Like Dreamers do

Written by PiyasreeDasgupta

August 28, 2009 03:32 AM IST

4 min read

A few decades back,when Amol Palekar was giving the bungling faceless man a little more than just his share of ordinariness on screen,he knew that his posters wouldnt be up on bedroom walls and he wouldnt wake up to a legion of screaming fans. I have always known what I was meant for. I didnt fit into either the moulds of the angry young man,the dancing hero or the romantic or He-Man heroes. In fact,I never wanted to be any of them, says Palekar. Call it whim,call it choice,Amol Palekar disappeared from the screen nearly 30 years back. I have tried not to be driven by the industry. Nothing had really excited me enough to return to the screen. But when I read the story of Samaantar,I decided I had to play Keshav,the protagonist, he explains at the launch of his Marathi directorial venture Saamantar at Inox (Forum).

On the eve of Samaantars release,Palekar acts almost as an ambassador for regional cinema in the country. I made Samaantar in Marathi because I think every script has its demand of language,actors,music etc. This film could be best-made in Marathi, says Palekar. And if you think making the film in Hindi would have meant more reach,better commercial prospects,then you are thinking wrong. His kind of cinema,explains Palekar,wouldnt find a mass audience and he is reconciled with the fact. I wouldnt put an item number,slapstick comedy to attract more viewers. People who appreciate sensitive cinema would gladly watch a film in Marathi with subtitles. If you can watch Spanish,French,Korean films,why cant you watch the great cache of good cinema in our own regional languages, says Palekar. In fact,the actor-director is all for aggressive promotions for regional films. All these films should be subtitled and get a national exposure, he adds.

Palekars brand of comedywitty,subtly romantic and light-hearted was one that had an entire nation in its thrall. A brand which has eluded Bollywood for a long time now. Palekar agrees that the better comedies these days are decidedly urban and hence cater to a niche audience. But wheres the problem in that. A director has the right to choose his audience like he has a right to choose his subject, he says. In the past,people used to accuse Hrishikesh Mukherjee too for alienating a large section of film-goers. But we know that is far from the truth, says Palekar. In fact he feels that his brand of romance or comedy would be rather out of place now. In Basu Chatterjees Baaton Baaton Mein,my character used to draw sketches for the heroine in a rush-hour local train in Bombay. Can you think of doing that now? You are probably busy saving your purse,or yourself in the crowd. Those little nuggets of life,that brought alive those films,are a little irrelevant in these times, he says,albeit a little wistfully.

I became the face of the ordinary man also by chance. There was a point of time when people were getting overwhelmed by the larger-than-life hero and was craving for someone they could relate to, says Palekar. Filmmakers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee or Basu Chatterjee understood the need and the 65-year-old actor feels that he happened to be at the right place at the right time. My only contribution would be making the loser lovable despite his failings, he smiles.

Though he admits that he is brimming with ideas,he needs time to streamline them and start working on another project. Though he cant say whether it would be another Hindi film (his last was Paheli in 2005) or not he adds that his predilection for regional cinema doesnt imply that he is averse to Hindi films. I am not averse to Hindi,I am not averse to working with big stars. But yes,I wont compromise on my vision of cinema also, he confirms.

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Like Dreamers do

A few decades back,when Amol Palekar was giving the bungling faceless man a little more than just his share of ordinariness on screen,he knew that his posters wouldnt be up on bedroom walls and he wouldnt wake up to a legion of screaming fans.

A few decades back,when Amol Palekar was giving the bungling faceless man a little more than just his share of ordinariness on screen,he knew that his posters wouldnt be up on bedroom walls and he wouldnt wake up to a legion of screaming fans.