All the world’s his stage

Ismail Merchant, one half of the duo that formed the company in 1960, is also in Mumbai to kick off the retrospective and later attend the premiere of his new film. The 64-year-old Merchant, who mostly served as producer on a bunch of movies (including Heat and Dust, The Householder and Shakespearewallah) directed by his partner James Ivory, has also directed some of the company’s films including In Custody, The Proprietor and now Cotton Mary.

The company, which since its 40 years of existence, has over 40 films to its credit, has worked with such A-list Hollywood talent like Anthony Hopkins, Vanessa Redgrave, Emma Thompson, Jeanne Moreau, Greta Scacchi, Julie Christie, Kris Kristofferson, Hugh Grant, Nick Nolte, Gwyneth Paltrow, Helena Bonham Carter, Thandie Newton and Lelee Sobieski. Among the Indian actors employed to feature in Merchant Ivory Productions, were Shashi Kapoor, Leela Naidu, Durga Khote, Utpal Dutt, Achla Sachdev, Madhur Jaffrey and Ratna Pathak

Merchant Ivory releases, always literate, beautifully shot, languid films which initially were based on mostly Indian subjects, subsequently moved away from that, and ventured into the territory of intelligent, tasteful adaptations of modern literary classics. Set in post-colonial India of the fifties, Cotton Mary, however, which features Greta Scachi and Madhur Jaffrey in pivotal roles, is based and shot completely in India.

The retrospective, which features seven Merchant Ivory Films (Heat and Dust, The Proprietor, Howard’s End, Shakespearwallah, A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, Jefferson In Paris and The Householder) began on Friday, at Sterling Cinema.

Excerpts from a conversation with Ismail Merchant…

What prompted the decision to host a retrospective in India?

We’d been thinking about it for some time, especially for all those people who hadn’t seen our films before. Also, these aren’t the kind of films to see on video or on television. These films need to be seen in a proper atmosphere with Dolby sound. And we decided that this retrospective would be ideal for those people who hadn’t seen our films in more than twenty years. Also, we felt that in order to give a feeling of the different continents we shot these films in, it was important to choose the films correctly. Some of the earlier films are considered classics — like Heat and Dust and Howard’s End. Then we chose films like Jefferson In Paris and A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries to give and idea of what this company is actually about. Most importantly, there is the release of Cotton Mary, so it all worked out at the right time.

Was it difficult to shortlist just seven films out of your huge repertoire?

It was. And I had to do it. In fact, I wanted to show Mr & Mrs Bridge and The Slaves of New York, but we couldn’t possibly accommodate everything. However, if the public responds to it, then the next retrospective will be organised next year with other films.

Obviously you believe that there is scope for such a retrospective in India…

I think so. I think people are hugry to see good films. Why should they always see the same old rubbish? I mean, there’s no reason to see the same old things. How many times are they going to see that? But here, there’s something fresh, something new, something different.

Having worked with actors from across the globe, how do you rate Indian performers?

Actors here are very, very good indeed. We just worked with Surekha Sikhri who is a wonderful actress. We’ve also worked with Shabana Azmi, Neena Gupta, Om Puri, all of whom are immensely gifted actors. Recently we’ve also worked with some newer actors, and the talent is definitely there. American stars and European actors are more popular because of the international exposure they get because of the world media. Indian actors have not had that kind of international coverage, but that is changing. Open any magazine these days and you have Indian stars all over the place.

Do you see any present-day leading Indian actors with international potential?

I saw Kuch Kuch Hota Hai recently, and I think Shah Rukh Khan has a very good possibility of becoming an international star. I also saw Vinod Khanna’s son — not the one in Aa Ab Laut Chalen, not Akshaye — Rahul. Yes, Rahul Khanna is extremely good. I think he could become an international actor. Among the actresses, Kajol is excellent. I’ve also seen Salman Khan’s film, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which I thought was very entertaining. If I were to go and find content in Hindi movies, then of course I would be disappointed, but I was looking for entertainment and good musical numbers then they’re wonderful.

What do you think stops the Indian film industry from going global?

All our trends are very lopsided. There is exaggerated acting, and the situations are not true to life.

And who would you blame for that?

The writers. There are some good writers like Javed Akhtar. There are others in the South like Adoor Gopalakrishnan. He uses very good language. R K Narayan is excellent. They’re very good novelists. But when it boils down to screenwriting, we don’t have many good writers to speak of. The blame also rests with the directors and the producers who select such material.

Unlike Hollywood, the concept of a producer doesn’t really exist in India, does it?

No, you’re right, it doesn’t. Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt who were producers of their own films understood the responsibility, but there’s hardly anyone else these days. Perhaps B R Chopra… but he’s more of an elderly statesman now. Yes, his brother Yash Chopra is definitely a good producer. But I think if you talk of international markets, you have to have a kind of framework where you must finish a film in ten to twelve weeks, and here it’s just not possible.

For your own part, you have essentially been a producer, having dabbled in direction every now and then. Has that been a rewarding experience?

I object to the word "dabbled". It’s a passion. The reason I probably haven’t directed many movies is because we were busy trying to run a company that has offices in America, Europe and India. Also, I directed movies everytime the subject matter interested me. Besides, James Ivory and I work in very close association. I’m always on the sets. And yes, that has been a very rewarding experience.

What do you predict will be the future of Indian mainstream movies?

Typical mainstream Indian cinema is going to increase its audience with the non-resident Indians. I see that happening, for sure. I don’t know if international audiences will embrace commercial Indian movies unless Indian cinema offers them good stories. I certainly think musical numbers are very popular, but you need a story to convey it.

You shot Cotton Mary in Kerala, didn’t you?

Oh, yes. Kerala is a wonderful place. I loved working there. The people were very kind, nice and generous. We found some lovely locations there. The film is the story of an anglo-Indian nurse and an English memsaab. It’s about the nurse who’s suffering from an identity crisis, and wants to assume another identity.

Despite having worked with Hollwyood actors and within the Hollywood set-up, Merchant Ivory films have never been of the blockbuster variety…

I’m not interested in computer-generated characters, or violence, or undue attention to sex and perversion. I’m interested in stories about characters who have some meaning in life. But we have made some films that were blockbusters. If you make a film for 3 million dollars and it goes on to make 65 million dollars, that’s a blockbuster. And they’re made on our terms.

Apparently, cooking is a passion…

Yes, I used to supply my recipes to a restaurant in New York called Pondicherry, but that restaurant has changed now, and so has the menu. My favourite dishes from the book I’ve written, Passionate Meals, are mustard ginger chicken, spinach with garlic and mustard sauce, lemon lentils and saffron pulao. I cook quite a bit… I cook for my cast and crew, and they respond to it with great enthusiasm.

(Cotton Mary opens across cinema halls on February 25)