On the eve of Emergency, Madhur Bhandarkar, famed for making films such as Chandni Bar and Page 3, is back with Indu Sarkar, which has 1970s as background. Already having run into a controversy for parallel of main protagonists with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the film-maker told Manish Anand in an interview that he made the film with an objective to make youth aware of the incidents
in 1970s. Excerpts:
What made you to make a film with political theme?
I have always made realistic films. Unlike in India, realistic films are made in a big way in foreign countries, including on a few Presidents in the US and other events. We all have seen films on the “Watergate” episode. I made this film with the intention to make the current generation aware of the incidents which took place in the 1970s. Many amongst the youth may not even be aware of what happened when Emergency was imposed.
Is your film based on any book?
No, it’s not based on any specific book as such. But I spent a lot of time at the Nehru Memorial library, where I did research and referred to writings on events of 1970s. We did a lot of research for about one-and-a-half months before the script was written.
The main protagonist looks like Indira Gandhi.
This film is not a biopic on any person. The main protagonist is a girl who stammers but goes through a transformation. This film is 30 per cent reality and 70 per cent creative imagination with Delhi in the backdrop.
Forced sterilisation carried out during the Emergency led to much of anger among people.
It’s true. We know of what happened in areas around Turkman Gate in Old Delhi when men and women were forcibly sterilised. This was one of the big incidents of the 1970s, and naturally it’s there in the film as well.
There were politicians like V C Shukla, SS Ray, Jagmohan around Indira Gandhi who have allegedly been described as instrumental in carrying out Emergency.
I don’t want to talk about specific individuals.
The political class was quite vibrant with the likes of JP, George Fernandes in the Opposition space. How did you treat them in the film?
Certainly, George
Fernandes was a big politician in the 1970s and the Baroda Dynamite case was a huge thing.
The 1970s cannot be seen or read without Sanjay Gandhi. How does your main protagonist come about in the end? Does she look like a helpless mother or a ruthless authoritarian?
The film has a human story around the main protagonist who goes through a process of transformation. In the initial stages she was suppressed, but later she comes out... Now you need to watch the move to make any judgment.