This story is from July 19, 2009

Amol Gupte: Sunil Chopper haazir hai!

Lekha Menon / Mumbai Mirror / Jul 19, 2009, 11:19 IST

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Amole Gupte’s all-consuming love for movies is reflected in every facet of his life - from something as trivial as the Andrei Tarkvosky coasters in his cosily-done up Andheri office to his ambitious project to empower under-privileged children using the medium of films through the organisation Aseema.

Amole Gupte��s all-consuming love for movies is reflected in every facet of his life - from something as trivial as the Andrei Tarkvosky coasters in his cosily-done up Andheri office to his ambitious project to empower under-privileged children using the medium of films through the organisation Aseema.
So while viewers have been taken aback by his mean act in the promos of Vishal Bharadwaj��s forthcoming Kaminey, Amole himself is pretty nonchalant about his acting experience seeing it as a mere extension of his 30-year-old affair with cinema.
��It was quite strange,�� says the man behind Taare Zameen Par. ��I received this phone call from man named Honey from Vishal��s office saying they wanted to cast me in a role. Naturally I dismissed it as a prank. But he persisted and I realised they had researched my previous acting assignments. Later I had a meeting with Vishal and we were on. Our talks went beyond mere characterisation; we discussed the fibre, the layers and nuances that defined the role.��
Working on Kaminey, Amole admits has been like a ��three-schedule picnic��. Not just because of his friendship with the two stars, Shahid and Priyanka, (��they were truly dedicated, I didn��t feel they were from another planet!��) but also because of his bonding with Vishal. ��My idea was to get up, close and personal with another artiste,�� he adds.

So did he bring his vast life experience in portraying the quirkily named Sunil ��Chopper�� Bhope? Not really, he says. ��The story content forms one kind of life experience. But the second, more exciting one is what 30 years of cinema can bring. You can take big moments of celebrated character portrayals and see if you can push the envelope. The grey scale of Sunil Chopper's character for instance, was exciting to explore - how mercurial is his emotional shift, his look etc.��

This method approach isn��t surprising for someone whose cinematic grounding has been rooted in theatre (Amole trained with Mahendra Joshi where his pals were the likes of Aamir Khan, Feroze Khan, Paresh Rawal etc) and the intellectual ambiance of Ketan Mehta��s films. His acting assignments too reflect this mentality. From the student films of FTII, one of which (NC Thade��s diploma film Chakar Chandu Ka Chameli Wala) won a national award to Ketan Mehta��s Holi and Dayal Nihlani��s Guru Dakshina, he pretty much has followed his own calling.
No wonder he feels strongly about the marketing manoeuvres that dictate the multiplex era filmmaking. He explains it with a simple metaphor: if the film is made in a rupee and the filmmaker��s role in the creation is only worth 25 paise while market and commercial trends dictate the remaining 75 paise, art is bound to suffer.
Which is why, despite the pulls and pressures of the business, Amole prefers to chart his own rules. Like focusing on arguably the most neglected section of the audience - children. His passion for children��s issues is well-known. And he��s doing it again through his next project - Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte, a movie with children on the topic of inequalities. ��I want to celebrate the spirit of children, in fact that��s the metaphor of the film.��
Clearly, the world of the little ones continues to dominate his cinema and lifescape. But should Kaminey hit the box-office jackpot won��t he be tempted to don the greasepaint again? ��Yes, why not?�� he grins. ��Provided the filmmaker also agrees to co-produce my next film!��
And what if something juicy comes along? Say a big banner film with all the commercial trappings and budgets running into crores? He pauses a little. ��Will I be able to handle it? I doubt it. I guess I am more happy painting Ishaan��s little world. That��s my 25 paise role as a filmmaker,�� he chuckles.

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