Buddhadeb Dasgupta was at the london Film Festival for the seventh time with his film Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa. He tells Divya Kaushik what makes some filmmakers click with the global audience
He is credited with many firsts in the film industry. Awards and international film festivals are nothing new to him. But seems like being grounded is his nature and simplicity is his way of life. The noted Bengali filmmaker Buddhadeb Dasgupta has recently returned from the london Film Festival. It was his seventh year at the festival, wherein his recent film Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa was featured. The director says that it is “one of my favourite festivals” and the response that he has received for his films has always been heartwarming. “Most of my films have won awards and I am glad that I have a steady foreign market, thanks to the previous films like Uttara, Bagh Bahadur and their success that the world knows my cinematic approach,” comments the filmmaker. His film Uttara was premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2000 and even won the Special Director award at the festival.
The director has also been a part of the jury at many international fests and therefore agrees that he can be termed as a “veteran” when it comes to these fests. He makes an interesting observation and says that many might go by the number of Indian film marking their presence at the international platform but that is not enough. “They should be competing in the main category. I don’t think there are many Indian films in the main competition category at the Cannes. I feel that not many of our films are programmed well for the international audience. Having an Indian theme or the treatment of the subject are not the only points that matter. Films should be packaged keeping in mind the international audience. They also should connect to our films like any Indian would. Films should be made well. For example, there is a Malayalam film by a director from Kerala, Murli Nair. It is called Marana Simhasanam. It was made on a shoe-string budget and the filmmaker waited for over two years for the screening of the film. The film is a simple story about a farmer who is driven to steal coconuts from his landlord to support his family. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival where it won the Caméra d’Or (Golden Camera Award). In fact, there are lot of young filmmakers from Kerala who are doing good work,” informs the director.
Seems he follows young filmmakers’ works religiously and even like some films like Udaan by Vikramaditya Motwane but he feels that most filmmakers should realise that recognition, fame and applaud for one film is not enough. “little appreciation should not make them happy. A director should always make a film with an attitude that ‘it has to be my best film.’ I think awards are dangerous and one should not get swayed by them. I never look at the awards and recognitions I have received so far, I make every film like I am making my first,” he says.
Anwar Ka Ajab Kissa is a story of a detective featuring Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The film is set against the tableaux of the Bengali city and tells the story of Anwar, “who one day decides to follow his own life.” Talking about his works, Dasgupta says that he is happy that he was not born in a big city. “I learnt my art from watching films and getting inspired. As a son of the Indian Railway doctor I travelled to many small places and have rich experiences as child. I think my films are born out of those experiences. Being a poet, my filmmaking has derived from my poetry,” he shares and adds that he wants to make a science fiction film based on his own poetry.
Forty fourth International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will pay a tribute to Dasgupta and in humble tone he comments, “It is a privilege. I think we should be indebted to good festivals like IFFI for creating an intelligent audience.”