'My script for Ghatashraddha was initially rejected by Karnad at FTII': Girish Kasaravalli

Renowned filmmaker Girish Kasaravalli's critically-acclaimed Ghatashraddha had the rare distinction of being premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival recently. The film, which marked Girish's debut in 1977, was also restored in time for its 50th anniversary, thanks to the collaboration between Hollywood director Martin Scorcese, India’s Film Heritage Foundation's Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, and Star Wars creator George Lucas. From Girish Karnad rejecting the film's script when he presented it at as a student at The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), filming it straight out of college under ₹2 lakh, and finding the film rolls rotting away at a washroom in Mumbai to sharing the kind of cinema he likes, Girish engages in an informative interaction with Bangalore Times.


'From a background in pharmacy, it was luck that got me into films'
I am a pharmacy graduate. During a break before my masters, I applied to the film institute for apprenticeship. Strangely, I got accepted despite not knowing anything about world cinema or literature. That's because in the exams, the questions were on science and vitamins. I did well in the written test and in the viva, I was asked about a film which I had just watched, by our examiner Mrinal Sen. Let me just say that it was sheer luck that I entered FTII; it's been the case all my life — nothing is planned, but everything pans out well.


'I made Ghatashraddha at 25, but the script was rejected by Karnad'
I had a fairly good background in Kannada literature and read avidly even as a young boy. Ghatashraddha was a short story by UR Ananthamurthy, which I had read back in school and it had left me emotionally disturbed. Among the topics the story dealt with was also about the plight of widows. Having seen such women in my own family, it moved me immensely. Even today, I don't know why I felt so emotionally volatile by that story. When life unexpectedly led me to join FTII, I had the opportunity to watch a lot of classic films, including world cinema. Samskara and Chomana Dudi, in particular, left an indelible impact on me. I also wanted to make such enriching cinema. After I wrote the final exams, I remember taking the script to our institute's director, Girish Karnad, who rejected it outrightly as a badly-written one. He had, however, liked Ananthamurthy's short story.


'I didn't go looking for my debut producer; he came in search of me'
After completing the course, our entire batch at FTII went to the Bombay International Film Festival. I met the acclaimed novelist Santosh Kumar Gulwadi there, and he said, "there's someone searching for you." That person was (theatre and film personality) Sadananda Suvarna, who wanted me to work as an associate on his next film. Having already assisted on three movies, I wanted to go independent next. Sadananda asked me if I had a script, and I gave it to him. He came back the next day and assured that he would produce it. The script, which was rejected at FTII, was now okayed at one shot. I was ready to roll with my debut, Ghatashraddha.

'Staying at a five-star hotel will not make your film better'
Even if you spend a rupee, it must reflect in the movie. Staying at a five-star hotel will not help in uplifting your film. Austerity in such situations really helps, because then you can have enough resources to contribute to the quality of your film. When we made Ghatashraddha, all of us, including the director, cinematographer and artistes, would hop into a lorry. The equipment would be loaded in the front seat. If you want to make a good film, look at ways you can cut down unnecessary expense and spend it on enhancing your craft.

'A good film never preaches, but makes you introspect from within'
To be a good filmmaker, you must understand your milieu, along with being exposed to good art, music, cinema and literature. And when you make a film, it must never be preachy. What it must do instead is make the viewer introspect and take a look within himself. It must be constructed in such a way that you add your own dialogues and through this process, seek answers within. I count Wild Strawberries, Bicycle Thieves, Rashomon and Pather Panchali among such films.


'When we become emotional, we lose our sense of right and wrong'
Moviemakers must be emotional beings. It must be experiential, or else, it can seem really dry. Yes, I'm emotional, too, and cry while watching films. But that is not my yardstick for great cinema. If a film makes me cry, it makes me a little suspicious about its content. Because then, the filmmaker is playing with my emotions. And when we become emotional, we lose our sense of right and wrong. If you look at the history of cinema, you will see that great works don't make you cry, they disturb you as a viewer.



Girish & social media
Is Girish on social media? "No! I'm not, even though an account has been created for me. I barely check emails, because my inbox is always full. I also take my own time in checking WhatsApp texts. When my daughter, Ananya, finds something interesting, she sends me the link," shares Girish.


In Indian films, women characters are pre-judged and then, portrayed by the filmmakers'
"As a maker, you should view your characters independently and never brand them as good or bad. What makes them that way are the prevailing social conditions. We assign that women characters must always be family-oriented. The problem is not with the filmmaker here, but the society which expects women to behave in a certain way. This attitude of our society must be questioned. My problem with Puttanna Kanagal was exactly this. Interestingly, Shivaram Karanth, who was an atheist, made the characters in his literary work build a temple at the end. That's the autonomy he gives his characters. That's the beauty of it all, because it's free from prejudice," observes Girish.





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