Covering Bollywood and the Hindi Cinema

Here is a recent interview of the brilliant Mani Ratnam who is all set to release his Guru this Friday.

Is Guru based on Dhirubhai Ambani's life?
No, it is not based on Ambani's life. It could be based on any businessman.

So should we use the word 'inspired'?
It is inspired by several people. It could be anyone who has moved from rags to

Gurukant could be him (Ambani), he could be (Lakshmi Narain) Mittal; he could be anyone who has risen to the top. It is the story of the spirit of a person who is willing to reach the top, and not willing to say die. He is one person who can earnestly fight. Yes, questions are asked all the time; moral questions of what is right and what is wrong. Guru is the journey through that character.

Are you questioning that journey?
No, I am just telling a story. I am just narrating the journey. In the journey itself, there will be questions. The film and I don't take a stance. It reflects the time period. India was different in its mindset soon after independence. We were little more socialist then, sacrifices were important and individual was not important. Today it is not like that, and youngsters are not ashamed of being ambitious. I think we can be ambitious. That is how we can beat the world. They call it the killer instinct. So, we have imperceptibly changed over the years, and this change is seen through one character.

Is there a reason for not taking a stance?
Yes, a filmmaker can take a stance but it is not necessary that you take a stance every time you make a film. I can observe like you when you write an article. You do that as you see it, you don't have to take a stance every time. It is the same.

Something is happening in front of our eyes, a change from this side to that side. What I thought right then and what we all think right now are slightly different. I am taking a few steps back and looking at it. I want the audience also to travel the journey he travelled. I want them to be in his shoes and see the growth.

Writers express themselves through words but a filmmaker can only use other people to express his ideas. Does that process turn out exactly as you plan?
That is the difference between writing and filmmaking. Writing can get into stream of consciousness and the characters can think through your writing. Yes, in filmmaking, the characters have to behave. What you can say in sentences, we can say in close ups.


What do you do when they cannot express what you want through expressions and silences?
Filmmaking is not a one man show. It is not like I'm thinking something and they are expressing it. I try to pull the actor in and together we try to get the expression. It is not my thinking alone, it is our thinking. The actor also becomes a part of the thought process. I make them be the character, think like the character and feel the character.

It is not generally pre-planned; it has to happen spontaneously. It can change from take to take. So, contrary to what you said, an actor can enhance what I really want to convey. That is why casting is fifty percent of my job. Casting becomes very important, expressions become very important, the voice becomes very important. Silence and pauses too (are important) because what is not said lies in those silent moments. You understand what the character thinks by looking at his eyes and expression.