16 Years Of Black, Fond Memories Of A Classic

I have a veey deep connection with my friend Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black. I was instrumental in  getting Mr Bachchan on  board for  the film, a fact that Sanjay  acknowledged  at the Filmfare award  function when Black won many awards.

Not only did Mr Bachchan agree to come on board he even told me he  wouldn’t accept a single paisa  for the film, and he struck to his words.

No one thought a film about a deaf-and-blind girl would create such a roaring impact???Why do we always undermine the audiences’ intelligence?

Sanjay explained, “ It started when the star system came on. Some filmmakers decided, ‘If we’ve a big star in  the film we don’t need to work  hard’. I think the star system brought in a kind of complacency. I decided to go completely by content in Black and also I  decided to go against the genre of my last two films Hum Dil De Chuke   Sanam and  Devdas. Those films had worked. And I was worried about moving away. Will the audience come? I never doubted the audiences’ intelligence and  aesthetic sense. But in Black the theme of the relationship between a teacher and his pupil was exceptionally  ‘commercially non-viable’…No exposure, noflesh no  shaadi-baraat no bhaiyya-bhabhi. Every boxoffice norm has beenbroken. And  Amitabh Bachchan at this stage of his  career  did  the most unconventional role of his career.”

 Then there was Rani going  completely de-glam.

Said Sanjay,  “ At the peak of her career Rani does a deglamomorized role that requires her to go from her teens  to the age of 40. I think  this kind of rule-breaking required a lot of guts. But as I said I always believed my God, mother and audience are with me.I always knew the audience would for a well-told story. A a  child I always liked to hear newstories.  And the way our grandmother told them made all the difference. The intelligence that Raj Kapoor, K Asif,Bimal Roy, Satyajit Ray or Ritwick Ghatak granted their audience  was exemplary. I’d  like to strive for  the same. Why did we start questioning theaudiences’ intelligence and aesthetic sense in the mid-1970s and 1980s?”

  Black  was  a process of rejuvenation  for Sanjay. “I had  to reinvent myself as a creative person. For example my camerapersonin Black was Ravi Chandran..  I had  to work extensively with all my actors before shooting started. With Amitji I had  to get over my awe of him before Ican got to a comfort level. I had  to learn to take him into confidencerather than look up to him. Because neither he nor I had  done anythinglike Black before. Fortunately he’s one of  finest humanbeings I know, so communication was easy.The film gives MrBachchan a completely new persona  and impetus. I’m grateful to Amitji for  accommodating my film into his busy schedule.  It’s fascinating to know that even today filmmakers are devising projects with him inmind.  I think that makes him the greatest star-actor of our country. I’ve been his diehard fan from childhood.  Ever since I started making moviesit was my dream to work with him.”

  Sanjay made a  startling  confession. “:Even my first film Khamoshi: The Musical  was written for Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan. But at that pointof time  he had taken a break from acting, and I felt with a baritone likehis,  he ‘d never come back with a role that required him to be mute . Forthe fear of rejection I never  approached him. But  let me tell you, during Khamoshi  I had already started to plan Black.It was a spontaneous decision. After Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and DevdasI could’ve easily planned  another film in the romantic genre.  But I felt likemoving away.  My audience wanted  me to  move on. Black was  a subject I’ve lived with for six years. I just had to make it.”

 To make  a songless film required  plenty of guts. “Though Black had no songs it’s treated musically. The lyricism is inherent in the scenes  which look like song sequences. A song isn’tthe only way to interpret the lyricism. I didn’t miss songs in Black. They would’ve been a hindranceto the narrative.Can there be acomplete Hindi film without songs?Songs have been integral even to grassroot classicslike Do Bigha Zameen and Mother India.  But I wanted to takeanother approach to Black.  The audience today isn’t stuck on songs. Halfthe audience takes a break during song sequences.  I love shooting songs. And I work harder overthem than any other aspect of my  film.But that doesn’t mean I should be stuck on them.  I don’t think I’ll allow audiences to misssongs in Black.”

 The film’s success surprised  all. “I was told it ‘s multiplex film….whatever thatmeans . Emotions have no niche. Mother-son, saas-bahu, teacher-pupil… these arebondings that can reach everywhere. Human emotions have nothing to do with schooling or economic strata. If   I strike a chord in the audience a film isbound to work.  Maybe some people feltBlack was too delicate a film to hold the masses. Maybe the formula film had abetter reach. But I feel Black has the grace the pace and frenzy.”