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A filmmaker a Chairman

Highlights

A Filmmaker A Chairman. Anybody who has attended IFFK will tell you that Thiruvanthapuram is the best of all the film festivals in India and this is because we put our best foot forward in terms of organisation and our choice of films for the festival.

I met up with director of Hindi and South films Priyadarshan who is also the chairman of IFFK in the lobby of Hycinth Hotel, Thiruvanthapuram. He was on his way to introduce a Spanish screening but since he was a little early and the volunteers were still busy organising the guest’s room and baggage Priyadarshan, popularly referred to as Priyen Sir, decided to take a break from his busy schedule and relish a cup of hot coffee. He was in a great mood and this is evident in his candid conversation.

“Anybody who has attended IFFK will tell you that Thiruvanthapuram is the best of all the film festivals in India and this is because we put our best foot forward in terms of organisation and our choice of films for the festival. For these two weeks it is literally like having the world descending to Kerala. So many delegates, so many cultures and so many genres of cinema... I’m proud to be a Keralite and proud of our public and their love of cinema. Every screening in every theatre for the 10-day festival was house-full. At times we were forced to hold double screenings of the same film on public demand. There is awareness because the literacy rate is high and the audience is enthused about watching all kinds of films.”

I have participated in so many seminars over the years and feel proud at the kind of questions that are raised by the audience to the director/ actor. They are well aware of their work and tuned in with his progress and passion. Heading IFFK has been a learning experience. Our planning begins months in advance and even though many things go wrong we survive on adrenaline and passion for films.

When the festival ends and we bid goodbye to the last guest, there is a vacuum and it takes a while for us to get back to our individual lives. We miss the chaos, the crowded streets, the bursting theatres, the lively sessions, the deadlines of bringing out a daily bulletin and the energy of our countless volunteers.

At heart I’m first a filmmaker and then everything else. I have made all kinds of films in all languages, sometimes only for the box-office and sometimes only for the critics. It may sound boastful but I feel even my most commercial film always had a soul unlike the 100 crore films made today that lack sense and sensibility. I have enjoyed shooting my serious films and also my masala films.

Some years ago when I made ‘Virasat,’ every actor wanted me to do another ‘Virasat’ with them. This festival all journalists ask me is when I will make another ‘Kancheevaram’. There is something to learn from their reactions. That perhaps there is greater sense in doing one ‘Kancheevaram’ than a 100 mainstream films. On the other hand, the question also is would I have been allowed to experiment with ‘Kancheevaram’ had I not made all those successful films? Would the audience, my fans have any curios about this film if it was made by a rank newcomer?

Perceptions are difficult to conquer. Many said I was not fit for the role of the chairman for IFFK but here I am proving them wrong! When I invited Shyam Benegal and Govind Nihalani pioneer of art house cinema to watch the screening of ‘Kancheevaram’ I sensed reluctance. I understood that they were judging me from my previous films but did not explain. They came for the screening and fortunately, changed their opinion. I invited Javed Akhtar and he went away without talking to me. I assumed he had not liked the film but he called the following day to say he had to leave because he could not stop crying and was embarrassed.

“I introduced Prakash Rai in ‘Kancheevaram’ and see how well he is doing today. In the Hindi films I have done the maximum number of films with Tabu and she will remain my favourite heroine. Whenever I have a role that suits her, she is the first I call to speak and it is only after she has refused that I look for a second option. It is because Tabu understands my sensibility as a filmmaker and absorbs the milieu intuitively. Among the heroes I have done maximum number of films with Akshay Kumar. There is a lot of comfort in our working relationship that I value. He is a big star in Mumbai but for me he is an actor forever hungry for a good role.”

- Bhawana Somaaya/ @bhawanasomaaya

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A filmmaker a Chairman

A Filmmaker A Chairman. Anybody who has attended IFFK will tell you that Thiruvanthapuram is the best of all the film festivals in India and this is because we put our best foot forward in terms of organisation and our choice of films for the festival.

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