JOIN USKnown for his realistic and socially-relevant films, Prakash Jha is back with his latest release ‘Satyagraha’. Roshmila Bhattacharya talks to the filmmaker about the controversies courted by the film
His upcoming film, Satyagraha, caught the public imagination with its very first stills that underlined Amitabh Bachchan’s striking resemblance to social activist Anna Hazare, who recently announced that he would go on fast on the first day of the winter session of Parliament at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan. Prod filmmaker Prakash Jha on the reel life-real life parallels, and he categorically denies that Bachchan’s character is modelled on Anna, insisting that his inspiration is Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent satyagraha, driven by a commitment to the truth.
“Mahatma Gandhi and Jayprakash Narayan have been a part of many such uprisings against the establishment and oppression in the past. More recently, Anna Hazare’s campaign against corruption saw a powerful surge from the young people. Such protests are the right of the common man and necessary to the process of healthy democracy,” says Jha. “But my film, despite its tagline ‘A Revolution Begins’, does not revolve around a revolution. The revolution just forms the backdrop to a personal conflict between a father and his son.”
But isn’t corruption at the core of this conflict? Jha denies it, saying that it’s a clash of values. “The father is from a different generation, who believes that his son should give back to society what it has given to him. The son, fuelled by greed, believes in grabbing opportunities and charging ahead to achieve something that is self-motivated. The means one adopts is as important as the end,” the socially-conscious filmmaker explains.
No need for approvals
It has been reported that he shot parts of the film in Anna Hazare’s village, Ralegaon Siddhi, and there’s talk that Jha is going to arrange a special screening for him there? He retorts, “I did not shoot at Ralegaon Siddhi. The entire film was shot in Bhopal. And if we hold a special screening for anyone after the film’s release, what’s the harm? But before its August 30 opening, no one will get to see Satyagraha, I can assure you. We do not need anyone’s approval or sanction.”
It is being said that Jha is so cagey about his latest creation, that it is even being edited at his office to ensure that there are no leaks? “Well, yes, the movie is being edited in my office, as we have a theatre there,” he admits.
The film was originally targeted for an Independence Day opening, which would have been an apt release date given its content. But a glut of big releases lead to it being pushed forward by a couple of weeks. How did Jha react to the change in plan? “Yes, we had planned for an August 15 opening, but after that many hats were thrown into the arena, so we decided to move the date. It would have been foolish to release the film along with Shah Rukh Khan’s Chennai Express and Akshay Kumar’s Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara. Actually, earlier, both these films were coming together on Eid, but later, even they decided against a collision course, and the Once Upon A Time sequel was pushed ahead to August 15,” he points out.
Even though Satyagraha has lost its date with history, with the Lok Sabha elections coming up next year, there’s the threat of political parties using the film as a tool to gain leverage in the media and with the voters, one of them being the newly-minted Aam Aadmi Party spearheaded by Arvind Kejriwal. Jha says that presently he has no idea what connections and connotations any political party will draw from his film and if it impacts the forthcoming elections. “We’ll have to wait and watch. Satyagraha is not a lesson in politics, nor is it inclined towards any political party. It simply touches on certain issues within the context of an emotional drama,” he reasons.
So Manoj Bajpai, who’s playing a wily politician manipulating emotions and manoeuvring situations, is not modelled on any prominent leader? That query draws a dry chuckle, “That’s for you to judge. All I’ll say is that the film is a reflection of today’s politics.”
On a song
Is that why he got Prasoon Joshi to tweak the lyrics of Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite bhajan? The passively devotional Raghupati Raghav Rajaram has now become an aggressively demanding ‘Ab tak dheeraj manga tha, Prabhu ab tak dheeraj manga tha, Prabhu ab dheeraj mat dena, sehte jaaye, sehte jaaye, sehte jaaye, aisa bal bhi mat dena, utth kar karne hai kuch kaam, Raghupati Raghav Rajaram’ and the changes have drawn mixed reactions.
Jha admits that some people have expressed their disapproval to him too, but argues that he has only added some thoughts. “The essence remains the same, we have just tried to reflect the changing times through the song. If you like it, you will like the intentions too, if you don’t, well, it’s a democracy where everyone has the right to freedom of thought and expression,” he asserts.
Satyagraha is about awakening the youth, but while they are quick to be aroused today, they are equally quick to lose interest in issues, as was seen during Anna’s people’s movement and last December, after the brutal attack on Nirbhaya. All the candlelight vigils at Jantar Mantar ended with the Christmas vacations and it was back to the everyday routine soon for Delhiites and people across the country even though the attacks continued. Jha doesn’t agree. He points out that with an active social media around, along with print and TV, it’s not possible for anyone to forget anything.
“We are well-connected to reality today, there’s no need for people to take to the streets unless it’s something they strongly feel about,” he avers. “Nirbhaya’s death shook us all, youngsters braved jets of water in the cold and forced the government to come out with a stringent anti-rape law. Protest is a way to change, but it doesn’t have to be constant.After Rajneeti (2010), there were media reports of Ajay Devgn and him parting ways over creative differences. What’s the reaction now that he and Ajay are back in a film together? “They didn’t ask me then if what was being said was true, and they haven’t now. Maybe you can ask them what they have to say,” he quips with a wry smile.
Meanwhile, Madhuri Dixit, who had reportedly lost out on the National Award for Best Actress by one vote for her fiery portrayal in his Mrityudand, is back and looking to do good cinema with sensible directors. Have they been knocking their heads together on a project? “We have met several times since her return, but we have not spoken specifically about a movie,” he says.
And apparently his daughter Disha, who is now 23, wants to be a producer. What advise can daddy offer her? He laughs, “Today’s kids make their own decisions, but if she needs guidance, I’m there.”