‘I’m a first-rate writer and second-rate director’

Aalbel is about three murder convicts,who happen to be together in one jail cell. All three characters are completely different from each other. “Bappa is a well-read teacher,an erudite and scholarly fellow runs a school of poor tribal girls in a village. He ends up in jail for murdering a rapist who was trying to assault and rape his visually challenged daughter. The second one,Sada,is again a nice human being who wants to lead a good life but he happens to kill his wife in a fit of rage. The third one,Bhairav,is a hard-core contract killer,” elaborates Paranjapye. Though the three inmates are initially wary of each other,their relationship develops as the play progresses. They share their stories,angst and experiences with one another.

Staying away from film-making wasn’t a conscious decision,Paranjpye comments. Film-making is a difficult,demanding and time-consuming process. When one is new and is just venturing out,it is easy to go around and experiment,but once you have made a name,it is difficult to compromise on one’s principles,she opines.

“Besides,I prefer writing my films. I always say that I’m a first-rate writer and second-rate director. Writing takes a lot of time and research,” says the veteran who is known for doing thorough research on her film’s subjects. For instance,for the film ‘Papeeha’ that was based on tribals,she literally stayed in a forest for almost a year. “I remember eating red ant chutney with the tribals during my stay in the jungles prior to ‘Papeeha’,” recalls the 74-year-old. Similarly,for the film ‘Sparsh’,that won the National Award in 1980,she did extensive research about the education of the visually-challenged. The film-maker now feels that she has done her bit and is happy viewing the work of youngsters these days. She admits that she is currently working on something but “I cannot reveal anything more about it,” she says.

Paranjpye also refrains from commenting on the remake of ‘Chashme Buddoor’. The off-beat comedy of the 80s is being re-made by David Dhawan and will star Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar and South-Indian film actor Siddharth. “I have nothing to do with the film and I don’t want to talk about it,” she says firmly.

During her double stint as the chairperson of Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI),she made four films with CFSI. “I enjoyed the period at CFSI. Some of our films were appreciated and ‘Jadoo Ka Shankh’ and ‘Sikander’ even won awards,” she recalls. Talking about the current position of children’s films,she says,“I don’t think there is any dearth of ideas but one should not forget that since the ministry is involved here,there are a lot of rules,regulations and procedures to be followed for any project. I have faith in the current chairperson and I feel that CFSI is in good hands,” adds Paranjpye.