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A student of relationships

Gulzar Click for bigger pic!

Gulzar looks comfortable and fresh in a white kurta-pyjama. The room may be a little warm and dark, but Gulzar doesn't appear to notice that. And he springs a question at us: "How does it feel to be a mother of 59 children? Huh?"

We are stumped. How are we to know? Noting the confusion, Gulzar lets that question pass. Trust Gulzar to come up with a curve ball like that.

Saying that Gulzar is multifaceted would perhaps be stating the obvious. But it is necessary since not everyone knows that besides making films he also writes poems, short stories, scripts and lyrics. And he's no dabbler either.

He started by writing his first song for Bimal Roy, Mora Gora Ang Layi Le for Bandhini and slowly moved towards film-making. He hadn't dreamt of entering films but friends from the Indian People's Theatre Association like Salil Choudhary, Balraj Sahni and Shailendra were already big names in the film world and through them he met people like Bimal Roy, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Hemant Kumar.

Born Sampooran Singh in what is now Pakistan, he loved music as a child but was discouraged by a family that essentially held business interests closer to its heart. But they couldn't stop him from writing poetry. His experiences during the Partition and his love for Bengali literature also helped shape his creative mind.

According to him, "Realise that if you are born with a certain sensitivity, you will find an outlet for it." Music and writing poetry was his outlet. He worked at a comfortable pace and directed over 15 films and wrote scripts for over 60 films in a career that spans three decades. This, besides publishing books of poetry and short stories.

In films like Aandhi, Parichay, Namkeen, Kitaab, Khushboo, Izaajat, Lekin and Maachis,he says he has studied human beings, interesting human relationships, in different aspects and situations.

Gulzar and Sunil Shetty on the sets of Hu Tu Tu. Click for bigger pic!

His latest film, Hu Tu Tu, based on the present political scenario, and starring Tabu and Sunil Shetty in the lead, releases on Wednesday. And despite making having made so many films, Gulzar says he still has a knot in his stomach as the film nears its release. Sharmila Taliculam in a chat with one of the most humble film-makers of Indian cinema:

Could you tell us what Hu Tu Tu is about?

To talk in two minutes about a film which has taken over two years to make is quite difficult. It took one year to write and one year to make, and the result lasts three hours finally... Really difficult. You have seen my films before. This is once again about human relationships. I set my films in different times. And I do comment about the times I set them in.

The specific thing about these times is the 50 years of Independence that have been wasted. And the images that have come down to me about these years and the relationships between the people from a certain section of the society. I have seen these relationships. I have observed them and the images that have come down, whether it is social or political.

Which section of society are you talking about here?

The girl is the daughter of the chief minister and the boy is the son of an industrialist. Industrialists are people who work behind the politicians. So while I am talking about their love story, I am also saying things about what's happening around our country and how it affects our personal life. I am commenting about the corruption of this period in which the younger generation lives.

We blame them for the values they have today. But I would like to point out that they got these values from the older generation. It is the older generation that has handed over this country, this set of values to this generation. My father likes Black Label Scotch and I want an Akai car music system. I go to a bazaar and I get it for a certain amount.

Click for bigger pic!

Without thinking it is illegal you buy it and your young ones learn from your behaviour. So corruption spreads. Without any knowledge about how did it come about and where did it come from. I have given this caption to the film, "crossing the line is corruption". There is a line and the moment you step over it, corruption has begun.

Why do you call it Hu Tu Tu?

This is referred to in a very abstract way in my film, though it's a popular game in Maharashtra. I have also set my characters in Maharashtra. Still it isn't a story about Maharashtra. It's the story of any Indian anywhere. Politicians play this game so adeptly. Either they are pulling somebody's legs or they are twisting somebody's arm. Isn't that what actually happens in kabaddi too? It's very relevant that way.

Why do you empathise with the younger generation so much?

I feel guilty of giving the younger generation this country. This world. Instead of bettering it, or giving them a better world, I think we have worsened it for them. Our generation or generation behind me has made a lot of compromises. They have not stood up to injustice. I feel a little guilty about that. I do feel it won't always be like this.

Governments will come and go, but the country won't go anywhere. There is nothing wrong with the country and thankfully the government is not the country. But someday somebody from this generation or the future one may turn back and look at us and we might not be able to face them. I do not mind taking the blame. I will not hesitate accepting my part of the guilt. I think that is one basic truth you can expect from a conscious film-maker.

Where does this strong feeling come from?

This strong feeling stems from the entire social set-up and the circumstances we see around us. The style of narration as I made my last film Maachis, it was made out to be as if I was angry. I thought this time, it would be better to smile. So this time I have said my message humorously and musically.

And I quote R K Laxman: "The most serious topic is shown very lightly". He does that himself. And that doesn't draw from the seriousness of the topic. I just thought this would be a better way of putting it.

Click for bigger pic!

Were you involved in choosing your actors?

I have always decided about the actors, and it's been that way here too. I made the choice according to the dictates of my script. I found the potential in Sunil. I've known him for some time before casting him. I felt that he is a good actor who has not been given an opportunity or a script to show his talent. As a performer you do need a script. I found that it was worth offering this role to him.

Did you write the character first and then decide that Sunil Shetty would fit the character?

Yes, that's how it happened. I think he has given a very beautiful performance and, at the moment, tops the cast. You may not see him in his usual image -- the macho action one. And I am sure the audience will be very happy. Tabu had proved her worth in Maachis itself.

You have a special relationship with Tabu.

Tabu is very dear to me. I am very fond of her. I am very fond of the Tabu inside her reacting to the scene. And she works on it too. (She's) a very sensitive person. Then I have one more character in the film. He is a sort of sutradhar. Nana Patekar. He is a Dalit poet who performs at street corners. Like, say, Gaddar or Safdar Hashmi.

Besides being a good actor, he also suits the character. We always joke about that.

One person I would like to mention in this is Suhasini Mulay. That last she was seen was in a film called Bhuvan Shome by Mrinal Sen and she is reappearing on screen after 20 years. She was in touch with film-making all along, but she didn't act.

How did you convince her to act then?

I knew her personally. She had worked with a documentary film-maker, Sukhdev, who's a friend of mine. So when I wrote this script and the personality came to my mind, I could only think of her as that character.

I asked her and she wasn't very sure. I was looking for somebody who knew the Maharashtrian culture very well. So I told her I had this character in mind and if she'd be interested in playing that role.

She told me the character wasn't what was worrying her. Her main concern was whether I was confident about her. She told me I was taking a risk if I cast her. But she did an excellent job. She just glided into the role.

'Relationships make life worth living'