Common Indian has always supported good cinema: Shyam Benegal

K_MURALI_KUMAR

Shyam Benegal stresses the need for a balanced view. Photo K. Murali Kumar

Shyam Benegal, the grand old man of Indian cinema, says that what Aamir Khan has done is fine but returning awards is not the right option.

If somebody thought there is a retirement age for directors, he should see Shyam Benegal. At 80, he continues to accept ambitious projects. The latest being a series on wars that Indians fought in the 20 Century. Recently, he stirred a debate when he took a position against those who returned their National Awards.

Edited excerpts from an interview:

What is your position on intolerance debate and filmmakers returning awards?

I have a simple position. You can and you should and you must raise your voice against intolerance particularly related to the minorities of the country. We are constitutionally bound to protect our minorities. There are different ways of protesting and what Aamir Khan has done is fine. The point I was making was don’t return your National Awards because they are essentially awards given by the nation and not a particular government.

Over the years the distinction between the nation and the government has blurred…

That distinction has to be maintained. The government is voted for a finite period and it represents the nation only for that period. Also remember the fact that those who choose the winners don’t belong to the government. They are eminent people who usually have no political axe to grind. Just because the government of the day gives away the award doesn’t make it a government award. By returning the awards you are doing harm to yourself. Automatically, you have given the government far more power than it actually enjoys.

Be it “Bharat Ek Khoj” or “Samvidhan”, canvas and scale hasn’t stopped you from taking up grand projects. There is news of you working on a series on wars.

This is an individual choice. Rajya Sabha TV wants me to do a series on all the wars that India has fought in the 20th Century. It is a very important programme where we will capture Indian contribution from the First World War to Kargil. It may not be for cinema, it may not have the biggest scale but we can still make it a relevant document. When I started for “Bharat Ek Khoj” with 30-odd historical consultants, people showed apprehension but it has withstood the test of time. Twenty six years have passed since it first appeared but youngsters still like to watch it. Similarly, “Samvidhan”, was crucial for me because this generation should know how we created our democratic institutions. How much it was debated upon before the constitution got the final shape….

You are also making a docu-drama on the history of Punjab

It is more or less complete. It is about the evolution of Punjab as a geographical, cultural entity starting from Maharaja Ranjit Singh to the present day. It will be shown in the theatre which the Punjab government is building in the Karatarpur complex. It is a hub that will have hotels, an amusement centre and a museum with a screening area where ‘Jang-e-Azadi’ will be screened on a loop. People of Indian origin and NRIs of Punjabi descent come to India to look at their heritage. The film gives you a sense of your background and history.

Crowd funding is an in thing now but you experimented with it a long time back.

In “Manthan”, which I made with Gujarat Co-operative Marketing Federation Limited, it was much more organised and publicised but I did it again in “Antarnaad” which was about Swadhayay movement or self reliance. The fishing communities collected money and they came to me. Similarly in “Susman”, handloom cooperatives contributed. Common Indian has always supported good cinema.

Your films like “Kalyug” have withstood the test of time. Unlike many other films of the period people don’t find it slow or dated…

Audience sensibilities keep changing. Today, from the time you are a child the media is available to you in an audio-visual way. But historically there are some films which go beyond this. “Pather Panchali” feels as fresh as it was in 1956. So is “Sant Tukaram” which was made in 1936. Invariably, these are works which have achieved the status of art.

Could you have made “Kalyug”, which drew from Mahabharat or a political film today without evoking extreme reactions?

I don’t think I would have faced problem. I can still make it in a different setting.

You have been associated both with MAMI and IFFI. There is a perception that young filmmakers don’t prefer Indian Panorama any more…were things different in your younger days?

It has to do with perception. One can learn from Cannes Film Festival where they try to push French cinema. In India the focus should be a lot more on Indian films. It was always like this. The festival is scheduled towards the end of the year. By this time the critics and buyers have usually seen all the important films of the year. Film Bazaar is doing a good job in buying and selling but again a perception should be created that it is all part of the same thing.