Films are made inside a room

On directors

“The actual movie is made inside the cutting (editing) room,” Suman dai said, “One or two men- cha-cha-cha- here, there, that’s how a film is made.” Of course, actors, acting is an essential part of filmmaking, but the real filmmaking is more than that. I was reading about film directors yesterday (and there’s just so many of them).

Read Shabana Azmi’s BFI (British Film Institute) interview today. (We tend to fear people we don't understand, so we condemn them.) Wanted to research a little more about our South Asian (Indian) Cinema too. I know soo little…

When asked, “Obviously you've worked with a number of different kinds of directors, like Shyam Benegal, Mrinal Sen, Gautam Ghosh... For you, what is the quality you look for in a director?” Azmi said:

“I like being directed. I don't like being left on my own. I sincerely believe that film is basically a director's medium. Cinema is really a very collaborative art, but finally it is the director who is captain of the ship. Unless I get direction from a director, I find it very difficult to do things on my own, however well-written it is. But rather than have someone tell me that this is exactly how they want it interpreted, I enjoy being allowed to participate and allowed to interpret. Then being held back if I'm doing something foolish. Now why I enjoy working with Shyam Benegal a lot, is that I know I can take many more risks in a performance with him. I know he'll stop me making a fool of myself. So instead of depending on studied gestures that I know will work, I will attempt to do something different. I must have a relationship of trust with my director, and I don't like unpleasant vibrations on the set. I work best when people are happy around me.”

Tried to get the script of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. Don’t remember exactly when I watched the movie (4-5 months ago?), but I still remember some of the scenes in “full detail” (!). And, yes, the dialogue (my tongue)- “The farmers have won again.” Today, I watched another Samurai film, Masaki Kobayashi’s Hara-kiri/Seppuku (1962). The first hara-kiri (a Samurai suicide by self-disembowelment on a sword) was ‘disgusting’, the second one really ‘admirable’. Liked the story told in flashback (much like most of the Korean movies that I’ve watched recently), but the cinematography of the sword fight between Hanshiro and Hikokuro was ‘incredible’. In fact, I found that was the most exciting part of the film.

Few days ago, I watched Deepa Mehta’s Water. Before you start grumbling “So late?”, let me tell you I didn’t even finish it. I left it somewhere when John’s telling Lisa about his Calcutta plans in a carriage. Lisa was a delight (I liked ‘Kasoor’ so much…), she looks so delicate, so beautiful, you know, I just couldn’t think about watching her moaning, crying, shedding tears and committing suicide. But I’ve ever since been all praise for Mehta. I’m resolved to sit and complete her trilogy someday (soon), until then ‘no’ more ah-ah-ah-ah-ahhhh for me, really!

Further readings:

Shabana Azmi’s interview
An Introduction to Indian Cinema
my sense of air- freakyflicks.tk