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Travelling in search of `real' India...
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Clash of individuals with society and despair of the young, all films by Saeed Mirza talk of real life. In New Delhi for an addition to the same, RANA A. SIDDIQUI speaks to him and listens to him talking about life, real life, never talked about... .
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HE WOULD travel 26,500 kilometres to talk to people "who represent real India - villagers, people living below poverty line, dhabawallahs, veiled women who shy away from the mere sight of strange men, rickshaw pullers and others". He establishes a quick rapport with them and thus you see small screen serials like "Nukkad", "Manoranjan", Circus" and films as "Albert Pinto Ko Ghussa Kyon Aata Hai", "Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan", "Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho", "Saleem Langde Par Mat Ro" and "Naseem".
Yes, you have got it right. He is Saeed Mirza, the 59-year-old quality film director and Ambassador of Actionaid India, an NGO dedicated to fighting poverty with government, corporate houses and responsible individuals. Saeed was in Delhi recently for the screening of his 30-minute documentary "Unheard Voices of India" that he made with Harsh Mander, the NGO's country director.
"The film highlights images of real India that nobody gets to see. This is the only way to give them their dignity back," Saeed informs.
Born on June 30, 1944, Saeed, son of illustrious Akhtar Mirza, whose script of the film "Naya Daur" gave a new lease of life to the careers of Dilip Kumar and Vyjyanthimala Bali in 1960s, and brother of Aziz Mirza with whom he made Shah Rukh-Juhi starrer "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman".
Speak about underprivileged and he can shower you with questions that you might not have given a thought to. "Do you know what is actual poverty line? Do you know that a population of people in the age group of 20 per cent is 48 per cent? Do you know they face severe unemployment? You get to know real India only if you meet them. You will be amazed to learn what they think about India's Independence. Tell me where does a country's actual dignity come from? These unprivileged sections only. And they refuse to talk about them"!
Ask him what do they say and he has a bagful of memories. "I have met at least 1,500,00 people across India. If you ask them what is the biggest problem facing the country today, they get amazed at it. They will think for long and say poverty and unemployment, beyond that they are not interested! Ask them about Babri Masjid and Ram Janambhoomi and they would ask back. `What do we get out of mandir-masjid jhagda? Does it fill our stomach? Give us employment?' Suddenly you realise whom are you fooling? And every second day you have Rajdeep Sardesai and Nalini Singh talking about it. Why?"
Before you ask anything more, he grows pensive and says, "I want to ask the Advanis and Modis, how do they sleep after committing their day's crime? If there is something called consciousness, I think it comes from the social status one has. How conscious can you be if you have caste system? Remember Bulleshah said `baazi le gaye kutte'— dogs have defeated man - It is true in today's India."
Saeed, who did his graduation in economics and political science from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai in 1965, joined an advertising company after his degree. "I worked there for seven years. Earned a lot. But I was inclined towards film-making, so I joined Pune Film Institute, did my graduation in 1976 from there and jumped into film making."
His first assignment was a documentary on the slum, Janata Colony in Mumbai where 70,000 people lived. "I made a film questioning their rehabilitation. It got banned, so I passed to fiction."
And in 1977, Saeed's first film "Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan" hit the silver screen.
One by one he made films that made news because of street-based stories, everyday life, problems and pursuits, a life that is different from what we see in metropolitan cities. They all resulted from his first hand experience of all these people. He recalls, "My wife, a sociologist, and I researched for five years in all possible streets of Mumbai. Thus, we came with Arvind Desai and serial like `Nukkad' that was actually my brainchild though Aziz and Kundan Shah were involved in it. People like Haji Mastan are made only in such street corners. `Nukkad' is a microcosm of urban deprived section".
Saeed's "Albert Pinto... " was made as a result of his watching life of Catholics from close quarters. It is about the protagonist Albert Pinto, an ace mechanic, whose wife goes to work wearing a skirt he does not like and grows angry on her and the system that he cannot change. "I grew up in an area which was mainly surrounded by Catholics. It made a very interesting reading. You know Christian ladies were first working women in India? My salute to them".
How did he make a team with Shahr Rkh Khan and make "Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman"?
"I realised that Shah Rukh had a rare charisma, dynamism and energy in him, so we chose him for the role. It was Aziz's film and I helped him in the script as I had a first hand knowledge of street life," he says. In 1999, Saeed made "Naseem". Mention this and he would immediately ask. "Have you seen the film? It is quiet and introspective... he goes down memory lane, grows silent.
Saeed now lives in Goa at Mandavi. Why Goa? "Because I don't want to live in the land of Thackeray. So that I could breathe freedom, away from the stench of communalism. Goa gives me peace of mind," he reasons.
Does he like today's films? "Jaisa desh vaisi films," he laughs, adding, "today what matters is NRI, so NRI films, NRI value system. Everything has been sold." But his heart beats for Adoor Gopalakrishanan, J.P. Dutta, Ketan Mehta, Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. "Mani needs to do more research on his films. Bhansali has a unique passion for filmmaking. Those who make films with great passion, honesty and conviction I have great respect for them," he says.
How does he survive for he has stopped making films after "Naseem"?
"Television has saved me. It gave me a break otherwise I would have been a broke. I am thankful to them." He now makes documentaries for the small screen. He has also been trying to write a book on his experience but is "not able to manage. I write lots of pages everyday and spoil them. There is so much to write but words fail me," pain is visible on his face. Now, he intends to a make a film on "A young CRPF jawan posted in Kashmir, away from his loved ones". He does not know when will he complete that.
"You talk about Azim Premji and Bill Gates and sing `Mera Desh Mahaan. Are they the real face of India? You know where the real face of India is? It is in the pockets of Mumbai where Haji Mastans come from. Is that area in Dadar that housed the largest textile industry employing two-and-a-half million people and when the strike happened there in 1981 to 1983 for 284 days, five and half-lakh workers lost their jobs, hundreds of them died. They were all Gujarati people. Shiv Sena, then anti-Gujarati and now anti-Muslim, took over, destroyed the industry and now you see today's great captains of industry have established shopping malls and bowling alleys there. Now you know how big shots in industries have achieved the status they enjoy now? We have a bad habit forgetting even recent history... " Mirza's seems restless, pain largely written on his eyes.
To calm him, mention Aziz and Ketan. We learn that he fell apart as he never liked their nervous energy. "We never fell apart. We are still friends. It is just that they believe in broad entertainment that I don't buy," he smiles. He smiles again as he recalls a scholar's statement, `A lie has speed but the truth has stamina'
He tells you with optimism in his eyes, "Remember this".
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