Director of 'Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena', acclaimed script writer of 'Chhal', 'Qayamat' and 'Jaanasheen' and now an avid blogger, Suparn Verma speaks on how easy is it for the public and media alike to kick a filmmaker when he is down and then change the stance when he delivers the 3 letter word ' HIT! In a charged up mood, he contributes one of the pieces written by him and literally lets the piece of his mind out. Read on!
The best way to hit a man or a woman is when he/she is down or defenseless.
Manish Jha made his name after he got acclaim at Cannes for a short film called A very very silent film. It has a woman so poor she lives on the pavement. She covers herself with a gunni bag in which she collects garbage in the day. That whole night men keep coming inside the gunni bag seeing a lonely woman and keep raping her. Sometime in the morning one of the men discovers she is dead. He goes his own way, and a local constable seeing a lonely woman comes and rapes her not knowing she is dead.
How can a society be so full of apathy we all wonder and shake our heads.
We may shake our heads in sadness, but we are all the same. No one gives anyone a chance when one is down, but the minute he delivers cumulative tongues come out in collective appreciation. It's at its peak when it comes to films.
The world would lie prostrate in front of Sooraj Barjatya when he gave hits after hits redefining box office history. The minute he gave a box office dud, even a bug on the street came out to hit bricks on his face questioning his filmmaking, his lack of public appearances, his style, his storytelling. Today he gives a Vivaah, tongues are out.
Pavan Kaul did not have a hit in Shhh, today he is making his next film and writing a blog, since he doesn't have an amour of A list stars in his rooster he is an easy target, so take out every egg you have in the basket and hit him, he has even been called a copycat wannabe for blogging on PFC, tomorrow he gives a hit, every tongue will be out taking a procession.
Look at our very own Anurag, known for speaking his mind, hell if I was in his place I would have killed someone by now out off frustration, three films in the cans, not one out. Over the years they called him 'jinxed, someone with a big mouth, a two-bit talent who makes arty films, which in any case no one would see, so it's a good thing his films haven't released!' Today he is making his film, which god willing will reap in lots of money and accolades, today he has John Abraham in his film, who is now in the A list, creating an amour for our talented friend, today Anurag is the flavour of the season. I'm sure Anurag has to stuff his face from laughing out loud or throwing up in disgust at the whole two faced nature of the game. I'm so happy that its payback time for him.
It wasn't long ago when John was still proving himself, he was cast in Karam, hats off to the man, with complete humility he tells the producer and director of the film that this is a solo film and he hasn't had a hit yet, so make sure we take a heroine who isn't new, he was even willing to take a pay cut so that the film would be made the way director Sanjay F Gupta saw it. Today he is reaping the rewards, because in the industry no one forgets. He too was screwed left right and center, called a wooden actor with long air, a no show at the BO, some BO pundits even suggested that he change his name! When his bike accident happened, instead of asking him if he was okay, the media crucified him, though the accident wasn't even his fault! Today after he has been proving himself we see tongues everywhere!
They hauled Amitabh Bachchan over coals post Mriyudatta, writing his career obituary, but I guess it was nothing new to him, they wrote his career obituary until he gave his first hit. They did the same to Abhishek Bachchan. Today? It's a whole new story!
Hrithik Roshan was called a one-film wonder like Kumar Gaurav until Koi Mil Gaya happened. Then when Lakshya wasn't a huge hit they said he could only give a hit with his father! Is there really any question of his credibility as a brilliant actor or performer at the box office?
Today Yash Raj is the biggest conglomerate possible. 15 years ago they asked Yash Chopra to retire when he made the superlative Lamhe. He went beyond the stereotype and they kept hollering until he made a 'safe' superhit Chandni, and the rest is history, just imagine if we lived in a world where they would carry him on their shoulders for making a Lamhe? No wonder Aditya Chopra shuns interacting with anyone. His revenge? He made a film that is still running at the box-office, has made Yashraj the biggest player in the market and now he is making Kabul Express. I pray that it works, so that Yashraj which has the capability to make 10 Kabul Expresses a year continues to do so!
Karan Johar tries something different, everyone comes out and crucifies him, I'm not even defending KANK, but the kind of jabs he gets are outright hilarious 'People watch your films, you should be more responsible!'. I mean, KANK doesn't tell people to go out and have affairs!
Vishal Bharadwaj makes Omkara a film that makes me HATE HIM, makes me so insanely jealous of his brilliance that I wanna kill him for making such a marvelous poetic work of art. But what I hate more is when a bunch of industry guys instead of laying out the red carpet for him tell him faults in his screenplay that too in a public forum!
Right now everyone is targeting RamGopal Varma because he has been giving flops as a producer and made a bad Shiva! But the same RGV has made a dozen odd acclaimed films and given another couple of dozen technicians and actors. He created a cinematic language we draw upon.
I made Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena that didn't work at the box-office, so hit me every chance you get, make every snide comment you can make, and do everything to break my spirit. Just because a man is down doesn't justify screwing him over again and again while you wait for him to get up to laugh in your face later in the day.
Just getting a film made in the FIRST PLACE is like an impossible battle, the judgment is instant, whether you are a victor or a loser, but remember no one sets out to make a bad film. If one day you don't like the food you don't kill the cook.
In other professions we work hard, get a bonus at the end of the year, maybe a promotion and a job safety unless we choose to leave it or get really crappy at work. As a filmmaker we work in an office made of glass, but don't make our failures a public orgy.
