He was an Underrated Actor
his last interview
If professionalism makes you a difficult guy, so be it'
As he prepares to don the director's cap, Ravi Baswani throws the spotlight on the reasons why he is remembered by Chashme Badoor and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron
Namrata.Bhawnani@timesgroup.com
Posted On Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 09:14:17 PM
With a face like his, Ravi Baswani admits there were bound to be limitations. Yet, for an actor who started out with films such as Chashme Badoor and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron that are timeless, his career graph remained wildly erratic. He was not only in danger of being slotted as a comedian, but the label of being a difficult actor to work with stuck too.
Art cinema in the '80s broke new ground and brought together mavericks such as Naseeruddin Shah, Ravi Baswani, Sai Paranjpe, Satish Shah and Kundan Shah. While others managed to build a more prolific body of work, Ravi Baswani stuck to his guns and refused to play mediocre and stereotypical roles of a comedian. He is finally ready to direct his first feature film, which stars his contemporary and friend Naseer.
So why did he fall off the map? On his website, the quirky Baswani has put up a list of his films with footnotes: He admits to have acted in movies like Dozakh, Peecha Karo and Love '86, but firmly states that these are films he chose never to see. Here, he fills in the blanks with candour, talks about how he kept himself busy and shares his scathing view of cinema today.
Your directorial debut revolves around a 10-year-old orphan. Why did you choose to write and direct a children's film?
The child is in the desolate hills and his life revolves around his daadi and a group of friends. His life is a ball and then something begins to happen. Anything beyond that would be letting the cat out of the bag. There is no rape, no mujra, no action. It's a very simple, innocent story. Let me clarify that it's not a children's film. Hopefully, it will appeal to everyone. It's about how things affect children, a world that's cut off, and how you aspire for things. There's a big gap between the real world and such an innocent world. It's the kind of village that has four houses, no electricity and even a big bus cannot go there. It's a lost world.
The project has taken so long to materialise. Over the years, after films like Chashme Badoor and Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron…
Ask ask, I know what you're getting at…
Why do you not have a more stable and successful career graph?
Firstly, let me accept it. If you begin with cinema like that, where do you go from there? I was quite determined that if I was going to work, it has to be good work. Secondly, I don't like the label of a comedian. We've done a lot of theatre; I felt that we were capable of doing, hopefully, all kinds of roles. I cannot play a villain for example. But I did some serious, emotional roles and I stuck to my guns. I will wait, I will die without making my film. But I will not begin with a compromise.
Let's go further back when Naseer, Om and Raj Babbar had made it in theatre. They'd say, 'Tu kya kar raha hai, yaar? Aaja, bahut kaam hai." I said, 'With a face like mine…?'
I had decided agar mere naseeb mein film hogi, then it will come to me in Delhi. And Chashme Badoor came to me in Delhi. Everything has to take its own time.
Connect the dots for us, please…
I got my first film to direct back then on the recommendation of Shashi Kapoor and I politely turned the lady down. I said that I must learn filmmaking first. After Jaane Bhi…, colour television came to my rescue. I got to act in a lot of serials on Doordarshan. Soon after, I got to produce and direct my first serial. These things have kept me occupied and learning.
Before 2001, if you would've asked me to write a script, I would've said, 'Wrong number. I don't write.' Thanks to the computer which helped my Libran trait of writing in an organised manner, in 2001, I began to write. I narrated the first draft of my directorial debut to 12 people — writers, editors and the like. Fortunately, I have a group of friends who are quite capable of telling me when it is shit, it is shit. They unanimously said, 'Shoot tomorrow.'
Given your uncompromising stand, have your relationships been strained in the industry?
Not really. But people feel that he is a difficult man. I ask four questions: What is my role? What is the film about? How much money will you give? And if it's acceptable, when and how will you pay me? Till recently there were no stories! Now there is an obsession about bound scripts. There is a boy who goes abroad, meets a girl and marries her. This is the story. What am I to play? The flight or the air ticket?
To money, the reaction is, 'Hain? You're going to ask about money also?' It's about clarity, which the industry lacks. I had a producer friend who remarked, 'Ravi, it is difficult to do comedy'. I say, 'Yaar, you give me difficult work, while you give the easy work to Sunil Shetty. And you give him more money. I don't understand the logic.' Let us be clear about what terms we're working on. If professionalism makes you a difficult guy, so be it.
Has it made you bitter or cynical?
Not at all. I'm celebrating life. You understand why people are like that. Sometimes it is distinct lack of knowledge. One has worked with all kinds. I am one actor you can set your watch by. People think jitna late aayega, utna bada star. Galat hai. I once asked an actor why he was coming late. He said, 'Sir, they never start on time.' I said, why are you spoiling your discipline?
Recently, I heard another actor saying, 'I have done a lot of research on this character. And because this is a serious role, I will wear glasses.' He wasn't laughing about it.
What do you think of cinema today?
Soul ka problem hai. It has become very aspirational… it's aspiring for Hollywood, with one eye on the Oscar and one eye on New York's Times Square. I'm not denying there is a vast audience wanting to watch Hindi films, NRIs specially, but the change is reflected in two prominent things — one is the title of the film. There is a plethora of English titles. I mean, Kites? Kyon bhai? There was an ad where Hrithik Roshan tells a writer that you go to an island, think of the film and call me. He calls Hrithik and says, "I've thought of the title — Kites." If I were Hrithik, I'd tell the writer, "You come back home on the next flight out!"
The second is the use of English in songs. My cameraman Anshul Chaubey asks me in his Bengali accent, 'Sir, but where is the Indian culture?' I don't know about Indian culture but I know about Indian ethos. If we didn't ignore that, we'd make a genuine film.
We make films dimaag se, not dil se. It's very calculated. Subject matter thanda padh jaata hai. We have to admit that we are very poor in storytelling. If we take Karan Johar's cinema for reference, it's technically superb, polished. There is gloss and glam. Emotions hain, but there is nothing new. It's always about family, saas, sasur and culture. The same elements are at play. We don't have to go anywhere, just turn around and start reading our regional literature. Don't say audience nahin samajhti hai, I say aapko samajh nahin aata hai.
Of course, if there is a big budget you have to recover it. My question is: Why make a film costing Rs 2 crore or Rs 100 crore?
Among the current crop of directors, who would like to work with?
Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Ashutosh Gowariker... these are good friends. Of course, I told Ashutosh that Jodha Akbar was a terrible film. I don't think I've seen a worse assembly of actors. It's like he said, "Bring me all the bad actors. I'm going to make cinema out if that." He will kill me for this, but he knows that I mean well.
What happened to the much-talked about sequel to Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron?
It has been on the cards for three years. We were signed by Firoz Nadiadwala. Kundan Shah was to direct and write. We had only one session and after that, we haven't heard about it.
Can you take criticism as generously as you dole it out?
I'm hoping that you won't have those words to say.
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