HYDERABAD : Veteran Bengali film director and Padma Shri awardee, Tarun Majumdar talks about his films, his next venture and on what gives him the strength to keep going even at 87. Majumdar is in the city as part of the 5th Hyderabad Bengali Film Festival where his films Nimantran and Alo will be screened.
Your film Nimantran released in 1971 continues to enthrall audiences even today, what do you think is the secret behind the film’s lasting success?
Nimantran is based on a story by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay and just like all his stories, this story too has a touch of universal humanism in it. I think that is what accounts for the longevity of the film.
Since even Alo is based on a short story by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay, how has he influenced your work?
He is one of my favourite authors. All his stories make you believe that this world is still worth living in and that it is still beautiful. It is this kind of positivity that inspires me.
How do you use music as a story telling technique?
Indian culture is deeply rooted in music. There are songs that can explain every single emotion we experience. I believe that what you can’t achieve by picturising 20 pages of a script, you can easily achieve by picturising one song.
Talking about songs, many of your movies, especially Alo have Tagore’s songs in them. How has Tagore influenced you?
There was a time when Tagore’s songs were treated like taboo in films. They were thought to be too slow or too philosophical. Now, it has been proven that no music has been as successful as Tagore’s.
Even TV serials have started using his songs. Tagore’s songs are very meaningful and help express a lot in films.
Can you talk about Rituparna Sengupta’s performance in your films?
Rituparna is a talented artiste but she doesn’t know the limit of her talent. If she puts in a little more effort she can rise way above. That’s what I keep telling her. As an artiste I admire her, that’s why I keep repeating her in my films.
Looking back is there anything about these two films that you wish to change?
To be very honest whenever I make a film, I feel its all right. But after sometime I discover so many defects in it. I curse myself and wonder how could I have made such a mistake. If I get a chance to redo these films I would certainly leave a portion of it for the audience to interpret because everything shouldn’t be expressed explicitly in films.
What gives you the strength to keep going?
I never make calculations about anything including my age. I forget my age the moment I stand behind the camera. For my latest film I went to gold mines, stone quarries, Sundarbans and tea gardens during the summer but I never feel uncomfortable.
What next?
I am currently making a documentary-feature on unorganised labour in India.