Playwright Mahesh Dattani's second feature film Morning Raaga's entry into the Oscars adds a feather to the cap of the much acclaimed film.
The movie, starring Shabana Azmi, Perizaad Zorabian and Prakash Rao, will make the Indian presence felt at the Oscars, along with Amol Palekar's Paheli. While the latter will be competing in the Best Foreign Film category, Morning Raaga will be competing as an English film in the mainstream categories.
Dattani speaks to Subhash K Jha about the film's uncharted progress.
Morning Raaga has become much bigger than you thought
Oh yes! It seems to have acquired a life! I am quite surprised by how far it has gone. I am looking into a couple of theatre projects. But I have discovered the filmmaker in myself. I think Morning Raaga is successful as it reflects the true Indian culture. As Indians we have a tradition to carry forward.
Shabana Azmi in the cast did wonders for the film. And to think I was told I should take a South Indian actress to play the Carnatic singer! That would have been so unimaginative and simplistic. What's the point in choosing someone who is the right breed and letting her do the predictable?
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You submitted Morning Raaga at the Oscars on your own...
Paheli, which is our official entry, is a good choice. But the selection for the Oscars isn't always justified. One feels there are better films that need to be showcased for Oscar nominations.
Was Morning Raaga left behind because of its language?
I think so. Jury's apathy was the reason. It seems one has to lobby to get one's film considered. We were not even selected in the Indian panorama, leave alone an Oscar nomination. The language is an excuse. Didn't they select Aparna Sen's 36 Chowringhee Lane in the Indian panorama? I feel the selection process is arbitrary.
When they say my film can't be eligible because it's in the English language, what does it imply? That my film isn't Indian? How much more Indian can a film get than Morning Raaga? The Film Federation of India needs to do a reality check. There are more English-speaking Indians than the British. If I can be awarded the Sahitya Akademi -- one of the greatest literary honours of the country -- for my plays in English, why can't my English-language film be eligible? It's a stupid rule which no one has cross-checked.
Maybe Aparna Sen is more Indian than you are?
Yeah, maybe because she wears a bindi. Maybe I should start wearing a bindi to be more Indian for the Federation. The selection for Oscar nominations depends on the taste and mood of those in charge.
Was it producer K Raghvendra Rao's idea to enter the Oscars on your own?
No, it was international distributor Prashant Shah's. He took the initiative. My producer and I didn't even know we could enter the Oscars' mainstream categories, though Morning Raaga has had a mainstream foreign release and has been covered by the mainstream US media. We thought it had to go through the Film Federation as a foreign entry. Morning Raaga is probably the first Indian film to enter the mainstream category. Quite an honour!
Wouldn't it create an awkwardness with Paheli being there?
Not at all. We are not competing against each other. Paheli is up there for the Best Foreign Film. Morning Raga is being sent for the mainstream categories -- best film, actress, music and director. I am quite optimistic -- at least about the film's music.
Why just the music, why not Shabana Azmi's performance?
Yes, why not? You never know. She certainly deserves it.
Does Morning Raaga set a precedent?
I think so. Filmmakers who feel they are left out would know there is another way of doing it. One need not go through the Indian government. The immensity of our move has not sunk in yet. Somehow I am still in denial.
What next?
I am working on something. Morning Raaga left me exhausted. I decided never to make another film after it. But now I feel re-charged. I have realised marketing a film is as important as making it. One can't be romantic and naïve and believe it's enough to make a good film and let it loose. I will be going more mainstream in my next film. Just as Morning Raaga was more towards the mainstream than my first film Mango Souffle.
But I don't want to get sucked into the demands of the box office. I believe it's possible to make a mainstream film without getting mired into stereotype. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas and Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan did it with so much panache. On the other hand, song placements in Ketan Mehta's Mangal Pandey were wrong.
Aamir Khan's fee was Rs 70 million...
I can make three Morning Raagas with that kind of money. Or maybe four!
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