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Journalism of Courage
Despite a clutch of formal degrees in theatre and films, Kaizad Kotwal8217;s creative vision is guided by intensely personal convictions, says Meeta Bhatti
Private Performance
And without doubt, Kaizad Kotwal is a tour de force in theatre.
He took the limelight in 1987 with Kamla Ramchandani8217;s Witness in which he acted. The next year he directed Eden Creek, a play about five American women during the depression where their monologues were strung together by a narrative. Then followed the hugely successful Art, for which he designed the sets and the costumes; the concept for Whole in the Head; and, more recently, again as a director for the one-woman show Shirley Valentine, enacted and co-directed by motherMahabanoo Mody Kotwal.
But even after quot;accidentallyquot; picking up a third major in theatre 8212; after learning speech and drama at Trinity College, UK, where he went to study arts and economics 8212; he ended up doing a doctorate in film technology from a critical standpoint. And in December, last year, he made his first short film. A piece of fiction, written, produced and directed by Kaizad himself, Below the Belt is a day in the life of a group of college wrestlers, with a twisted ending that revisits the entire film. quot;It8217;s about young men and their social culture, which could be anywhere. I will try to release it in the festival circuit or sell it to European TV channels which hardly have any censorship.quot;
quot;The film has raw emotions, psychological violence and non-sexual male nudity which will, for a change, make men feel vulnerable.quot; In India, the censor8217;s scissors will probably hack off 37 of the 40 minutes that make this film. But this sort of severe criticism does not bother him. What matters to Kotwal atthe end of the day is what he does and not where. So it could be three short narratives 8212; about how technology and neoteric communication affects human relationships 8212; or an itsy bitsy role in Sympatico, a Hollywood film based on horse racing. quot;Even though there are chances that my role as an Arab businessman might not stand the final cut, it was an experience working with Sharon Stone and Nick Nolte.quot;
If there is anything that makes Kaizad unhappy it is the kind of support art gets in India. quot;Corporate groups prefer to fund laugh-a-minute8217; comedies.quot; He is also frustrated about the quality of films India is producing. quot;If creatively-repressed countries like China and Iran can give the world some of the best films of the decade, then why not India?quot; Featuring among his favourite film-makers are Iranian director Kirostami, Mira Nair, Shekhar Kapur, Deepa Mehta and Steven Spielberg. quot;Even Stanley Kubrick. But his Eyes Wide Shut is one of the most intellectually embarrassing works. Though as a theme it8217;sfine and the lighting is brilliant, I unhesitatingly say it8217;s trash on the whole. But then every film-maker has made rotten films at some stage.quot;
At this stage in his life, Kaizad plans to return to the stage 8212; with a play about thequot;not always harmoniousquot; mix of the East and the West.
