|
|||||
|
|
|||||
|
May 2002 |
|||||
|
HOME | ABOUT US | CONTACT | FEEDBACK | WEATHER | BACK ISSUES | ADVERTISE |
|||||
|
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW |
|||||
|
Ashish Mathur talks to Somnath Sen Director of Leela - His First Feature film By GlobalomNet Media Service
A.M.: Som, please tell our readers about your previous work in the creative art and also about Leela. Som: In Bombay, I worked as a camera assistant to the likes of W.B. Rao. Some of my popular films are Raja Hindustani, Kareeb and Judwa. In Feb’98, I married Kavita (who incidentally is co-producer of Leela) and came to Los Angeles. I did some work for Discovery Channel, produced some marketing, commercial and corporate films and did some work in Hollywood. Leela is my first feature film. It is a film about Leela’s journey. After the death of her mother, Leela gets away from her husband. These moments are of great emotional significance. You do not know how somebody’s character develops. On the other hand, Kris also has a journey- he is also exploring. A.M.: Let us talk about the camera work in Leela. You have taken a lot of close-up shots and that reveal Dimple and Deepti’s age. Was there any reason to take so many close-ups? Som: I took close-ups when it was required. It was not to show and also not to hide their ages. In the beginning, I have taken long shots where Leela is shown walking by herself-it reflects her isolation, while on the other hand, Kris is shown moving around in a group-as he is a very social and outgoing person. A.M.: The character of Nashaad is Muslim while his wife Leela, a Hindu, and the extensive use of ‘sarod’ reminds one of sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his wife Subbalaxmi who is a Hindu. Did you get inspiration for your characters from this celebrated family or it was unintentional?. Som: No, in fact I never thought about it that way. Amjad sahab was my senior at Modern School in Delhi but that was it. There are a lot of successful Hindu-Muslim marriages. Leela is a Hindu but she writes to her husband in urdu. Religion is what you practice at home. A.M.: Unlike other Indo-American or Indo-Canadian film directors, who show a lot of western style sex and naked bodies quite extensively, the love scene in your film between Kris and Leela is very subtle. Why did you chose the conservative way? Som: Sex is a very private affair. It is very personal and is supposed to take place behind closed doors. These are very tender personal moments. My films show the shadows of Leela and Kris making love behind the burning fire. It was fire of passion, fire of love, fire of emancipation. Fire purifies after burning. If you have noticed carefully, I have used burning fire in most of my scenes with Dimple. Sex in my film is emotional, it is sensuous but not vulgar meant to titillate the audience. It is more about relationship and not sex. A.M.: You have shown Leela who comes from India as a forgiving wife who ignores her husband’s philandering behaviour while on the other hand, Chaitali, who lives in USA, in contrast, throws her husband out and also has a boyfriend. Do you want to show the conflict between east and west regarding morals and values? Som: Actually my characters are independent and do not represent any culture or society. I am talking about a couple of people who want to live a good life and be good human beings.
A.M.: Som, tell us about the directors who have inspired you. Som: I always got inspired by Satyajit Ray, Ramesh Sippy (his Sholay remains a masterpiece), Kurusawa and George Lucas. In fact I like his inventiveness, he has a very inquisitive mind. A.M.: What are your future plans? Som: I am a story teller. I like writing on relationships. I want to explore them. I want to use Indo-American space more in my future films. Of course, I would certainly like to make films in Hollywood and something like Sholay in Bollywood.
|
