Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar PDF
Preview Talking Films: Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar
i' fSm OXFORD INDIA PAPERBACKS talking films talking films Conversations on Hindi Cinema with Javed Akhtar Nasreen Munni Kabir I OXTORD UNIVERSITY PRESS OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Sao Paulo Shanghai Taipei Tokyo Toronto Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries Published in India By Oxford University Press, New Delhi © Oxford University Press 1999 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 1999 Oxford India Paperbacks 2003 t 1 j a y All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer ISBN 0 19 566462 0 Typeset by Eleven Arts, Keshav Puram, Delhi 110 035 Printed at Pauls Press, Delhi 110 020 Published by Manzar Khan, Oxford University Press YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001 Preface Sometime in late 1997, over coffee at the India Interna¬ tional Centre in Delhi, my editors and I talked about the idea of a collection of published ‘conversations’ on Hindi cinema and what shape it would take. Interest in books on Hindi cin¬ ema has increased over the years as film has become the most popular art form of the century, defining notions of the ideal family, the perfect romance, codes of conduct and the love of country. Above all, cinema has become the over-riding form of entertainment for millions of people the world over. In In¬ dia, with the proliferation of satellite and cable channels, Hindi cinema’s power and influence have become even greater as we enter the new millennium. For various reasons — from organizing film festivals in Paris to producing and directing two series on Hindi pinema titled Movie Mahal for UK’s Channel 4 — I have had the privilege of meeting many people involved in Hindi filmmaking. Some were at the peak of their career with little time to consider their work outside the reality of adoring fans and shooting PREFACE VI dates. Others, whose films marked a previous era, now saw the importance of taking stock of their contribution to cinema. Having discovered just how difficult it is to find published interviews with now dead practitioners of Indian film, I have often suggested to an actor or a director how valuable it would be to read their autobiography, or to read some form of written record of their work and life. They would usually smile and say, ‘Where’s the time to write?’ I realise that things in the making don’t allow for much distance or analysis, and the hectic pace of.Bombay life is not conducive to reflection or revisiting of the mental space in which a film was conceived. Besides, filmmakers aren’t usually inclined to write about their approach to films, prefer¬ ring, in most cases, to let their films reveal their method, think¬ ing and intentions. So the idea of publishing extended con¬ versations with an ideal ‘crew and cast’ list of Hindi cinema, including a director, writer, lyricist, music director, actor, ac¬ tress, photographer, and choreographer, seemed exciting and useful. It wasn’t difficult to decide with whom the conversations on Hindi cinema should start, because Javed Akhtar’s name immediately sprung to mind. We had first met in 1986, when Khalid Mohamed, now editor of Filmfare, introduced me to this amazing screenplay writer, lyricist and poet, so that I could film him for Movie Mahal. The interview was brief and took place in a room at the Holiday Inn in Juhu. Minutes before we began, Javed Sahib seemed distant and somewhat preoccupied with whether he should shave or not. I remember thinking, ‘It’s going to be difficult to get him to concentrate.’ But I was wrong. I have rarely met anyone so clear-thinking PREFACE vii on the subject of Hindi cinema and so able to switch from the mundane to the profound within seconds. The moment the camera rolled, Javed Akhtar spoke with a natural ease on the changing flavour of film language, the quality of the Urdu dialogue in Mughal'e-Azam and why Hindi film songs have become such an essential part of our collective memory. At the end of our fifteen-minute interview, he smiled, stood up and said Accha main chala (All right, I’m off). Thankfully that wasn’t the last time I saw him, and over the years we’ve managed to meet in different circumstances, talking at length about movies and movie actors. Javed Akhtar’s film work is extraordinary, co-writing with Salim Khan the most significant screenplays of the 1970s (Zanjeer, Deewaar, Sholay, Trishul). His creative talents didn’t end there and in 1981, he started writing film lyrics. His unusual songs, from Hawa Hawaii (Mr India) to Ek Ladki ko Dekha (1942, A Love Story), use language and metre to pleasing effect. His book of poetry, Tarkash, published in both Urdu and in Hindi, has also known vast critical and commercial success. In his public life, he is outspoken and defends what he believes in. A lesser known fact about Javed Akhtar is that he is a brilliant conversationalist and an original thinker. I was delighted when he agreed to participate in this book. During the interviews, and despite a dozen ringing telephones and a flow of visitors, Javed Akhtar turned his mind entirely to the task at hand. He’d come alive when speaking of Urdu poetry, Parsee Theatre or Gabbar Singh. But nothing excited Javed Sahib as much as ideas — when he hit upon one, his eyes sparkled and he’d go quiet for a moment, almost as though he were painting a mental image of the idea taking form. He viii PREFACE has great wit, razor-sharp humour, an intense mind and a special connectedness to the pulse of India. I found him disarmingly honest about his life and work, and visionary in his understanding of Hindi cinema. Between April and October 1998, we spent hours in his small and characterful study in his Juhu home, discussing all kinds of things and only stopping when his wife, Shabana Azmi, reminded us that it was time to eat. Talking to Javed Akhtar has been immensely rewarding. I’d like to thank my sisters, Priya Kumar and Shameem Kabir, for never failing to encourage me, and to thank the many friends whose advice and help in all sorts of direct and indirect ways have made this book happen, including Rukun Advani, Olivia Bennett, Jeanne Brody, Urvashi Butalia, Peter Chappell, Ramachandra Guha, Omar Hafeez, Shahrukh Husain, David Lascelles, Khalid Mohamed, Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Andrew Robinson, Anuradha Roy, Joy Roy, Pepita Seth and Christopher Shackle. Special thanks to Shabana Azmi who nourished this project in every way.
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