Take us with you
| Gulzar is all praise for Generation X as MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER finds out in this chat with the celebrated poet |
Gulzar, a man for all seasons -- Photo: P. V. Sivakumar
HE HAS given us some of most lyrical moments on celluloid. His cinema is a poetry of images and sounds. Quizzing poet, lyricist, filmmaker Gulzar on the mechanics of genius seems blasphemous. "I think society pampers writers," Gulzar says with a laugh. "There is this image of writers creating works of art sitting among flowers and nature. I like to write surrounded by good friends. Writing is like any other job. A lot of my ideas have come while driving. One relaxes a lot while travelling - there is no office or home to think about. I have driven around India from Mumbai to Badrinath and Mumbai to Kanyakumari. My family would worry that I would be thinking while driving and not concentrating on the road. So I checked with my doctor who assured me on the contrary that one eases up a lot on the road. The long drives have decreased post Lekin."
Gulzar, whose language of choice is "Urdu," candidly admits to suffering from writer's block "from time to time. If you are a creative person, it is bound to happen. One cannot flow like a nazla - you know what that is? It is a bad cold!"
'Ijaazat' was a landmark film
While Hu Tu Tu (1999) was Gulzar's last big screen assignment, he has been working on a "thirteen-hour film. Tehreer brings two novels and ten short stories by Munshi Premchand to television. This is mainly archival work that is due to be done. I have made a four-hour film on Godan, Premchand's most famous work. I have inherited the literature-cinema relationship from my guru - Bimal Roy."
"While I have not done anything for the big screen, television is a similar medium and one can look at DVDs and groups of people watching it. The principal is the same."
Young 'uns
"There are other things to do. I am writing books, stories and songs for children. I enjoy working with children. I do not believe in making children's films. I do not believe in separate categories. Films like Parichay and Kitaab are with and for children but I would not call them children's films."
Scenes from "Maachis"
From Aandhi to Ijaazat, Gulzar's films have been character driven. "I would describe them as relationship-driven and that is why character driven." Who can forget Om Prakash's character in Aandhi? Gulzar had the essence of a political wheeler-dealer down to a T. "I base my characters on observation, reading and experience. The casting comes later."
Reality check
"Romance, not in the sense of a love affair, but as a concept, the idealism associated with it, has taken a backseat in today's world. Realism has overpowered romance. There is so much happening at such a fast pace, while romance needs leisure." While Gulzar's movies have very strong characters, issues are not far behind. "Starting from my first movie Mere Apne, I have always commented on the state of affairs at the point of time.
"Koshish"
If you look closely at Maachis, you realise that it is an updating of Mere Apne. I do not have to raise a slogan. When you look at Premchand's stories you realise that what he wrote about rural life holds good even now. In fact the plight of villagers in some cases is worse now. My favourite chief minister, Chandrababu Naidu, was toppled because he ignored the rural issue."
Papa doesn't preach
Gulzar with Tabu on the sets of "Hu Tu Tu".
Gulzar's daughter Meghna has followed her father's footsteps with the sensitive Filhaal. "She wants to make meaningful cinema. Luckily for her making movies is not a compulsion. She has a compulsion to self-expression. She follows her father's dictum of 'if you cannot make a film, keep writing.' She has two scripts ready and most probably she will start shooting towards the end of this year."
Gulzar emphatically denies advising Meghna, "She does not listen! I admire this generation for its confidence, its independence and high I.Q. They know what they want and our generation should listen to them and have confidence in them." Advice for all wannabe writers is, "take your previous generation with you. Do not leave us behind!"
Ye Hai Mohabbatein
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