The day Nagesh Kukunoor watched Terminator II, he decided to say 'hasta la vista' to engineering ... and set out to pursue his dream of making movies. Seven movies later, the acclaimed Indian director tells Shalaka Paradkar how he has brought his childhood talent for storytelling to the big screen.
How far would you go to save the one you love? It's the tagline of Indian director Nagesh Kukunoor's latest film, Dor (Thread), but it is also a question he may well have asked of himself some 15 years ago. The one he loves being himself!
Kukunoor's outer persona at the time was that of a successful environmental engineering consultant in Dallas, who was living the ultimate American dream, a beacon of success to the countless hopefuls back in his home country India.
But that was before he saw Terminator II: Judgement Day.
While most people came out of the theatre stunned by the dazzling special effects, Kukunoor, on the other hand, was about to undergo a transformation far more dramatic than any liquefying cyborg.
Entertained and enlightened by the film, he decided to ditch his job and let his inner persona seize the day. Struggling inside him since childhood was an avid storyteller and cinema buff and that persona had to be let out. It was time.
In a gesture that contained equal parts of audacity and despair (at the drudgery of his life as an engineer), he gave away all the furniture in his American apartment to a group of workers who happened to be hanging around and walked out of the house ... and hopped on to a plane to India. To make films. The year was 1991.
Though his flight had a smooth landing, his new life in India got off to a bumpy start. But Kukunoor had not given up all his furniture for nothing. He was tougher than the wood he had donated to the workers on the street.
Some years rolled by as he gathered his film-making wits about him. Then, one day, he set about netting amateurs, convinced them to work for free, chose his own home, as well as homes of his relatives, as locations and made Hyderabad Blues in 1997.
Oh yes, he played the leading man as he wouldn't be pestering himself to be paid for playing the hero. Plus, what filled him with secret glee was that he just happened to be "the actor with just the right Indo-American accent".
Some 10 years after that first film, Kukunoor's accent is more or less intact: a mixture of pulusu (a spiced broth, staple to Andhra Pradesh's cuisine) and pie, spice and suave, coexisting in intriguing harmony. His appetite for taking risks is huge still.
Despite tasting success, he still surprises with his choice of script, casting of actors and flirts outrageously with box-office potential. All this he combines with meticulous planning, a hand-me-down from his days as a chemical engineer.
The result are films that swim in the Bollywood mainstream but create distinct whirlpools that viewers would like to be happily drawn into.
Kukunoor, 39, has made seven films so far. From wonderful stories (Iqbal) to wacky satire (Bollywood Calling) to simmering drama (Dor), he has explored many forms of storytelling.
His latest film, Dor, a story of two women whose lives intersect because of a tragedy that is common to them but also has the power to cleave them apart, was screened in the Cinema from the Subcontinent segment of last year's Dubai International Film Festival.
Like his earlier efforts, Dor has earned itself plenty of critical acclaim but remained a quiet witness when the box-office donation box passed by.
But that in no way affects Kukunoor. He has been and always will be a decidedly happy man, the success of his films notwithstanding. You see, his happiness lies in making films.
That they may or may not storm the box-office is not the reason he chucked away his American furniture. In many ways, he exemplifies the message of The Terminator: there is no fate but what we make for ourselves.
I
I think I was always obsessed with films.
Every time a film is cranked on, I just sit up and watch it through until the very end. It's very hard for me to fall asleep. I give every film a fair viewing and wait until the end to pass judgment.
I am one of those lucky guys who likes and can consume every kind of film and food. I am coming here from spending a month in the US, where I saw about 25 films.
I watched horror, action, romantic comedies, drama, documentaries and independent films. If a film does what it's supposed to do and does it well, I think it's a great film.
Likewise, I can eat (every kind of) food - Konkani, Thai, Chinese, South Indian ... you name it.
I have always been extremely accident prone, having been in four motorcycle and six car accidents as an adult and was carried home from school on different occasions, unconscious and bloody, with a cracked skull once, and a split forehead another time ...
I constantly scared my mother, because she never knew whether I would come home in one piece or several.
I don't do much when I am not making films. But that's the only way (I can operate). I always believed that multitasking is doing two things poorly at the same time. I would love to hike, though there's not much hiking to be done within Mumbai. In the USA, I would go for long drives from city to city, hike in the wilderness and watch a lot of movies.
Me
Me and growing up in Hyderabad:
Hyderabad is home. There is that nostalgia that will never go away. But at the risk of sounding old, it has changed so much, it's kind of disheartening.
My dad, who was a strong influence in shaping my taste in films, was a huge Hollywood buff of the Billy Wilder era. In his time, Hyderabad had just one theatre, Plaza, that screened English films. Most of the city was jungle back then and he would cycle some 14 km to watch the movie.
As we grew up, we watched nearly every English film in town; it would be a family outing. By the time I grew up, the Plaza was old and decrepit; we went to a couple of theatres such as Liberty and Prabhat to see English films.
Growing up, we all spoke Hyderabadi Hindi, or Dakkhani, even though we were Telugu, and we gravitated towards Hindi films. So I grew up on a diet of Hindi rather than Telugu movies and the occasional English movie that came to town. Back in those days, there was an embargo on the kind of English movies that could be seen in India.
I wasn't a naughty kid, I just was one of those annoying, over-enthusiastic children at school, whose hand always shot up when a teacher asked a question. I participated in a lot of extra-curricular activities.
One of the things I remember growing up, which ties to my present career as a filmmaker, was that whenever there was a free period, I was called to the front of the class to tell a story.
And I would narrate it in excruciating detail, frame by frame, with all the sound and special effects. I wasn't a teacher's pet but I occupied a decent spot in the 'favourites' space.
Hyderabad in the summer is brutally hot. During our summer vacations, we were allowed to play until lunchtime, then we had to stay indoors. During those hours, I would tell stories to my siblings and the kids of the neighbourhood. A lot of these I spun on the spur of the moment.
Last year, my brother and sister were narrating some of the stories I came up with. Most of them were quite bizarre. The recurring theme of these stories was that the hero (me) would set out on a quest, hooking up with different heroes from different genres. The funny thing is, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen explored this as well.
Me and chemical engineering:
When I was 18, we got a video player at home. I averaged some five films a week, all Hollywood fare, for three years. I watched everything.
I got my B.Tech from Osmania University. My friends would constantly hear me say that one day I would do something in films. My cousin and I wrote a small film, which another friend shot on his video camera.
The power went off midway, as did our enthusiasm, so we couldn't complete the shooting. But I was so embarrassed by it, I erased it. It was a murder mystery. It was the first script I wrote, quite shoddy, but I think I might just go back one of these days and re-shoot it.
When I went to the US to attend university, at 21, it seemed like an extremely familiar place, thanks to all those films I had watched - although nobody was chasing each other on the streets.
The culture shock was zero. It took me just five minutes to integrate. I slipped right into life on campus in Atlanta, making a lot of American friends. It was a place I felt really comfortable with and I spent a couple of wonderful years doing my Masters.
Me and my epiphanies:
There have been two seminal moments in my life. One was when I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark. My dad thought it was rubbish, just like a Hindi film, especially that scene where Harrison Ford is thrown out of the truck, then scrambles back onto it, climbs on top of it, and eventually manages to push the driver out.
My dad thought it was ludicrous. It's ironic that it was that scene that made me think that if this is the level of excitement one can generate through films, then this is what I want to be doing.
The other defining moment of my life happened in 1991. I had finished my postgraduation in chemical engineering and was working as an environmental consultant in Dallas.
I was one of those enthusiastic guys who organised film screenings. When Fridays rolled around, I would walk around the office and ask people if they wanted to go see the new release.
One Friday, we went and watched Terminator II. I walked out of the film and decided that I wanted to make films. Terminator II was an escapist, action-oriented, shoot-'em-up, sci-fi film with state-of-the-art special effects.
It was hugely entertaining and, again I thought, if a film can generate so much excitement in me, I want to make films.
By this time, I had already done a lot of thinking and was on the home run to becoming a filmmaker.
Me and starting over:
I believe the greatest motivator in life is unhappiness. As human beings we are wired to gravitate towards happiness in every form or fashion. I think if you are really unhappy doing what you are doing, you will find a way to find happiness.
By about 1993, I knew I didn't want to do chemical engineering. But what do you do? You can't chuck away your whole life just like that. I started building up my courage. When my parents visited me the next year, I told them I wanted to do something in films. They thought it was a passing fancy.
In late 1994, I started studying acting. A whole new world opened up. Things started to take shape.
Towards the end of 1995, I made a 14-minute short film, One Culture At a Time, on VHS to understand what making a film involved. I co-wrote it with a friend and I directed and edited it. We both acted in it.
The exercise showed me I could make films - whether (they were) good or bad was up to the audience to decide. We shot the whole film over one weekend, sleeping only a couple of hours.
In November 1995, I quit my job, gave away everything and returned to India. It was quite a dramatic move. I walked into my apartment building's parking lot and told a group of workers working there that I was vacating and they could help themselves to all the furniture.
The workers just loaded up their trucks with the furniture and left. I was divesting myself of all the trappings before moving back to India.
I first thought I would get into the film system, apprentice under someone and learn by doing this. But after seeing how the Indian film industry worked, I didn't want anything to do with the way films were made (there).
It was devastating. I had taken this big step, chucking away everything and come to India. And now I couldn't fit in. But after every dark moment, there is light.
Me and Hyderabad Blues:
In January 1996, I sat down and wrote Hyderabad Blues. I figured that if I planned right, went back to the US, worked for another year and brought back all my savings, I could make the film.
So I returned to the US and worked from March to December 1996. I brought all my money back. Taking this step the second time was really scary. But I was so unhappy at that point in time, that anything was better than plodding through life as a chemical engineer.
The most important thing was to do something that made me happy - an alien experience for most Indians. I am not being philosophical, just talking about a basic, instinctive reaction. (Indians) never question what they want to do, they go through life being irritated and angry, not realising that their bad moods come from doing something they don't really enjoy.
From the day I started in this field there has been a lot of hardship, but for the most part, I love what I am doing.
I have an incredible family. When I first announced to them I was giving up engineering, my dad thought it was to do an MBA. They were sceptical about films, until I showed up the second time around with all my savings.
My mother has supported me blindly: she believes her son can do no wrong (laughs). When they realised how serious I was about making films, their support increased a hundredfold.
I shot Hyderabad Blues in my parents' house. My family worked as a unit, getting people to the set. My mother made chai for everyone. I didn't have any of the angst or conflict that people have about their parents.
It has to do a great deal with the way we were raised. My father encouraged us to make our own decisions. My older sister has two master's degrees, my brother is a doctor, I am an engineer - we are the clichéd Indian middle-class success story.
To date, Hyderabad Blues remains my favourite film. Every step was a learning moment. As in any craft, there is much you can learn from books. But until you take the plunge, you don't realise the intricacies involved.
I went to a boarding school, so I wrote Rockford, my second film (which is the story of a boys' school in a hill town). Bollywood Calling was born of my dealings and experiences with the film industry.
My first test as a director came on Bollywood Calling, when I worked with Om Puri. Here was an actor I have admired for a long time. There's a huge difference between working with someone who is a big name, and working with someone whom you admired. So yes, definitely, I was starstruck.
The first day I shot with Om was in the US. We were on the sets and the shot was being set up, when Om walked on to the set and called out, "Hey Nagesh, what do you want me to do?"
I have never looked back since then. What Om said, in effect, was that he may have done a lot - but on the sets, I was the boss. Most actors forget this, they see only their piece of the puzzle.
A competent director sees the whole (picture). Sure you play some games with big-name actors, or even the crew for that matter. You have to word your suggestions more sensitively. But I don't feel intimidated anymore.
When I was making Rockford with someone else's money, I put a clause in the contract saying that all creative decisions would be taken by the director. The producer, Tutu Sharma (a successful Bollywood producer), wasn't too happy about it.
But he told me he believed in what I was doing and signed the contract.
Since then, I have always stuck that clause in every film's contract. I realised after Bollywood Calling that if I just kept telling stories about my own experiences, it would get boring. Which is where the creative process came in and I began to write stories about what I observed.
Myself
Could you describe your creative process?
A lot of my stories are about everyday experiences … a lot of ideas float through the subconscious, but there is one that rises to the surface and begs to be written. I sit down and give myself no more than 30 days to write a screenplay. I just pound it out.
During the making of Hyderabad Blues, I realised that I was a good organiser. That's what 90 per cent of filmmaking is. Each filmmaker has (his or her) own approach and there (is) no single approach which is the right one.
Some people storyboard in detail, some shoot on the fly. But what works best for me is that I plan, plan, plan and then plan some more.
Most of your films have some surprising casting choices.
Casting is the most important part of a film. If you cast right, half of your work is done. A lot of actors' names were tossed around for Dor, but even a month before shooting began, we didn't have a Meera (the lead
character).
One of my assistant directors suggested Ayesha Takia. I knew nothing about her and I had only seen some pictures where she looked like a glam doll.
But I watched one of her films and one scene in particular grabbed me. I realised she possesses an amazing sort of honesty (of performance) which is not (hugely visible in) Bollywood. I went by my instinct and cast her.
How do you respond to people describing Dor as a feminist film?
Dor does deal with a lot of issues that plague women. But I have done my best to push it (the feminist aspect) to the background. At the core, it's about people believing in their convictions.
It has nothing to do with telling a story from a woman's point of view, highlighting her troubles or her pain. My task was to tell the main story first, and then work on the bits of my personal philosophy.
The way I pitched it was that this film has two heroes, only they both happen to be heroines. One of the things I have done consistently is to make the female protagonists in my films be very strong.
It's because 90 per cent of the time, women are portrayed as weak in Indian cinema. Though, ideally, one should only be talking about strong and weak characters, rather than describing their gender.
Dor is about a person who never gives up; she wants to save her spouse's life. The idea for Dor came from a newspaper article (which reported on a real-life incident).
The story had already been made into the Malayalam film, Perumazhakaalam (Heavy Monsoon). What appealed to me the most (about the film) was the heroic journey she undertakes - on all levels - to reach her goal.
What do you have to say about being India's poster boy for crossover cinema?
The term crossover cinema makes me curious - as in, crossing over to where?
My films have not made it to the international market. They do the festival circuit and small film festival pockets here and there. I think it's one of those terms the media cooks up from time to time.
Nowadays, my films are described as multiplex films in India. There's been Hinglish, offbeat, crossover, multiplex - I wonder what's next?