Starring the Director

What’s common between a Karan Johar, a Farhan Akhtar, a Farah Khan, an Imtiaz Ali and a Rohit Shetty? Besides belonging to a breed that usually calls the shots behind the camera, they are nothing less than the very stars they direct. In a few days from now Rohit Shetty will host Khatron Ke Khiladi, the reality TV series that was previously anchored by Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn; Imtiaz Ali is more visible across TV channels than Randeep Hooda, the leading man of his new film Highway, Karan Johar is back with yet another season of Koffee With Karan and with the colossal success he has enjoyed as an actor in Bhaag Milhka Bhaag might just keep Farhan Akhtar from directing another film for a long time… never have been directors so busy in front of the camera.

In Hindi cinema most directors have traditionally towered over others. There have been showmen like Raj Kapoor, stalwarts such as K. Asif and Bimal Roy, auteurs in the form of Guru Dutt and Vijay Anand, and general larger than life personalities like Mehboob Khan or Kamal Amrohi but rarely did one get to see most of these attributes rolled into one. Back in the day a star’s mere presence was enough to get things buzzing and a big director’s name attached to the project only made it more appetizing whereas today, the director is not just as important as the stars to sell a film but in some cases it’s solely their billing that makes all the difference. It’s not like films were never sold on the name of the director in the past, case in point any Raj Kapoor directed film, but in an era where a film’s pre and/or post release publicity is possibly more essential than the content or the actors in it, the director has become the biggest draw in most films. Thanks to an informed audience largely in the context of a 24x7 media, the persona of a filmmaker is inseparable from the film he/ she makes and therefore it’s practically impossible to disassociate an Anurag Kashyap from the subjects he tackles. Similarly the schematics of, for the want of a better term, small-town India are an integral part of a Vishal Bhardwaj or a Tigmanshu Dhulia film much like the overwhelming arc of the human condition cannot not be a fragment of a Sanjay Leela Bhasali film. Perhaps that’s the reason a food and travel based TV show that also shares its name with Imtiaz Ali’s new release gets him and the leading lady, Alia Bhatt as guests as opposed to the ‘hero’ Randeep Hooda.

One of the reasons for this lush idolization of the director as the star could also be the increase in the number of personal stories filmmakers have been tackling. Although new Bollywood still continues to adhere to a somewhat typical Hindi cinema template, the tales seem to be less formulaic. If Farahan Akhtar would have attempted his Dil Chata Hai a decade or two before he wouldn’t have been allowed the visible sense of freedom as far as characters and situations went. The emergence of this rather rare quality in a system that seems to lack a limit to the commodification of film in general could very well be the thing that separates this generation of filmmakers from others.  Ergo, in a larger sense, the director, today, is truly the star of a film and this’s why more people are keen to experience a Raanjhana because of an Anand Rai and that’s why an Imtiaz Ali or an Anurag Kashyap bring truckloads more to Rockstar or a Dev D. than a Ranbir Kapoor or Abhay Deol could possibly convey.  The advantage of this phenomenon is that it makes possible a certain kind of films that otherwise would have been extremely difficult to get made- Swades, Pyar Ke Side Effects, Mithiya, Kahaani, Paan Singh Tomar, and Shanghai to name a few. From an art versus commerce aspect this line seems to be one that can make everyone- the filmmaker, the viewer and the trade- happy as nearly everyone gets what they want but there is a grave flip side as well.

The non-stop spotlight on the creators as against the wares and the baggage of filmmaker’s image runs the risk of overburdening the films they make- Saat Khoon Maaf, That Girl in Yellow Boots and Shanghai. While a Rockstar enjoys the shadow of Imtiaz Ali as an artist on Jordan, which propels the viewer to look beyond the ill structured screenplay and even the abject lack of reason for the protagonist’s angst, the seeming lack of apathy on Dibakar Banerjee’s part towards the proceedings fetters Shanghai. One of the better films in recent time, Shanghai is chillingly real and yet, the audience maintained a safe distance from it. Unwillingly to judge on behalf of his viewer, Banerjee’s coldness to what transpires in the film could have forced a similar reaction on the viewer’s part. In spite of the pitfalls this is more than just a good time to be a director.

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Real Fakes

Apparently Sanjay Dutt was ‘raring to go’ the moment Mani Shankar narrated Knock Out’s script to him. One can understand his excitement for how often does an actor get a chance to play the exact same role that he saw on DVD a few moons ago! To say that Mani Shankar copied Joel Schumacher’s 2002 thriller Phone Booth would be stating the obvious; not only was the heart of the film transplanted but it’s soul of Colin Farrell-Kiefer Sutherland thriller that has been callously plagiarized. (Read my review of Knock Out here)

Plagiarism in popular Hindi cinema ha been as common as the sunlight since forever. A few years ago when the Internet and cable television made the world a global village the industry started called it ‘remake’ or ‘inspiration’. Mani Shankar went to town claiming that there is nothing common between his Knock Out and Phone Booth but truth be told everyone in Mumbai knows that sending across DVDs to adapt as ‘reference’ is a common practice. For years now people in the industry are asked to cite a reference so as to enable the actor to better understand his or role in a short span of time, to make the producer understand what the script is all about and to force creativity on the rest of the crew.

There is nothing wrong in acknowledging the source and officially adapting a work of art. In fact, saying please and thanking finally got Martin Scorsese, perhaps the greatest living American director, the long deserved Academy nod. The Departed is a remake of the cult Hong Kong action flick Infernal Affairs but to say that The Departed is just a remake would be a gross understatement. For some years now the Hindi film industry has started paying licensing fee for a song or a story but it’s still a murky business.

Besides the loss of face and credibility, deliberate and unsolicited lifting of story tracks and in some case compete film including shots copied to the last frame speak volumes about the lack of not only originality and sincerity amongst the majority of Hindi filmmakers. We shouldn’t get fooled by the onslaught of media reports announcing the arrival of ‘Bollywood’ on the global scene with any seriousness for internationally a very few even take our cinema seriously. There has been a great increase in production qualities and producers don’t mind spending crores of rupees on a single song so why can’t they spend a few lakhs more and acquire the rights to legally remake a film?

Years ago I saw this wonderful film about police procedure called Inkaar, featuring Vinod Khanna and Amjad Khan. The moment I saw it I realized that it was too smart to be an ‘original’ film and thought it was based on some James Hadley Chase thriller. It still remains one of my favorite Hindi films (remember the famous Helen song ‘Mungda’) but now when I know it was ‘lifted’ from Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low it always leaves behind a bad taste in my mouth.

If India has to really become the so called super power of a nation that everyone believes it’s on its way to then respecting originality has to be one of the pillars. Bapppi Lahri who made a career of ripping songs actually sued and won a case against Dr. Dre for using his song Kaliyon Ka Chaman without his permission! But don’t try to expect the same justice in India for our Indian copyright laws are so archaic that people actually get away with blue murder.

Judge Roshan Dalvi watched both Knock Out and Phone Booth and not only ruled in favor of 20th Century Fox but stayed the release of Knock Out. The producers then approached a division bench and appealed against the ruling. The two member bench then stayed the previous ruling and allowed the film to be released once a fine of Rs. 1.5 crore was paid. Now instead of feeling bad or ashamed about what had happened the producer readily complied with the directive and also commented that the judgment was a ‘huge relief as it was literally a touch and go’ with the release just 12 hours away! One wonders if Sohail Maklai, the producer of Knock Out, would have had the same reaction had the bench sternly warned the producer in writing or in spirit that such flagrant claims of originality are actually criminal for they ‘mislead’ the people and that it won’t be pardoned in the future.

The problem isn’t how the industry seems to get together and turn a blind eye towards such shameless acts. The real problem is that somewhere such actions suggest that no one respects originality anymore. Even Aamir Khan, a sudden custodian of the morality of copyright issues when it came to Chetan Bhagat’s problem with 3 Idiots, had no apprehensiveness when he stated that Ghajini (both Tamil and Hindi versions) were true ‘inspirations’ and not mere ‘lifts’ of Christopher Nolan’s Memento. If one were to start making a list of Hindi films that were adaptations, remakes, copies, lifts, inspiration of some foreign film, the list wouldn’t end!

This article was originally written for Buzz in Town

Image: Bollywood Hungama

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Fooperb !

Kaminey gets get it right. A crime noir film shot against the grey and grime of Mumbai it takes you on a ride that keeps you riveted till the end.

Initially it is the twin characters that Shahid Kapoor plays. One of the brothers lisps and the other stutters. Normally Hindi cinema deals with stories of twins in a typical way. One of them is cool while the other is an imbecile. But not in Kaminey.

Not since Kaho Na Pyar Hai has an actor pulled off twin roles so well working on subtle differences in each persona. Both brothers lead lives which are at the opposite ends of the spectrum - Charlie is part of a gang that fixes horse races while Guddu works for an NGO popularizing HIV messaging in the city.

Slowly we are sucked to their worlds. As their lives get more and more complicated we encounter characters from the city - the aggressive girlfriend, the gun crazy bosses, the Jai Maharashtra politician, corrupt police officers and expat criminals. A Tibetan. And two Angolans. Characters talking in Bengali and Marathi. Full scenes without subtitles.That's how weird it gets. And yet you believe it all. The songs in the film are complemented by a brilliant background score that keeps the pace moving.

As the many stories and sub plots are revealed, the director is able to weave a world of pulp crime writing similar to the cheap paperbacks in Hindi. Charlie's ambition is to become a bookie. His troubles begin when he sets out recover money he lost in a race. Guddu's world is turned upside down when his girlfriend tells him that she is pregnant.

Any film based on the crime world could have been reduced to guns and gore. But not Kaminey. Like Satya or Sholay or Pulp Fiction it alternates between violence, romance and humour.

And well written humour. The kind you would rarely see in cinema. Shahid desperately looking for a condom when he finally gets to be alone with Priyanka Chopra. The policemen interrogating Guddu realise that he stammers, so they get him to sing out the information. The politician trying to bribe his little boy to keep mum about his plans to kill his sister's fiance.

All characters feel that they are in control of their decisions but one by one each of them get trapped in a hopeless situation. And each decision taken by a character affects something else much like the butterfly effect theory. Initially, nothing connects the characters to one another. But as the pieces fall they come together for the gun fight at the climax .

As Charlie would say - Fooperb !

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