BENGALURU: The world of art celebrated MS Sathyu’s 90th birthday on July 6, but the filmmaker says, “It makes no difference. I am prepared to make a movie or a play but the present condition is such that I can’t even step out.” An outdoor person, the veteran filmmaker has been finding life in lockdown difficult to adapt to, especially since, according to him, his work is something he cannot stop doing. Besides walks, the Padma Shri recipient has missed watching movies in theatres the most.
“But I prefer single-screen theatres. In a multiplex, people carry their drinks and popcorn while watching a movie. The seriousness of the experience gets lost and it’s difficult to concentrate. And you don’t have any control on who is going to sit next to you,” says Sathyu. These days, he has been reading books or watching two movies a day. Apart from multiplexes, mobile cameras too annoy him. “I hate them. People keep clicking pictures on them all the time. I use a basic phone which has a camera but I hardly use it. I prefer clicking pictures from an actual camera that has film roll,” says Sathyu, who doesn’t use WhatsApp either.
Before his 1974 directorial debut with Garm Hava – the screenplay of which was penned by his wife Shama Zaidi, and late poet Kaifi Azmi – he worked as an art director in Chetan Anand’s Haqeeqat and also made various ad films, documentaries, children’s films, and French and Russian short films. Speaking about art direction, he says, “Just putting up a set was not art direction. When I stared, it was black and white cinema so I had to come up with real locations that would look appealing too,” he says.
Based on an unpublished short story by noted Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai, the movie revolved around a Muslim family that chooses to stay back in India post Partition. While many believe the movie holds relevance in current times too, Sathyu says filmmakers should treat these topics more sensitively. “It is a delicate matter. If you are anti-Pakistan, that does not mean you are being patriotic towards India. It is dangerous to make such films because it becomes difficult for Indian Muslims. They belong to this country as much as people of any other religion,” says Sathyu.
Though a lover of the old school way of filmmaking, Sathyu does not have any issue with technology, but advises filmmakers to understand its use to the fullest. “For instance, when colour was introduced, directors and art directors used gaudy colours on sets. However, some people like Guru Dutt, Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee understood the usage of colour,” he says.
Sathyu, who has spend almost 40 years in Mumbai and a few years in Delhi, says though he feels at home in both the cities, he prefers Bengaluru. “I grew up in Mysore, where we lived in a bungalow. But after moving out, I don’t have any home for myself. The apartment I live in belongs to my wife. Even though it’s not the same as living in a bungalow, it’s comfortable and I can’t complain about it,” says Sathyu, rushing off to select his movie to watch for the day.