The lady is a hit!
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Shravani Deodhar. Click for bigger pic!
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Syed Firdaus Ashraf speaks to Shravani Deodhar, whose Marathi film Sarkarnama is a hit, and who is currently making her mark in Bollywood with Hindi films like Billa No 302 and Silsila Hai Pyar Ka.
Where did the idea for Sarkarnama come from?
Sarkarnama is based on a novel by Ajay Shankar. He has been a close friend of mine for 15 years. After he wrote the novel, he was keen that it be made into a film. We have also been thinking of making a film on it for a long time too, but we were waiting for the right time. Also, this type of canvas has never been tried in Marathi cinema. When we found enough finance available for such a film, we went ahead.
Sarkarnama has been made at a time when Marathi cinema is going through a crisis, with just ten films having been made this year in comparison to the 30 films at one time. Why did you take this risk?
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Ashwini Bhave in a still from Sarkarnama. Click for bigger pic!
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I am very optimistic. My first Marathi film, Lapandav, gave me a national award and the recognition I needed. It also gave me a break in Hindi films -- N N Sippy saw the film and asked me to work with him on his forthcoming Silsila Hai Pyar Ka. So, if you make films with conviction then people will appreciate your work.
Can you tell us something about the film?
The film is a political thriller, what happens within political circles...
This year Rao Saheb, another film with a political theme, was released. Why didn't that do well?
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Ajinkya Deo and Yeshwant Dutt in Sarkarnama. Click for bigger pic!
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I have not seen Rao Saheb. I am very proud to be associated with the Marathi film industry. And as I told you I am a very positive thinker. So, I don't give a thought to other Marathi films that don't do well.
Marathi movie-makers have not been able to attract audiences after the advent of satellite television and due to the high prices of movie tickets...
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Yatin Karyekar and Dilip Prabhawalkar in Sarkarnama. Click for bigger pic!
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There are other things too. One is that we are technically weak. No importance is given to the scripts and the quality of theatres. Everyone is pointing fingers at others. I don't know why one man does not stand up and say he will revive Marathi cinema. This situation is sad since, at one time, the Marathi film industry was one of the most vibrant, most progressive, film-making units in India. If good films could be made then, why not now?
What is the reason for this slump?
There aren't good theatres and the many Marathi-speaking people who understand Hindi go to see Hindi films. The South Indian film industry does not face this problem.
Most theatres are in a bad condition. I won't go with my child to see a Marathi film. One cannot go to a rotten cinema hall. Film-makers are also not interested because they want to cut corners. They don't want to make an effort because they feel the film, in any case, is not going to run. And direction too has shown the effects of this attitude.
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Pratiksha Dalvi in Sarkarnama. Click for bigger pic!
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So how do you improve?
Look, we have made Sarkarnama which has broken records for the second week running. We spent many months on the script and completed the film in just five months. My husband cinematographer Deboo Deodhar had everything ready. If it was a shot of the insides of Mantralaya, it looked like that, a minister's bungalow looked like the real thing... We did not compromise anywhere in the making of the film. The objective was to make a good film, irrespective of whether it would do well or not.
I was so proud I thought I would show this film to my Hindi scriptwallahs also. Even my first film, Lapandav lacked theatres here, but it had 22 housefull shows in America. Till this day, I get letters from America by people who have seen the film. People there travelled 100 kms to see the film. It was possible due to the film's producer, Ajay Shankar, who has an advertising background and the rest of the unit.
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Sukanya Kulkarni and Ajinkya Deo in Sarkarnama. Click for bigger pic!
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Do you think the film will do well in Bombay?
I think it will do well in Bombay because there are many Maharashtrians there. What is important about Sarkarnama is that any class can relate to it. Politics is something that every person understands, right from a farmer to a businessman. It is a subject which every one can relate to.
While releasing the film, didn't you worry that Dil to Pagal Hai was releasing on the same day?
No, not at all. I was very confident from the very first day.
Which places did you shoot?
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Milind Gunaji and Ashwini Bhave in Sarkarnama. Click for bigger pic!
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From some places in Bombay to a small village in Kolhapur. I have even put in a building collapse, which has not been shot so far in Marathi cinema.
Why did you change the end?
The film ends showing that democracy still rules in our country. We conducted a poll and people felt that the chief minister ought to be arrested. That was Yashwant Dutt's last shot (Dutt played the CM and died hours later). I feel he was alive just to shoot that shot.
Do you think this film will bring the audience back to the theatres?
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Shravani Deodhar on the sets of Billa No 1. Click for bigger pic!
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Yes, because if Sarkarnama does well, other producers will step in. And when the audience gets used to good films, things will get moving. Once that happens, still more producers will consider putting in their money into technically sound movies. That could draw the directors back...
I am also trying to make a Marathi film with Sachin now.
Why is it that people like Vijay Kondke and Sachin have also stopped making Marathi films?
I think everyone wants to reach out to a larger audience. Even South Indian film-makers are moving to Hindi cinema. It takes lot of energy to make a film and you feel it deserves a larger audience.
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