Sai Paranjpye interview: ‘Going to theatres has lost its charm’

The veteran filmmaker was in Delhi to donate her collection of original, handwritten drafts and screenplays of films, teleplays and stage plays in Marathi, English and Hindi to Ashoka University’s Archives of Contemporary India

Sai Paranjpye is one of the few woman filmmakers and screenwriters who cracked Bollywood’s glass ceiling in the 1970s and 80s. She didn’t just script and direct her own projects; success and recognition chased her for entertaining dramas and comedies, assumed to be a domain of men.

Her critically-acclaimed Sparsh, her first feature film made in 1980 that won three National Awards; the 1981 film Chashme Buddoor that became a cult classic: and Katha, a 1983 romantic comedy which won the National Award for Best Feature Film — these works refuse to fade out of conversations on contemporary cinema even after decades.

Paranjpye is no stranger to fame but she wears her accomplishments lightly. At 86 now, she is unable to watch many films. “Going to theatres has lost its charm, the travel and traffic drain me and seeing movies on small screens doesn’t hold fascination for me,” she says.

The 2006 Padma Bhushan awardee acknowledges that the current toast of Bollywood are Zoya Akhtar and Kiran Rao whose Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Laapataa Ladies respectively she loved watching.

“There are a few women directors who are confirming their directing talent. Their cinema is a reflection of the world while keeping their own tangent,” says Paranjpye who was in Delhi to donate her collection of original, handwritten drafts and screenplays of films, teleplays and stage plays in Marathi, English and Hindi to Ashoka University’s Archives of Contemporary India.

Excerpts from an interview:

You have done it all: plays, movies, TV shows, documentaries and and autobiography. What keeps you busy now?

Writing. My latest venture is a Marathi play, Evelese Rop (small sapling) which I wrote and directed. It had its 60th run in Pune this month. It is kind of a black comedy, a love story of a couple in their eighties, played by heavyweight actors Mangesh Kadam and Leena Bhagwat. I am hoping to do it in Hindi soon. I have a fantastic cast in mind. But it is still a pipedream...

What made you give your original manuscripts to Ashoka University?

What better honour than to get an opportunity to be represented in a prestigious university’s archives? To have one’s work beautifully catalogued alongside the likes of Girish Karnad, Suresh Kohli, Dileep Padgaonkar, is a privilege. It is wonderful to join the list.

The idea is not to preach or win over anybody, but put across something that may appeal to the youth and they would love to emulate. I hope. That is how a real work of art inspires.

How different was your understanding of cinema from today?

I think people today are not so interested in cinema as a form per se. They just want to be entertained by anything racy and chatpata to de-stress.The passion for cinema we had when we were young, I don’t find it today.

Do you think there is a dearth of women directors like you making enjoyable and light-hearted movies?

I think it looks like I have to take birth all over again (laughs). There are some lovely women directors from the younger generation, who have a sense of fun. They know their medium and know their cinema. Its heartening to see people like Zoya Akhtar and Kiran Rao making good entertaining stuff. I do ponder why we hardly have any regional women directors, say for instance from a progressive State like Kerala.

Why do women directors mostly opt for women-centric themes now?

Women directors do not go for blood-spilling all over the screen. Majority would focus on issues more sensitive, like interpersonal relationships, familial connections and love in every sense of the term. I may alienate half the population by saying so, but women are a superior sex and take up higher, nobler issues to treat in their art.

What is good cinema according to you?

I am staunchly for entertainment. It is a wonderful tonic for society. Nice, clean entertainment such as Lagaan and Chak De India are everlasting. I am not against little bit of violence and sex if the story so requires it. A film should grab your attention and convincingly take you along with it. I believe entertained societies are happy societies but unfortunately we do not have much of that in our country for the average viewer.

When I made Disha in 1990, it addressed the needs of the migrant mill workers of that time. They led a hard life of misery and toil and yet there was joie de vivre in their community living, which I portrayed. I was sure they would flock to the film but they didn’t. It upset me. I learnt they didn’t want to go to cinema to see their own lives unfurl again on the screen.

Is OTT dominance killing meaningful entertainment?

I stay away from OTT. They try to outdo each other and I get disgusted. We do not need to plagiarise Hollywood but draw ideas from the simple happenings in our own vibrant, multi-cultural and multi-lingual society. Where was bloodshed in Chashme Buddoor? Ordinary people interacted and audience accepted it.

Things go in circles. I think we will soon have more fun cinema rather than I slash your throat, you slash mine types.

What does the film industry lack today?

Good scripts. People don’t realise you need something substantial to make a good film. You can’t spin a film out of thin air just for money. Unfortunately, we now have an episode of TV serials being shot somewhere and the next scene being written sitting in the corner of the same set.

Earlier, we spent years on research and worked meticulously on the script because we wanted everything to be perfect. Where is the dedication today?

How difficult was it for you to be a director in the male-dominated world of cinema?

I cannot think of a single instance where I felt like an underachiever because of my gender. I have felt privileged going on shoots to villages where I was always welcomed with respect. In the echelons of power, it was easier to get appointments. I am not saying this in a derogatory way. But it is a fact; maybe because there were few of us in our field, so we were treated as a novelty.

Every woman has a right to her own dignity. I if a woman does not try to pretend to be something other than she is, then she earns the respect of all. For example, I am not a technical person so I never dictate to my cameraman but explain what exactly I want and leave it to his expertise and knowledge to give the best. He respects me for not trying to tell him his job.

Published - October 23, 2024 12:51 pm IST