Udupi: I am Experimental, Refuse to be Defined by Rules - Mahesh Bhatt

Harsha Pillai
Pics: Shikhar Shiv Mittal
For Daijiworld.com

Udupi, Sep 29: Veteran filmmaker, author and activist Mahesh Bhatt came down to Manipal on September 27 for a talk held at the TMA Pai Hall for the students by the Tehelka foundation on ‘The Power of Inspiration- How to Transform India’. Puneeta Roy, founder trustee of the Tehelka Foundation and Ajay Chaturvedi, founder of HarVa and CNN IBN Youth Icon of the year 2011 was also present at the event. The central theme was about how students can do their part as citizens to create a better India by integrating traditional practices with modern methods.

Ajay Chaturvedi, a social entrepreneur, who left his lucrative job in the United States to start the largest all-women BPO in Haryana spoke about ‘value creation’, that is, teaching rural women about the basics of computers and the internet and employing them in small jobs to supplement their income and make them independent. “Money is not the answer to everything. Chase happiness, chase yourself, listen to your senses. Take up a job only if it truly satisfies you and do your bit for the society,” he said.

Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt then talked to the packed crowd about his Bollywood journey, the movies that he directed, his personal life, his spiritual connection and the various controversies that he was associated with. He also had an interactive session with the students and he promptly answered all their questions. Thereafter he had another session with the students of Manipal Institute of Communication (MIC) where he addressed specific media related queries and spoke more about the inspiration behind his films.

“I don’t look back. I am vigorously engaged in life. There is something about real life. When you depict what you live through, it somehow connects. The heart is like a mirror. When you make a movie from your heart, you manage to get the passion and the algebra right,” he said.

He also answered political queries ranging from the Lokpal Bill to his support for Aseem Trivedi and kept the audience entertained with his witty statements like “At the age of 22, I realized that in India, good people fall in love and bad people have sex.”

Excerpts from the Q&A session with the students:

1) You have made all kinds of movies - from romantic movies to serious meaningful films, comedy to commercial mainstream movies. What is your favourite genre?

I am an experimental person and open to new ideas. There is no particular favourite as such. Each phase of life has taught me something. I started off by assisting director Raj Khosla. Gradually I started making movies myself. The first ten years of my career were disastrous. My movie ‘Manziley aur bhi hain’ was banned by the Censor board due to its objectionable content. My personal life was also going through a bad phase. I had a failed marriage and my affair with Parveen Babi was making headlines. All this chaos gave birth to Arth which was based on my life. I stumbled upon autobiographical cinema and made many parallel stream movies like Saaransh which were very meaningful and closer to reality. Then came the satellite era of the 90’s and I made many romantic movies for the youth. Post the release of Zakhm, I stopped directing movies and donned the role of a producer and screenplay writer.

2) What made you quit direction?

In 1998, I made Zakhm . I had lived through the days of partition and was a victim of the riots that happened. Being the son of a Hindu father and a Muslim mother, the issue was even closer to my heart. But the movie was refused a certificate by the Censor Board because they felt it was too controversial. Later, the Home Ministry released it and many scenes had to be re-edited digitally. The movie was even given an award for National integration. This is what happens. First they ban your movies, make you re-interpret it the way they want, and then finally they garland you. After all this, my desire to make films withered away and now I am happy being a producer. I enjoy what I am doing presently. Creating destiny is more fulfilling than making movies.

3) You were said to be an ardent follower of the sex guru, Osho. What made you take up spirituality?

In the initial phase, I couldn’t deal with the failure of my personal and professional life. So I started going to Shree Rajnish, the Sex guru for solace just like a person goes to the bar to feel better. The spiritual creed that he offered was like a painkiller. But I realized soon that I had to abide by so many spiritual norms. Later I gave it all up.

4) Most of your movies like Jism and Raaz are objectifying women. There is too much skin show and sex. What would you say about this?

This has been going on since ages. Women have been always used to titillate and seduce. The space is eroticized. There are some directors who agree to it and some say they are doing it in the name of art. But the fact remains that the female form has always been used to attract people to the cinema halls. When you use a woman to sell an appliance or product, you don’t seem to have a problem but when they are used to titillate, there is a lot of hue and cry. When I make an Arth, you don’t have a problem. But when I make Jism, you object. I refuse to be defined by rules and I will not stick to a confined territory or genre. I want to experiement.
 

5) You made a couple of TV shows like Haqeeqat and Kabhi Kabhi. What made you quit television?

It was a very fulfilling experience but we couldn’t maintain the momentum of the shows. We didn’t make any money and so we were forced to quit.
 

6) It is said that most of your movies are based on your life. How far is that true?

Arth was inspired by my extramarital affair and Woh Lamhe, made under my banner, was again a tale of my affair with Babi.  But I can’t express myself completely in movies. It took me a long time to realize that you can’t actually show what you feel. Books give me that creative space. Read my books and you will know what I actually am.

7) You once said that ‘All art is a result of frustration’. How does an artist like you guard himself but at the same time keep the frustration life?

It is impossible to separate the two. Zakhm and Arth came from the inner wards of my heart. I always try to exhale what I inhale. Great works of art have been made when people were unable to deal with the mysteries of life. The audience has an instinct and something which is innocent and simple will touch you instantly. Content which tries to manipulate the audiences fails. One needs to have a thirst to make movies. Thirst is very important when it comes to performing arts.
 

8) Being a producer, how much say do you have in the movies being made of late?

I give my inputs to the juniors when they make films. They can choose to use to act on my views or not; it is completely upto them.
 

9) Most of your movies like Dushman, Arth have had strong female protagonists. How have women influenced you?

I come home from a home where my mother was my source of strength. My father never had time for the children as he was busy fulfilling his parental duties. My mother brought us up. So I find it easier to listen to women when they dish out their wisdom. Women are brighter than men. They have the minds of conquerors. I have always been influenced by women emotionally. I drew some moments from my childhood and later too, whenever I worked and interacted with women, I discovered that they had the strength and ability to reinvent themselves constantly.
 

10) You once said that ‘The problem with India is not the Islami fundamentalists but the Hindu fundamentalists.’ You faced a lot of opposition from the Hindu rightist groups. How did you deal with that?

What I meant was that it is always easy to deal with the problems of the minorities in any country. It is the duty of the majority in every country to take care of the minorities and their fundamental rights. Internal fights between Hindus and Muslims will only make things worse. The majority needs to understand that working together always helps.
 

11) You were in the news for your views on the Lokpal bill and when you called the Anna Hazare movement ‘Fascist’. You irked many Anna supporters and they protested against you. How did it all start?

I found the bill flawed and as a citizen of this country, I had every right to express my opinion. I called it a ‘Fascist movement’ and they sent people at my doorstep to terrorise me and to call me names. I don’t hold any political position; I am not a public servant. Then why did they agitate against me when I expressed my views? When I said I do not support Anna’s movement, they interpreted it as I support corruption. Actually corruption is a very complex term. We are all a part of this corrupt system and have contributed to it. We all have built up this edifice brick by brick. So I had every right to dissent. But when I did, they sent people to terrorise and browbeat me along with television cameras. They did exactly what I accused them of-‘Fascism’. They did not want to talk to me; they just wanted to make noise on television. It was a performance. If they really believed in democracy, they would have allowed me to speak.
 
 
12) These days most of the movies are very repetitive. Film makers stick to the same formulae such as sex and good music. What do you have to say about that?

Most directors are under pressure to deliver box office hits and figures. These days, the movies have big budgets, lavish sets unlike the seventies or the eighties. So the opening weekend pressure is also very high. Movies like Saaransh are box office failures. So the directors end up making repetitive films. Even I have been accused of dumbing down the content in my movies. I have been accused of selling sex and using things like black magic in my movies. I made movies like Arth and now I have every right to experiment with new styles and genres. Even the audience wants it and I am out there to titillate. Filmmakers make films for acceptance and to grab eyeballs because ultimately we are also businessmen and not social reformers.

13) Your friendship with philosopher U G Krishnamurthi was highly talked about. How did he influence you?

In the late seventies, I came into contact with him. He had a major influence on me and helped me deal with my personal life, including Parveen Babi’s condition of schizophrenia. He was an extraordinary man who died unsung, unwept. After his death, I even wrote a book about him, ‘A Taste of Life- The last days of UG Krishnamurthi’ because he left me with the courage to stand on my feet. He taught me about things like how God is the most dangerous creation of the Human mind. His death had a deep impact on me. When you see the death of someone you love so deeply, you change and begin to appreciate even the simple things of life.

 

14) Most of your movies have really good music. How do you manage to do it?

Honestly speaking, I don’t pay much attention to music. I am just a producer. But we keep experimenting with new talents. We try looking for fresh voices whenever possible. For instance, we got Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from Pakistan. This is how we manage to keep the music relevant and fresh.
 

15) You recently supported cartoonist Aseem Trivedi and said that an artist must be given the freedom to express. Keeping this in mind what are your views on censorship?

Censorship has indeed evolved in Indian cinema. Today we have more provocative content available than there ever was. Times have changed. But when it comes to politics, it is completely different. Powerful people want you to express what they feel. They tell you what to do and what not to do. That is how it works. But as far as movies are concerned, the Censor Board has become quite liberal. Though creative freedom is important, censorship becomes necessary because some content might not be appropriate for all and exercising restraint is important.
 

16) When are you coming to Manipal next?

Very soon. I am just going away to come back again.