What
was the first day you sat down to pen the book like and did you devise
an overall map of the book prior to starting it, or let your instincts
and own fascination with the subject guide you?
The first day I sat
to word this book was one year ago. I was already writing The Making of
Asoka then and I was in my closing-the-book phase when I visited the sets
of Devdas and I was struck by the grandeur of the film. The larger than
life canvas of how this movie was going to be shot caught my fancy and
I decided write on Devdas. When I started on the book what I had was the
making of Devdas ditto like the one I had done with Asoka. But then suddenly
when I was waiting for the muse to visit me during my intimate moments
with my laptop (laughs) came the idea of Devdas the Indian Hamlet. Alittle
research into the character called Devdas gave me a completely new dimension
to approach the book. That's when I started looking at this phenomenon
called Devdas with complete awe. I decided to chart his journey from the
first time he hit celluloid to Sanjay Leela's interpretation of the romantic
loser.
What lessons did you learn from writing the book on Asoka and that
you incorporated into 'Devdas the Indian Hamlet'?
I realized that a
book for movies and movie buffs should be like the films they reflect.
So with this book apart from the immortal-Good beginning, fabulous middle
and great endings dictum that movies are supposed to follow there is ample
research and great visuals to support everything that I claim of comment
on. This is not to say that my book Asoka did not follow these dikats.
But here in this book I have tried to incorporate everything that a film
book reader would expect from a Devdas coffee table book. If he picks
my books he should feels chalo yeh book just like the film is complete
paisa vasool. If my reader ends up saying that I think I will attain nirvana.
Because Devdas was a piece of cinema that was a delight in every sense
of the word and if with this book if I manage to even touch 25 per cent
of the film then I would sit back and brag about it to my grand children.
hahahaha
Tell me about the format of the book in terms of pictures and layout:
Who has done the pictures and would you say the book is a chronological
journey from an introduction to Devdas the character to afterthoughts?
Devdas – The Indian
Hamlet is no ordinary coffee table book though coming from me its sounds
rather immodest. But what it attempts at being is a one-stop shop for
everything you ever wanted to know about Devdas the man who made the nation
hit the bottle time and time again. The scope of this book is much wider
than just the making of the film, though it deals in great details about
the making of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas. It is kind of the making
of Devdas – the character, rather than just the film. In this book, we
have not limited ourselves to this one single film. We have explored and
researched the phenomenon called Devdas that has gripped the Indian psyche
ever since Sarat Chandra penned his novel way back in the last few years
of the 19th century and it was offered to public during the early 1900s.
So in a sense, yes, this book is a next step. It moves from exploring
the process of movie making to the process of analyzing the evolution
of movies themselves based on Devdas as the character that portrays this
evolution, reflects it and is affected by it himself, as he goes through
over 12 cinematic avatars.
What for you is the most memorable moment of the film?
For me the most memorable
moment of the film is the climax of the film. The poignancy, the pain,
the pathos, the urgency of reaching your loved one before the Almighty
sends you the final memo, the breaking of all norms and traditions by
Paro for the man she loved, the futility of it all. The end of love, the
immortality of the re-union. The climax has every emotion every lover
in his or her life has experienced. Sanjay Leela gave this climax a look
and feel that only he could. He managed to mount even such a morbid end
and that is the excellence of the film maker. What makes the climax even
more worthwhile is all the filmic touches of the gul mohar flower that
falls on Devdas's feet when Paro offers it to her God during prayers.
(God somebody kill me...that was awesome). The ant who walks from the
shirt over the collar so that the camera can catch him and he get his
fifteen seconds of fame also added to the inertia and well as momentum
of this immortal climax. How the ant reached there? Was he fixed? Was
he thrown there? How did he get lured to come there in the first place?
Was he just an ambitious ant that we did breed? All these questions and
many more are answered in my book-Go today and buy it. hahahha talk about
marketing you think I have an alternative career option waiting.
What for you is the most memorable moment of the making of the film?
Every frame while
this movie was being made was a memorable experience for me.
This was no ordinary film when it was being made. I have been a part of
movie business for over ten years now and I now how movies are made. What
happens to creative juices when the money flow gets tighter? What happens
to a project when the circumstances are not really positive? What becomes
of a film from the day it starts to the day they call a final wrap? But
with this movie I would say it beat all the set norms of Hindi movie business.
Sanjay Leela is truly a dedicated, passionate cinema person. He did not
care about the winds, the rains, the money flow, the money crunch, the
big question of “should I short change my movie because it should see
the light of the day” never ever bothered him. Whether it was Shah Rukh's
dhothi, the Maar Daala steps, the six thousands light bulbs which glitter
proudly hundred feet away from the camera everything was his concern.
That's exactly why Devdas turned out the way it did- a masterpiece.
How was it working with the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai,
and Madhuri Dixit?
It was an amazing
experience to document a film that had such a spectacular cast. Shah Rukh
is the reason that I persevered for this long a duration. Two and a half
years is a long long time for someone as impatient and restless as me.
But Shah Rukh was the inspiration and Shah Rukh was the beacon for this
project. Every time I felt I could not go on, I would look at Sanjay Leela
and Shah Rukh working. Shah Rukh himself is a bundle of nerves… He is
like a shaken bottle of chilled Pepsi… about to burst every instant. I
used to think if a restless soul like Shah Rukh can be patient, so can
I, who is about a thousandth of Shah Rukh when it comes to restless energy.
His enthusiasm and his encouragement was the reason why this book is seeing
the light of the day.
As for Aishwarya, her brains far transcend her physical beauty. She was
a delight to talk to. The way she went under the skin of Paro and delivered
a spectacular performance… it is amazing to see such a combination of
beauty and brains at work. Madhuri was grace personified. She is poetry
in motion, to say the least. It was a soothing sight to watch Madhuri
practice her routine with Pt. Birju Maharaj. Both Shah Rukh and Madhuri
are legends unto themselves and I do not think word my gratitude for them
for sharing their wonderful experiences with me.
What is the scope of the book?
As I said, the book
is a cinematic journey. We have started at the very beginning, dwelling
on the master wordsmith, Sarat Chandra and the conditions around him.
His childhood, youth, foray into writing, etc. Then we have taken up each
of the cinematic versions and analyzed it in the light of the social situation
of the time and how it evolved.
So the scope is vast. We have put in a lot of efforts and researched through
the archives in Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata. Apart from the history, there
is an analysis of the character itself. As to what made Devdas what he
was, what made the filmmakers take this project? From P C Barua to Bimal
Roy, Shakti Samanta and Gulzaar. From K L Saigal’s portrayal to the nuances
of Dilip Kumar’s performances. As well as the shadow of Devdas in Indian
films and how the various elements like childhood lovers, golden hearted
prostitute and unrequited love have become de rigor themes in Indian cinematic
vocabulary.
Do you think there is a market for Indian film based books?
I feel that Indian
audience the whole world around has now evolved to a stage where they
are demanding more than just masala flicks. I believe that there is a
huge potential for creating a synergy between entertainment and information,
provided, this information is presented in a very engaging format. It
has to be well-researched information in a well-presented format. There
is a continuous bombardment of information in the form of 30 seconder
and 15 seconder promos and sound bytes, from various television, radio
and multimedia channels. It is essential that there is one source free
of all the compulsions of time and content of the new media. I feel a
book is such a source. If a person is interested, he should be able to
walk to a shelf, select a book, sit at a desk, browse through the pages,
get hooked, read and come out enriched with the experience. A book is
not about instant gratification for 10 seconds and then a search for yet
another one. It is an experience to savor. And I believe that the Indian
audience is not only ready for it, he deserves it. After all Indian films
are such a rich treasure of experience waiting to be savored. Bollywood
today is the most powerful selling item after the Bible...if there is
no demand for books on it, then I think I should quickly become a priest.
Hahhaha
Why do you believe Devdas is such a timeless classic that allures
film fans and romantics everywhere?
The magic of Devdas
is the unrequitted love that ails the characters. The pain of love not
achieved is the same in Brazil, Bombay, or Bangladesh. Everybody knows
how it is to love and not get the most loved one. The poetry of hurting
yourself because you failed is also that fascinates every human being
breathing. If Devdas would have happily married Paro maybe they would
have had a shitty marriage ceremony. And the whole legacy of Devdas would
have got restricted to an invitation card. (sic). But because what happened
to them they lived over the years so that they could haunt us again and
again. To remind us that its better to have loved and died for it then
to have never ever having loved.
Whats next for you?
Oh I am working on
a book on Bollywood which will give you an insider diary look at what
goes on in the world of dreams. I am sick and tired of these silly Bollywood
books by outsiders who have no idea of what makes us tick. They come collect
some pseudo ancient film posters and compile a book on Bollywood. Just
because Bollywood is the flavour of the decade I know many are trying
to make a quick buck on it. But I hope I will end up throwing some new
and interesting light on how we look at our movies..why we make what we
make and why we are what we are? The book should be ready by the end of
this year. Apart from this book I am also scripting a movie called “Supari”
starring Nadita Das and Uday Chopra. Scripts and screenplays are of late
my full time passion and when I am over with this extra marital affair
I wish and hope to direct movies one day.
Fuad Omar