IN CONVERSATION

‘At home in India”

PHOTO: K. MURALI KUMAR

Deeply Philosophical: Krzysztof Zanussi.

In a synthetic, changing world, we must ask life-changing questions, believes Polish film pioneer Krzysztof Zanussi.

Not many miles away from Warsaw, a distinguished Polish filmmaker and his wife often let total strangers into their “humble abode”, when they play host to film buffs and students of cinema from across the world. No, this is neither a fancy film institute nor an elite cine society, but a warm, generous offer extended to anybody, just about anybody, who wishes to learn and understand art cinema, by Krzysztof Zanussi, the illustrious pioneer of the 1970s “Cinema of Moral Anxiety” trend in Polish cinema. So, when he is not dotting the globe “building metaphorical bridges” — a cliché this “near-miss ambassador” to Russia uses to describe his purpose — he is busy organising screenings, making presentations and sharing life experiences with young people. “They write me an email, and I say come right over.” It’s that simple.

Mr. Zanussi recalls the time his wife ran around scrabbling for extra pullovers for Indian students who could not handle the extreme cold. “We’ve had some misadventures too, but it’s been fun!” he says. This award-winning director — in the league of legends such as Krzysztof Kieslowski, Andrzej Wajda and his dear friend, the late Andrei Tarkovsky — may not be as well-known to Indian audiences but is, arguably among the last living luminaries of intelligent and sensitive cinema. His masterpieces include Persona Non Grata. En route to attend a first-of-its-kind Polish festival in Bangalore, Mr. Zanussi says such cultural exchanges are “enriching”. This 70-year-old director-cum-academic travels extensively with his movies, and delivers lectures on “film and non-film topics”.

Meeting fans at his film retrospective was nice, but his morning visit to a blind school run by Polish nuns was “heartbreaking”, he says. His light eyes dance with animation as he recounts the extraordinary stories he came across there, so I ask: Does it inspire him enough to make a movie? “No, but an Indian director should certainly make one.”

He is “quite at home in India”. He is curious to know how many languages his Bengali cabbie in Bangalore speaks, and asks whether regional language literature and journalism have survived the onslaught of urbanisation. His knowledge of Indian cinema is neither limited to Satyajit Ray, whom he “deeply admires”, nor coloured by Bollywood’s newfound visibility. “I’ve seen a lot more Indian films than you’d imagine,” he quips. He waxes eloquent on the struggle between cultural identity and the influence of Hollywood — tracing India’s cinematic roots to ancient Sanskrit drama — and draws parallels between India and the concept of an integrated Europe. “It’s a pity,” he says, reflecting on what he perceives to be the slow decline of regional cinema.

Even back home, our films (Polish cinema) do not travel as much as they used to, he laments. “Unfortunately, the only thing that unites Europe is American culture and films. However, Polish art cinema has “managed to survive”, partly owing to a policy which ensures 1.5 per cent of ticket sales and theatre or distribution proceeds are used exclusively to promote art cinema (in France it is three per cent). This “war child”, who grew up in a war-torn Poland, says his life is a “grace” (that he survived). As the country lived through several oppressive regimes, including military rule, Mr. Zanussi continued to make critical art films. “All that is needed is to maintain an honest relationship with reality. I hate propaganda; if a story is one-sided then it’s not worth telling. Send me an SMS instead,” he insists. Borrowing a thought from fellow countryman Pope John Paul II — whose life he documented in a biopic — Mr. Zanussi says filmmakers, like academics, are “servants of truth”. “We’ve a huge responsibility to society, and must not abuse the creative or academic freedom we have.”

His perception of life, society and cinema is deeply academic and rational. Not surprising, given his background in physics. He laughs when asked if that changes or adds to his lens view as an artist, and dishes out a readymade reply: “I wouldn’t know unless I had a twin who did not study physics.” This remarkably sensitive director takes me by surprise when he declares himself “anti-emotional”. “I want emotions refined,” he clarifies. “Being a physicist makes me rational. If you think straight, you cannot be angry or hate a religion,” the gentle Pole explains. Recently, Mr. Zanussi observes, there has been some distressing news from India, about religious violence and hatred. “Indian society (ideally), with many States and languages, should be an ideal example for the new globalised world.”

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