Legendary film maker and Chairman of the Jury at the 70th Indian National Film Awards, Rahul Rawail, was in Bengaluru’s RV University recently. The director is a Professor of Practice at the School of Film, Media and Creative arts at RV University, Bengaluru. He was in the city to conduct a masterclass on film making.
Rawail forayed into cinema as a 15 year old, under the guidance of the legendary Raj Kapoor on the sets of Mera Naam Joker. Later, Rawail made hit films such as Love Story , Betaab, Arjun, Dacait, Anjaam, Arjun Pandit and Jo Bole So Nihaal.
The 73-years old director talks about the world of cinema and his experiences in between his workshop sessions.
Edited excerpts:
You stepped into the world of cinema at the age of 15 with Mera Naam Joker. What was your perspective about cinema then?
It started off as a fun thing to do as Rishi Kapoor asked me to join him saying there were pretty girls on the set! Once I landed there, and observed Raj Kapoor working, I was mesmerised. It changed my life completely. Plus, I also got to meet the girls!
What about his style struck you?
He was more like a conductor in a symphony. Raj Kapoor was precise and could control around 5,000 people on the set including the cast and crew. He was clear about what he wanted and would strive to achieve it, no matter what.
As a director, I see him as god’s gift to cinema. As far as music goes, he could play any instrument in the world. When the keyboard came to India, he saw it and started playing it. I have not seen anyone else with this skill. He was a great teacher. When he was on the jury of the 1970 film festival in Delhi, I watched films with him. He had a keen sense of cinema and his dissection of the characters and scenes were spot-on.
Love Story, which introduced Kumar Gaurav was a blockbuster, however he was unable to build on that solid start. You have praised Ranbir Kapoor, for imbibing the best from his great legacy. Does having family connections in the industry help?
You answered you own question! Nepotism does not work. Salman is not a product of nepotism, his father, Salim Khan, is a great writer. Same goes for Hrithik Roshan, whose father, Rakesh Roshan, is a great director, more than an actor. Today, actors are mostly not a product of nepotism, they have made it on their own.
If that is so, then why do some actors accuse the industry of nepotism?
What does nepotism mean? Look at Alia Bhatt. Just because she is Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter, does it mean nepotism? He did not push or promote her. She was cast by Karan Johar and made it on her own. She did not click because she is Bhatt’s daughter. There might be some who practice nepotism, but you cannot weigh everybody with the same scale.
What changes have you seen in filmmaking over the years, specifically when it comes to the perception of content and screenplay?
The audience taste has not changed and you never know what actually will work. The stories are the same, but, the way they are narrated and visualised is where the differences have come in. Today, you have adult content, which works in some films but is not needed for every film. Acting has changed completely. At the start of acting in the Talkie era, there was Parsee theatre and Sohrab Modi. He was the king of Parsee theatre, who gave us cult dialogues like ‘Kanoon ke haath itne lambe hote hai’. That became acting, and has changed over the years to a more natural form of emoting.
Do you feel that cinema today leans more towards technology rather than content?
Yes.
Does that affect you as a film maker?
I cringe, because, one, a director who does not know what he is doing and has no right to be a director is making the film, and two, he wants to use technology, of which he has no idea. He does not know what it can or cannot do.
When you come to universities and colleges and interact with the future filmmakers, what is the one message you share with them as Rahul Rawail?
That they should not rely on technology. It is here to stay. So, use it only when it is needed and not for the sake of using it. I tell them is to hone their imagination. You cannot teach imagination, but you can hone your mind towards imagination. Cinema is changing. It is no more just cinema, but an audio visual experience. You have it in the form of reels, video, cinema, streaming. It has become easier today. You do not have to read a manual to learn something. All the tools at your fingertips today. Media communication with immersive journalism also is important as you finally have to communicate what you have done. These are all skills that one should develop with a visual narrative and also be skilled with management.
RD Burman has scored music for many of your films. How was your work experience with him?
He was absolutely brilliant. I was 18 when I met him and worked with him. He would listen to the scene and create a tune in a span of minutes, with dummy words. Every music director uses dummy words, to help the director understand the tune. RD and some of the other well-known music directors would use Hindi swear words as dummy words! As a 15-year-old I was shocked listening to all these genius filmmakers, having serious discussions with music composers with tunes set to all sorts of gaalis (insults). Pancham’s choice of dummy words were the best.
Is there anyone who comes close to him today?
We do have some great composers, but Pancham was way ahead of his time.
What is your perspective on regional cinema, specifically Kannada cinema?
I believe the word ‘regional cinema’ is wrong. It is Indian cinema, something that I have been propagating for a long time. Hindi cinema is not Indian cinema. I have seen wonderful films in regional languages and they can give Hindi films a run for the money, whether it is the story, technology, writing or acting. I watched Sinjar, in Jasari language from Lakshadweep, which won the National Award in 2018. Kannada has done very well the past few years with films such as Kantara and KGF.
Despite this, Kannada content struggles to make an inroads into streaming platforms. What do you think is lacking?
The content may be good, but may still not be as good as it is made out to be.
Published – November 12, 2024 09:52 am IST
The Hindu MetroPlus
