An exclusive interview with Shyam Benegal which my editor felt didn't match up to our page and also because according to my team, he isn't important!!

Over the years many ad men have joined the film industry as actors, directors and all, but none of them can hold a torch to the man who did almost six hundred ads before turning director and then single handedly ushered in the era of New Age Cinema in the 1970s and 80s. Honored with the Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan, he recently received the most coveted film award, The Dada Saheb Phalke Award for 2005. We are talking of Shyam Benegal, the director of path breaking films like Ankur, Manthan, Nishant, Sooraj ka Saatwan Ghoda, and the unforgettable television series based on Nehru’s book Discovery of India, Bharat ek Khoj.

Q. What was your first reaction when you received the award?
A. Initially it came as a surprise, then it turned into a happy sort of surprise, and when I fully understood the situation it was massive elation.

Q. The award was announced after a lot of controversy regarding the recipient and the jury was split over the decision. What’s your take on the whole issue?
A. I don’t think there was a controversy and even if there was one, I have no idea about it. Maybe I wasn’t in the country when all this was happening.

Q. Do you feel that the award and recognition was a little late in coming?
A. Oh no, I just don’t think so. Actually I feel that if anything it has come a lot early, I still have a lot to do, loads of more ideas to work on. It sure isn’t late for me.

Q. Critics like to categorise cinema a lot, there’s a new age cinema, parallel cinema, art cinema, commercial cinema and lots of other such titles. Do you think its fair on their part to confuse the viewers like this?
A. Some films fail, others are successful, some find popular appeal, some don’t but we must not judge a film according to its popular appeal. A film’s main aim is to entertain. Besides that it also serves the purpose of expressing one’s views and finally to communicate an idea to people at different levels. Some films appeal to you at a more sensory level, others might work more at an intellectual level. So it all depends on the films storyline and treatment.
A large chunk of the films appeal at the sensory level, you enjoy them, others have an emotional appeal to them. But there’s a small section of films that appeals at a more cerebral level. They are the thinking films, which are difficult to understand and hence don’t have a large following.

Another aspect of films is their vocabulary. Every novel has a style and quality of writing, the same way films also have their quality. All these aspects make up a film. If only popular appeal is looked into, then we loose out on any other aspect of cinema and become superficial at times.



Q. Your cinema has a lyrical quality in its visuals. You use a lot of folk and traditional media. How successful do you think is such poetic depiction of events today? A. I love to be in contact with nature and my environment. I have a great deal of interest in society and the events taking place today as a part of this society. That’s the reason why I feel such tools of cinema are very important.

below average

It just struck me that tis past one week has been an absolute waste of time and talent. I dint do anything useful, except for maybe one or two articles and thats about it. And what's worse is that till now i was happy with my life. Almost content. Is this what i'm supposed to do? Just while away time, idle, do nothing and then waith for the new month to start so that i cn gt hold of my salary cheque.Nope i guess not. well, come next week, i'll just not let myself tire out. I have to work n show more than anybody but my own self that i have the resilience to follow my ideas and the stamina to work and also the hunger to write something new. Hope it all works out fine.