Artist in disguise

Anuradha Benegal is not aloft the ninth cloud for being the production designer of her husband Dev Benegal’s much talked about Split Wide Open. This consciousness, it seems, she has already felt four years ago with English August — the framed poster of the one of the major parallel cinematic works of India, drapes a large portion of her Juhu office lobby.

Ironically, Benegal is a complete box-office viewer. In a suspending sense of belief, she even cries during a film, Shahrukh Khan is one of her favourite actors, she loved Baadshah, but is disappointed with Phir bhi dil hai…. "With all the resources he had, he could have made a very good film. Resources are, after all, constrained for us," she says, explaining the reason behind the gap of four years between their two films, for "ideally, one should be able to finish a film in two years." Believing that it isn’t enough to make a good-looking film and that one should also create an environment true to the characters, Benegal points out the importance of her role. Production design is a fairly new concept in India. "From conceptualising the blue-print to linking the concepts underlying the script and the director’s vision, is what a production designer does." In other words, being involved in everything!

All because Benegal doesn’t believe in an escapist fare. "This can happen only if you give your best to one project. Even my architectural projects are very few. I do as much as I can complete," she verbally balances her work and the need to spend time with her six-year-old son Ishaan. The next project? "We will soon film Kiran Nagarkar’s Ravan and Eddie, where characters will grow up from the novel’s context to be dance directors and action directors in Bollywood."