Amol Palekar has always been a rebel, but he was never larger than life. He was, and still is, the guy next door and charms everyone with his subtlety and originality. He was the guest of honour at the 21st edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala. In an exclusive interview with THE WEEK, he spoke about movies, politics and the climate of intolerance prevailing in India.
Excerpts:
You are a painter, actor and director. Which one of these roles do you like the most?
I am happy that you called me a painter first. I started my creative life as a painter. Films happened much later. Now I am back into painting. You can say I have completed a full circle and I have enjoyed all of it.
You have never been part of the mainstream whether it was acting or directing. You could be the first hero to travel in a bus or an auto rickshaw in a movie. Was that a deliberate choice?
I am happy to say that I have never been part of the mainstream. My whole journey has been about exploring things which I love. But luckily for me, people liked whatever I did. Money or success has never been my concern.
So what do you think about the Rs 100-crore club?
This 100-crore club is killing good cinema. I do admit that monetary returns are important. But that should not be the only criterion for judging a film. A film is much more than an entertainer. I feel really sad about this trend. Bollywood started it all. It is all because of the repeated brainwashing that films are only about entertainment. We are told that films are not supposed to ask questions or force people to think. And the viewer also starts to believe this script and starts thinking that he just needs to be entertained. This has really affected the parallel cinema and the good cinema.
Do you think Bollywood increasingly dominates Indian cinema?
We had celebrated 100 years of cinema where Sholay and DDLJ were the highlights. There was no space for regional or parallel cinema. Even I liked Sholay and DDLJ very much and they surely have their space. But there should also be space for a Garam Hawa, Chemmeen or Bhuvan Shome.
Your film Daayraa was one of the first films on the third gender.
Daayraa was about a transvestite. But it was not included in the panorama section of IFFI in 1997, which was held in Thiruvananthapuram. I still fondly remember that I could show Daayraa in a parallel panorama screening because of the support of serious film lovers of this city. Now the current IFFK has its special section devoted to transgenders and the third sex. It is a wonderful thing to do.
As a creative person, what do you think about the ongoing debate on intolerance?
We are increasingly losing patience for others. This impatience rules all aspects of our life. If I am not able to give a patient hearing to others, it means I am being aggressive and arrogant. Aggression is not my cup of tea and I don’t like others doing it to me either. Not having space and time for others is not a decent way of living.
