Several people often ask me one pertinent question, which is: Why
are we such a film crazy nation? I still remember my first brush with cinema
was going to the theatre with my Mom and Dad as an 8-9 year old kid. I was
enthralled by the sound, the drama, the action and a formidably tall and larger
than life persona who filled much of the screen and got whistled at every time
he walked in to the frame. This was live pulsating Bollywood masala unleashed
full throttle on an audience which could not get enough of it. The film was
Shahenshah and I was hooked to the idea of escaping the humdrum of daily life
to buy three hours of freedom to an unreal world with its unreal but oddly likeable
characters. These people had emotions, laughed, fought, cried and yet always
managed to make it all seem so much more entertaining than how it actually
happened to us. Add to it some melodious music and hip cracking dance moves and
you had complete paisa vasool time pass guaranteed. While most children in
India like me are exposed to Hindi cinema from a young age thanks to movie
watching being a family ritual in most Indian homes, I was fed an extra dose of
the film industry with every mag from a Stardust to a Filmfare finding its way
to my living room centre table, courtesy my Dad. So reading about celebrity
news, interviews, gossip, trivia and latest happenings was part of my
upbringing. It became a weekend hobby to flip through the pictures, read issues
cover to cover and then give Mom, friends and anybody who was willing to lend a
ear all the juicy tidbits worth savouring.
By the time I was a teenager, I knew I definitely liked movies and
everything related to movie making. Dad’s weekend routines of catching a night
show of the latest blockbuster in town transformed to a weekend outing with
friends pitching in pocket money that had been saved for this purpose. As a kid
growing up in the 90s, I was also subjected to a lot of music sessions- from
the Sunday Chitrahaar and B/W classic melodies to the poignant songs of Lata
and Rafi on Dad’s old LP player. After the LP became obsolete came an invasion
of cassettes of films that will always be memorable for their music. I remember
listening to the albums of Aashiqui, Maine Pyar Kiya and Khamoshi on repeat
mode on several rainy evenings at home when there was nothing to do but to eat
fries accompanied by a cup of tea with lilting music in the backdrop, watching the rain slide
down the window pane.
Then came the urge to put my vocal chords to the task of mastering a
few melodious gems myself. A fan of Kavita Krishnamoorthy and Chitra, I
remember trying to sing like them and venting my heart out on stage at the
Hindi music fest in college in solo, duet and group renditions of popular Hindi
songs organised by the Hindi department of St.Xavier’s College. Many a Hindi
film have also made for a pleasant date movie but I remember always being very
finicky about the kind of film I wanted to watch because unlike other couples I
believed in respecting the art of cinema and actually watching the film! Such
was the urge to watch good cinema that I also recall bunking school tutions with
another friend who was a diehard SRK fan to catch his latest film Pardes in a
theatre right across tution class! The cheek, I know. Don’t remember what
excuse we made in class the next day but it does help to be teacher’s pets in
such situations :)
Then of course, came the serious turn of events towards putting
theory to practice. With a firm resolve to uncover the hidden dimensions of
what we call the silver screen, I went on to do courses in college which helped
me learn interesting aspects about films. The adaptation of a novel to the
screen and the entire process of movie making- from the ideation, production,
post production and promotion- the journey behind the scene became as
fascinating as the action in the foreground. We ate, felt, talked and slept
films day and night, watched lots of them, reviewed and wrote papers on them
and finally emerged abled enough to understand the grammar, scope and influence
of the cinematic language.
The fascination translated in to my moving to a career that further
helped me delve in to every aspect of filmmaking- on my first shoot as an
intern with a production house I remember lugging a tripod twice my size to
interview Ashutosh Goweriker who sat with his choreographers Bosco and Ceaser
recalling the shoot of the song Ye Tara Who
Tara from his then latest film Swades! From then on, I went on to meet
different people from the film industry covering every aspect of filmmaking-
cinematographer Binod Pradhan, celebrity hair stylist Dilshad and Adhuna
Akhtar, directors like Anurag Kashyap, Sriram Raghavan and Dibakar Banerjee,
producers like Karan Johar to name a few and actors- with & without the starry
attitude, thanks to my association with a leading television news channel. The
journey of interviewing these people who worked like maniacs in front and
behind the scenes was one that has been memorable and satisfying beyond my
wildest expectation. What’s more is I was also lucky enough to be able to spend
a glorious time being a film critic- meaning watching movies for free at press
shows and reviewing them every Friday! Trust me, this is one job I chide myself
for quitting! Attending film festivals, covering events and press conferences
where all sorts of filmmaking people ganged up and sounded intellectual,
watching foreign language films, just revelling in the atmosphere of movies
galore…I could do this all my life.
Films have somehow remained a part of every work profile
professionally. Even in my next stint at the most renowned performing arts
centre in Mumbai, I was managing events and workshops for the dynamic film and
theatre department which meant absorbing all kinds of cinema- foreign, Indian,
small budget, regional, independent, short films you name it, I had it.
Interactions with little and well known filmmakers and film experts continued
thus aiding further learning. The passion for cinema got reflected in the sheer
number of people who came for the films we screened, the people who made them
and the people who came to share their views on them. It was a perfect paradise
for any self-acclaimed cineaste.
Today I am not so connected to the world of films in my current job
but film watching is still a favourite pastime. I still try to catch up with
film festivals and every other kind of film apart from just Hindi films that
come my way. I am gradually transitioning to a phase where I wish to give
creative vent to the stories inside me so that in my own little way, I may be able
to contribute to this vast sea of artistic expression. After all, no devotee’s
religious zeal is ever complete without making a humble offering to his place
of worship. And I am no less than a devout follower of the mother of all
entertainment- 'CineMA'.
