Some day I want to make a film with just two sentences —I ngey paar. Nan solavathai Kel (Look here. Listen to what I say),” says B Lenin. But to make that film he does not have to shoot even a single frame. The number of Tamil films that feature actors mouthing these lines is legion. He has merely to splice all of them. Whether or not he will ultimately make that film, it is Lenin’s way of drawing the attention of students to filmmakers’ ignorance of the visual and aural potentials of the film medium. “Why redundantly alert audience to see and hear when the film itself is all about seeing and hearing?” he quips.
Although a product of mainstream cinema and a highly successful editor of over 200 feature films in several languages, he discovered in the middle years of his life that he truly belonged to other cinema. He made his first short film Knock Out in Tamil. It narrated the tale of a gold medal-winning boxer who died unsung on the roadside like an orphan. It won the National Award for the Best Short Film in 1993, the same year the award was instituted.
But he wanted to take his film to masses. Lugging his film cans, he toured all over Tamil Nadu to exhibit it free of cost. His children’s film Mottukkal was one of the early films shot in digital format. Lenin made his foray into parallel films with Oorukku Nooru Per in 2001 based on Jayakanthan’s novel by the same title. It was the first Tamil film that centered on the issue of capital punishment. It got him the National Award for Best Direction. Rekkai (2003) was his another offbeat film.
Over the years, his enthusiasm to promote other cinema has taken primacy over production and direction of his own films. It is a known secret that his services can be had even free of cost if someone approaches him with an offbeat project.
But Lenin is not too happy with the plight of film editors. While the salaries of other technicians like cameraman and music director have moved steeply upward in proportion to their proven abilities, the income of editors has registered only a marginal increase. Stricter negotiating tactics will, however, improve their lot, believes Lenin. He is also strongly vocal about awards being given to films irrespective of budget size and genre. “The gloss and technical finesse found in big budget films always eclipse the bold content and honesty of low budget films. Surely separate awards must be instituted for mainstream and parallel films,” says Lenin.
The filmmaker is a simple and friendly person. If the award he receives carries a cash component, then it will be donated to a worthy cause. The gold medals he won have also gone much the same way.
amshan@rediffmail.com