Table Of Contenti' fSm
OXFORD
INDIA PAPERBACKS
talking films
talking films
Conversations on Hindi Cinema with
Javed Akhtar
Nasreen Munni Kabir
I
OXTORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
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UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Preface
Sometime in late 1997, over coffee at the India Interna¬
tional Centre in Delhi, my editors and I talked about the idea
of a collection of published ‘conversations’ on Hindi cinema
and what shape it would take. Interest in books on Hindi cin¬
ema has increased over the years as film has become the most
popular art form of the century, defining notions of the ideal
family, the perfect romance, codes of conduct and the love of
country. Above all, cinema has become the over-riding form
of entertainment for millions of people the world over. In In¬
dia, with the proliferation of satellite and cable channels, Hindi
cinema’s power and influence have become even greater as
we enter the new millennium.
For various reasons — from organizing film festivals in Paris
to producing and directing two series on Hindi pinema titled
Movie Mahal for UK’s Channel 4 — I have had the privilege
of meeting many people involved in Hindi filmmaking. Some
were at the peak of their career with little time to consider
their work outside the reality of adoring fans and shooting
PREFACE
VI
dates. Others, whose films marked a previous era, now saw
the importance of taking stock of their contribution to cinema.
Having discovered just how difficult it is to find published
interviews with now dead practitioners of Indian film, I have
often suggested to an actor or a director how valuable it would
be to read their autobiography, or to read some form of written
record of their work and life. They would usually smile and
say, ‘Where’s the time to write?’
I realise that things in the making don’t allow for much
distance or analysis, and the hectic pace of.Bombay life is
not conducive to reflection or revisiting of the mental space
in which a film was conceived. Besides, filmmakers aren’t
usually inclined to write about their approach to films, prefer¬
ring, in most cases, to let their films reveal their method, think¬
ing and intentions. So the idea of publishing extended con¬
versations with an ideal ‘crew and cast’ list of Hindi cinema,
including a director, writer, lyricist, music director, actor, ac¬
tress, photographer, and choreographer, seemed exciting and
useful.
It wasn’t difficult to decide with whom the conversations
on Hindi cinema should start, because Javed Akhtar’s name
immediately sprung to mind. We had first met in 1986, when
Khalid Mohamed, now editor of Filmfare, introduced me to
this amazing screenplay writer, lyricist and poet, so that I could
film him for Movie Mahal. The interview was brief and took
place in a room at the Holiday Inn in Juhu. Minutes before
we began, Javed Sahib seemed distant and somewhat
preoccupied with whether he should shave or not. I remember
thinking, ‘It’s going to be difficult to get him to concentrate.’
But I was wrong. I have rarely met anyone so clear-thinking
PREFACE vii
on the subject of Hindi cinema and so able to switch from the
mundane to the profound within seconds. The moment the
camera rolled, Javed Akhtar spoke with a natural ease on the
changing flavour of film language, the quality of the Urdu
dialogue in Mughal'e-Azam and why Hindi film songs have
become such an essential part of our collective memory. At
the end of our fifteen-minute interview, he smiled, stood up
and said Accha main chala (All right, I’m off). Thankfully
that wasn’t the last time I saw him, and over the years we’ve
managed to meet in different circumstances, talking at length
about movies and movie actors.
Javed Akhtar’s film work is extraordinary, co-writing with
Salim Khan the most significant screenplays of the 1970s
(Zanjeer, Deewaar, Sholay, Trishul). His creative talents didn’t
end there and in 1981, he started writing film lyrics. His
unusual songs, from Hawa Hawaii (Mr India) to Ek Ladki ko
Dekha (1942, A Love Story), use language and metre to pleasing
effect. His book of poetry, Tarkash, published in both Urdu
and in Hindi, has also known vast critical and commercial
success. In his public life, he is outspoken and defends what
he believes in. A lesser known fact about Javed Akhtar is
that he is a brilliant conversationalist and an original thinker.
I was delighted when he agreed to participate in this book.
During the interviews, and despite a dozen ringing telephones
and a flow of visitors, Javed Akhtar turned his mind entirely
to the task at hand. He’d come alive when speaking of Urdu
poetry, Parsee Theatre or Gabbar Singh. But nothing excited
Javed Sahib as much as ideas — when he hit upon one, his
eyes sparkled and he’d go quiet for a moment, almost as though
he were painting a mental image of the idea taking form. He
viii PREFACE
has great wit, razor-sharp humour, an intense mind and a
special connectedness to the pulse of India. I found him
disarmingly honest about his life and work, and visionary in
his understanding of Hindi cinema. Between April and
October 1998, we spent hours in his small and characterful
study in his Juhu home, discussing all kinds of things and only
stopping when his wife, Shabana Azmi, reminded us that it
was time to eat. Talking to Javed Akhtar has been immensely
rewarding.
I’d like to thank my sisters, Priya Kumar and Shameem
Kabir, for never failing to encourage me, and to thank the
many friends whose advice and help in all sorts of direct and
indirect ways have made this book happen, including Rukun
Advani, Olivia Bennett, Jeanne Brody, Urvashi Butalia, Peter
Chappell, Ramachandra Guha, Omar Hafeez, Shahrukh
Husain, David Lascelles, Khalid Mohamed, Gautam
Rajadhyaksha, Andrew Robinson, Anuradha Roy, Joy Roy,
Pepita Seth and Christopher Shackle. Special thanks to
Shabana Azmi who nourished this project in every way.
