxed mood and come back with a smile on your face.

You started off with theatre. Do you miss it and will go back to it? I don't miss theatre now because I don’t have the time to be involved in it. But I will certainly want to keep aside some time later on, and say do a play for about 2 months. But that will happen after one or two years not now.

Are you planning to act?

I don’t know because when I see the demands being made on actors giving interview – switch off the fan, turn on the lights, look here, etc – I think its better not to get into it. I really admire all these actors and actresses for their behaviour. I cant do it. And I hate make-up.

However, I have signed up as an actor for a film next year. It has Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Akshay Khanna, Kumar Gaurav and me, and is being directed by Sanjay Gupta. It’s a big cast film. I signed it because I wanted to do it. I want to get out of directing for sometime. Sometimes I envy actors because, unlike a director, they can relax when a scene is over.

What are your future projects?

I am doing a film called Pyar Kiya Nahin Jata which I plan to release by February. Then there is the film Ahsaas with Sunil Shetty, which will be ready by December. And a project called Tera Mera Saath will start in December. These are the three projects, which I am involved with.

And when will Kurukshetra be released?

It is releasing in November.

You are back with Sunjay Dutt again in Kurukshetra. Will it be similar to Vaastav?

No. Vaastav was a violent film. Kurukshetra is an action film. People sometimes say that Vaastav was an action film. But it was actually a violent film and not in the sense of physical violence but, mental violence – it had only 800 feet of action! Kurukshetra is middle-of-the-road cinema. But it will raise a few questions. Why does a man commit a crime? Does he have any options? We always blame it on the system. It might be a fantasy but I want the people to judge whether what a man does is correct or not.

Why aren’t we seeing any films from you with the current heartthrobs Hritik or Abhishek?

First of all these stars should want to work with me. I want to deal with actors and not stars because I don’t believe in the star system. My needs are very small. I don’t want to be a Rs 3 crore (30 million) or Rs 5 (50 million) crore director. If tomorrow Hritik says he wants to work with me, I might have a script for him, but then he'd be prepared because I might have a role of him as a villager or I might do a scientific fantasy! I don’t mind working with anybody provided there is a script that suits that actor.

What was the last play you did?

The last play was in Marathi called Gyani Mani. It was about a woman suffering from mental disorder. It was very complex. But it just clicked. The other play was All The Best. I saw it first at an inter-collegiate competition and caught hold of the writer-director. I said that I want to do it but he has said he only one Act which was about 30 minutes long. I said forget it and make it a 2-hour play. I did it in Marathi, Gujrati and English. Feroze Khan did it in Hindi. It was a roaring success.

Can you tell us about one film which has had a deep impact on you?

I have liked many films – Sholay, Ghayal, Mr. India, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge... But then I saw one film which hit me: Pather Panchali by Satyajit Ray. After that, I didn’t see any other film of Ray nor do I want to and find flaws in them. That film had a great impact on me. I found Pather Panchali to be a complete film. There was another film – Meghe Daka Tara by Ritwik Ghatak which also had a great impact on me.

Whom do you like as actors?

Obviously Sanju (Sanjay Dutt) who is also a close friend. He is a brilliant actor but he needs someone to guide him and push him. There are so many brilliant actors like Naseer (Naseerudding Shah), Om Puri, Shah Rukh (Khan), Rishi Kapoor, and Manoj Bajpai.

And actress?

Madhuri Dixit is talented. But I feel is that Tabu is the best of them all. What she does on screen is mind blowing.

Produced by SoundPicture Communications