I'm inextricably linked to Bollywood: Nagesh Kukunoor

Mumbai, Oct 11 (IANS) "Iqbal" director Nagesh Kukunoor says the women in his latest "Dor" took shape in his mind and his film belongs to the genre of great films about female bonding like Gulzar's "Namkeen" and Deepa Mehta's "Water".

"This is where the writer's imagination comes in. You're right. I'm to a large extent not gregarious. But there's enough life around you to observe and absorb, no matter how cocooned you are," Kukunoor told IANS in an interview.

"Yes, there were some conscious decisions about the characters. Meera (Ayesha Takia) didn't speak the Rajasthani dialect. I didn't want to run the risk of cutting the audience from the emotional content," he said.

Talking about Shreyas Talpade's character in the critically acclaimed "Dor", he said: "In all journey-movies I enjoy the supportive companion who helps the protagonist. Every time Shreyas' character Behroopiya comes on screen audience know everything will be fine.

"We added all those Bollywood impersonations to his character because he's so good at them in real life. Let's face it - Bollywood is inescapably everywhere. And I'm inextricably linked to Bollywood."

Kukunoor, who used to call himself a misfit in Bolywood, says that with "Iqbal" he got a certain level of acceptance from the film industry.

"I was consciously present at every award function. This industry is opening up. We're seeing many non-formula films being made and released. The trick is to stop being an outsider and become part of it. I'd rather be at the forefront of the change."

Excerpts:

How can a creator who's as cocooned as you know so much about womanhood and widowhood?

This is where the writer's imagination comes in. You're right. I'm to a large extent not gregarious. But there's enough life around you to observe and absorb, no matter how cocooned you are. There're certain stories that take their own shape in your mind. All the women in "Dor" just took concrete shape in my mind.

"3 Deewarein" was consciously cinematic, whereas "Iqbal" and now "Dor" are more slice of life.

Each film has its own grammar. At any given time, every director wants to occupy a certain space, and none other. I wrote "Dor" and started shooting it within 45 days. I wanted to make a dramatic tale by conveying my sensibility, and that meant putting ordinary people in extraordinary situations. In the process of writing and making a film, we filmmakers never know where we're heading until the film is made. I couldn't pull back and admire this line or that scene. It's only at the end of the process that I realised the full impact.

Yes, there were some conscious decisions about the characters. Meera (Ayesha Takia) didn't speak a Rajasthani dialect. I didn't want to run the risk of cutting the audience from the emotional content. I wanted to take my audience on an emotional journey using all the tools at my disposal without distracting from the plot. You're right when you say I don't indulge in too much technical wizardry. I'd get gimmicky if I was doing a slick thriller or comedy.

While there's a lot of Rajasthani music to complement Ayesha's character where's the Himachali music for Gul Panag?

(Laughs) The music is a mixed bag. What we did for the women was to give them distinctive instruments in the background. Every time we dealt with Gul we used this Middle-Eastern theme called duduk - a haunting flute-like sound.

With Ayesha we stayed with Indian instruments - like the sarangi. We didn't want the music to be obtrusive or clever. "Dor" belongs to the genre of great films about female bonding like Gulzar's "Namkeen" and Deepa Mehta's "Water".

The double standards and gender discrimination about spouse loss needed to be accentuated. I brought it out in a scene like when Dadimaa (Uttara Baokar) says, "We women don't support one another. How can we expect men to be supportive?" I had to make my point without sermonising. In cinema there's nothing scarier and more off-putting than sermons.

The Shreyas Talpade character isn't quite integrated into the plot?

In all journey-movies I enjoy the supportive companion who helps the protagonist. Every time Shreyas' character Behroopiya comes on screen audiences know everything will be fine. Initially, I wrote Behroopiya as an older man, as a father figure to Gul Panag. But then I needed the energy of a younger man. That gave me the opportunity to explore an undefined man-woman relationship between travellers of two genders.

Why must all men be lovers or brothers to women in our movies? The Talpade-Panag relationship is just there. It doesn't need to be explained.

Yes, I agree Shreyas didn't need to articulate his feelings for Gul. For an urban audience a look would've been enough. But to connect with the non-metropolitan audience, Shreyas' Behroopiya needed to get his feelings off his chest. We added all those Bollywood impersonations to his character because he's so good at them in real life. Let's face it - Bollywood is inescapably everywhere. And I'm inextricably linked to Bollywood.

Why did you allow your associate Elahi Heptullah to dub for Gul Panag?

I finished "Dor" in June. For a full month thereafter Gul was out of the country. I had to stick to my deadline. I auditioned 10-15 voices. There's this other dubbing artiste Mona with whom I dubbed one-third of the film. But the voice didn't jell with Gul. That's when Elahi came into the picture. One thing I've learnt in the process of filmmaking is there's no right or wrong. Just keep inventing the rules as you go on. I wouldn't have dared to dub Gul's voice if it was well known.

You've thoroughly miscast yourself as a lecherous guy.

That's precisely the point. I wanted a boringly decent average all's-well-with-the-world regular guy. This seemingly good guy turns out to be an arsehole. At the end of the day, in the night most of us men would do things like this (offer to buy the widow from her father-in-law).

What next?

I've a gap before the next big one. I might start a quickie. I've eight scripts ready. After that I'm planning a film called "Ashayen" with John Abraham. The title comes from a song in "Iqbal".

"Ashayen" is about a guy who wins a huge sum of money and on the same day learns he's terminally ill. I chose John because he's doing a different cinema. Besides, John has honest eyes. When he talks to you it isn't with shifty eyes. Time will tell if my faith is justified.

Are you still a misfit in Bollywood?

Less so now. With "Iqbal" I got a certain level of acceptance from the film industry. I was consciously present at every awards function. This industry is opening up. We're seeing many non-formula films being made and released. The trick is to stop being an outsider and become part of it. I'd rather be at the forefront of the change.

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