BHARATI PAWASKAR
While interacting with Sudhir Srinivasan in the ‘In Conversation’ section of the 50th IFFI, eminent directors, Shri Ram Raghavan, Manju Bora and Ram drew attention of the audience and attracted applauds for their authentic views at Black Box in Kala Academy on Tuesday.
Films are inspired by life and life, in turn, gets motivated from cinema. This is a proven fact for years. The directors pick up a topic or an issue that touches the hearts of many or which stirs up the mind of the society in a positive or negative way. Do I have to be a good person to do a good film, can be a question for debate, feels Ram, director of Tamil films. “I am not against adaptations. Short stories are easier to adopt than novels,” he states.
His Assamese counterpart Manju Bora adds, “Taking inspiration from any real-life incident to make a film is fine. However, adapting a novel is really very difficult. If you fall in love with the elaborative story, the film gets lengthier, shaking the budget. ”
‘Badalapur’ fame Sriram Raghavan mentions that there are different ways of adapting. “sometimes I read a novel and come to a point where I stop reading and make my own imaginary story. I do so as I think that all novels would have the similar kind of narrative. But I am proven wrong. What I try to add turns out terrible and I am forced to embrace the original course of actions in the novel, which happened in ‘Badalapur.’ Based on a real-life incident that happened decades ago, it is a story of a family man who sets out to take revenge after being wronged,” adds Sriram who fells, it’s best to read synopses than the entire novel, to grab an idea.
Every movie asks questions. Whether to keep an ambiguous end or an open is a dilemma in a film but when one works with smaller budgets one can get the freedom to make a film, feels Ram. Manju admits getting inspired by Japanese films which are simple and reflect that country. “I follow my heart when I make a socio-political film, not bothering about the political pressures or the upheaval it may create,” shares 63-year-old Manju who has been in filmmaking for 23 years.
Ram doesn’t care to have a protagonist in his film. “My truth is the antagonist. All of my four films have them. Whatever disturbs, angers, irritates, depresses me or makes me happy, I make a film on it. Whatever disturbs or stirs the audience, is a good movie. The critics may accept it and the audience may deny it initially, but later both accept it,” he says.
