Veteran Om Puri has been the face of parallel and commercial cinema for decades, but the actor feels there is a lot more to acting in films than just delivering punchlines and emoting. ‘There’s a subtle difference between performance and acting’ the actor tells Deebashree Mohanty, adding that it is the simplicity of the script that attracted him to the Hundred Foot Journey
It is not a big canvass, nor a big starcast and certainly not the money that attracts veteran Om Puri to take up a project. “I go by the script and the vision of the director. If both these make sense to me, I go for it. As an actor, I take up only those roles where I have an opportunity to deliver. Hundred Foot Journey was perfect in all these aspects. There was a lot of scope for me to perform and emote. So I am here in this big budget production of a simple love story told between flavours of food,” he tells you.
Not the types who would promote a film or take part in its marketing activities, Om Puri says he has learnt with the times. “I may be old and freckled but I always go with the flow. Nowadays, I have come to realise how important it is for a producer to reach his audience through promotional activities. I am happy to be of help,” he adds.
Hundred Foot Journey is about the travails of an Indian restaurateur who lost his wife and wealth during a riot in India. As a patriarch and head of the family, he takes it upon himself to sort things out. They settle down in southern France and decide to open a rustic dhaba type restaurant to dish out Indian and global cuisines. But his this plan meets with a lot of challenges. “Within 100 ft of our restaurant is another French Michelin star hotel that is renowned for its flavours and food. The owner, a French lady, would not allow us to open our rustic place. What follows is a lot of fun, masala and romance,” he discloses.
It is not just that the young boy-meets-girl and fall in love. It is more of a matured love story of two lonely adults that takes centrestage. “It was wonderful working with Hellen Miller. She is such a brilliant actor and so comfortable with everyone. With her everything seemed natural. Even Manish Dayal looks promising. He is sharp and perfect hero material,” Puri who loves working with youngsters tells you. It is their never-say-die attitude and willingness to work under dire conditions that attracts him to these newbies. “I love spending time with them to know more about their generation. There is a lot to learn from them,” he says.
Having tried his hands at all kinds of films in India and the West, Puri feels there is a subtle difference in the two industries. Although Bollywood has come a long way with respect to technological advancement, there is still a lot to be done.
“I don’t have a problem with films made for pure entertainment but not everything should be made with entertainment as the sole aim. Where are films that address a societal problemIJ There are so many burning issues in our society these days, why don’t our directors delve into these topicsIJ Rape is a scorching issue and it is time our intelligent and capable directors come up with something that addresses this problem,” he says, adding that Indian cinema desperately needs a Shyam Benegal or a Govind Nihalani to bring social issues back into the fray.
His other concern is that women are shown to be extremely regressive in cinema nowadays. Puri is angry that the lead protagonist does nothing but dance and move. There is no depth in acting, no serious role play being given to women. “That is disturbing. We have a lot of talented actresses. But they are seldom seen doing important roles,” he says.
Working with a production team of Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey was humbling for Puri who said that although Spielberg never visited the sets personally, he made sure he knew what went on on the sets. “It was different with Oprah who visited us frequently. She loved being a part of the shoots. She was in no way interfering. We shared a lot of interests — yoga and meditation being two of them. Oprah loves visiting India and will be coming to Udaipur soon,” he tells you.
Apart from the Hundred Foot Journey to be released in August and a ‘small film shot entirely in Delhi’, there is not much on Puri’s plate at the moment. “I am out of job. No one has approached me with any meaningful offers. I don’t think there is a befitting script for me,” he says, sounding dejected. But, Puri will not sign up for a TV serial just because. “Seniors actors turning towards television are also in a rut. They too have nothing better to do. Kuch to karen society ke liye. Kab karengeyIJ,” he wonders.