Known for making movies on human relationship, eminent film director Pranab Das along with Manmohan Mahapatra and Nirad Mohapatra, two FTII-Pune alumni, formed the famous trio of the early 1980s who changed the landscape of filmmaking in Odisha. At a time when family dramas were a huge draw among the viewers, they exposed the audience to realistic movies. The three went on to set up Cine Ecstasy, a group of film enthusiasts, to screen classic Indian and foreign language movies in Bhubaneswar. Former Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy was also a member of this forum and used to attend screenings, recalls Das. He is in the news now for his upcoming and much-talked-about film Ajati, yet another content-driven project which is also the last completed movie of Mihir Das who passed away recently. The National Award winning filmmaker, in a breezy chat with Sunday POST, talks about his upcoming film and other issues. Excerpts:
Please tell us about Ajati and how it is different from your previous movies?
I love to make films on the intricacies of human relationships and Ajati is no different. But it is certainly different from the ones I made earlier. You have to wait for the film’s release to learn more as I can’t divulge in detail at the moment. But I can say that the relationship between the members of so-called civilised society and the forest dwellers forms the crux of the enterprise. We often construe the simplicity of the forest dwellers as their foolishness which is not. They may be simple but they are not fools. Moreover, they are wiser than the urban people more often than not.
How did you come up with the idea of making Ajati?
It is not a story with a contemporary theme. The plot was in my mind when I was doing a job which involved regular but limited interactions with the tribal population. Then I was curious what they would be thinking about us, the ‘civilised’ people. The disparity between them and us made me think about this film at that time but I couldn’t get the opportunity to work on the subject.
Whether it is Hakim Babu or Shesha Pratikhya, your subjects were always ahead of their times. Can we expect it from Ajati also?
Yes, it is ahead of its time like most of my films. But the viewers need to watch the movie in theatres to feel the difference. Apart from the subject, I have a good combination of actors across generations. While Samaresh (Routray) represents Generation X, there are people like Dolgovind Rath and Mihir Das who have been in the industry for a while.
How was it working with Mihir Das after over 30 years?
It was amazing. As a person he hadn’t changed a bit. Moreover, he was more respectful towards me. But on the acting front he was more tuned and dependable . About 30 years ago when we shot a commercial film Hasa Luha Bhara Duniya, he was a little raw and tentative. But this time, I found a different Mihir, for whom acting was a cakewalk. During this shoot, I was very careful as I was dealing with not a struggling actor of the 1990s but a superstar. However, Mihir made me very comfortable. ‘Pranab Bhai, let us celebrate the time we are spending during the shoot,’ he said to me. We had a great time together.
You along with legends like Manmohan Mahapatra and Nirad Mohapatra formed the famous trio of the 1980s much like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen of Bengali cinema. Will you elaborate more about the camaraderie?
Let me first thank you for putting us in such a big league which is an honour itself. Talking about our equation, Manmohan was a dear friend while Nirad babu a senior. Later on, we formed a team to expose the Odia audience to realistic and meaningful films. In fact, Nirad babu made me realise that there is a world beyond Shammi Kapoor and Dara Singh. He encouraged me to watch Ray (Satyajit Ray) series and other foreign language films. Then only I realised how limited was my knowledge on cinema. Later, we set up Cine Ecstasy to screen classic Indian and foreign language movies at Soochana Bhawan. Former Odisha Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy was also a member of it and often attended the shows. Manmohan, a follower of Jean-Luc Godard, used to make films on rural life while Nirad Mohapatra presented the predicament of the middle class. He idolised the great Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu from the 1950s who, unlike Akira Kurosawa, used to analyse the life of the common man through his films. Left with little choice, I started making films on human relationships which covered both rural life and middle class. My films such as Hakim Babu, Shesha Pritikya and Agni Sanket fall under that category. We worked really hard to develop a culture of watching global cinemas in Bhubaneswar.
Do you think it is essential to get trained like your friends (Manmohan and Nirad) in order to become a successful filmmaker?
Yes, to a large extent. For instance, it is because of National School of Drama or Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya that we could get some great performers like Bijay Mohanty, Ajit Das, Choudhury Bikash Das, Ashrumochan Mohanty, Minaketan Das and several others. However, there are some exceptions like Uttam Mohanty and Mihir Das who, with their hard work and keen observation, could make it big.
Which film and filmmaker have influenced you the most?
It was Ritwik Ghatak and his movie Meghe Dhaka Tara. You can feel his influence on my movie Hakim Babu. Besides, Nirad Mohapatra’s Maya Miriga also had a great impact on me as a director. I feel like a member of that family when I watch Maya Miriga.
Given an opportunity, which Odia classic would you love to adapt into films?
It is Fakir Mohan’s Patent Medicine and I have no second thoughts about it. In fact, I have the entire screenplay in my mind and mentally I am up for it. It will certainly be a dream project. Besides, if I get a chance I love to remake Annapurna Devi’s Amada Bata, Upendra Kishore’s Mala Janha and cinematise a few short stories of Pratibha Ray.
Bijay Mandal, OP
