Banana Chips

In a tight green crystal-studded T-shirt,flaunting an arm candy in the form of his wife and leading lady,Sapna,Shah looked his flamboyant best at the awards ceremony. But his manner was surprisingly quiet,even self-conscious and shy. Used to staying out of the public eye,the “almost 50-years-old” Shah said quietly,“I’m glad that people recognise my work. Award mila hai to accha hi lagega naa,” he said.

Born into a middle-class family in Gujarat,Shah started out in the film industry the difficult way. “I had to work for a living from a very young age,” he says,adding that he sold pillow covers on Mumbai roads between working on bit roles in films. “I learned a lot from different production houses. Soon,I decided to make my own film,” he says. His first film was Maar Dhaad with Mandakini in the lead.

Shah is nostalgic about the “good old days of the 1990s” when B-grade cinema was a flourishing industry. “My films are for the aam admi,who doesn’t have time for homilies or soul-stirring dramas. He works hard during the day,and wants entertainment that will make him forget about his life,his work and other concerns,” explains Shah,“I offer just that. Take any film of mine,it has music,drama,action. The viewer would go out entertained.”

Is he comfortable with the “B-grade cinema” tag? “What’s a tag?” he asks gently and,without waiting for an answer,replies,“A film should entertain people and make money. My films did both,so I don’t mind the tag at all.” In fact,he insists,he wants no part in mainstream Bollywood. He is clear about his audience — the crowd that cannot afford to visit multiplexes. “How can the aam admi afford a Rs 300 ticket? Even if he may,he’ll always worry that he’s not well-dressed to go to posh places,or that he won’t know how to speak in English,” he says.

As the shutterbugs take aim,Sapna says,“He never comes in front of the camera. Once,I Googled his pictures,and was shocked that there was no picture of him on the Net.” Yet,Shah has a full diary. His next production is a horror film. What will it be called?. “Horror,” comes the reply. Shah also plans to release his old films on DVD. Another film in the pipeline is inspired by The Dirty Picture . “It will be called Number 1 Dirty Heroine Sapna and will star Sapna,” he says.