....................................................................................Art & Theatre

 Dr Jabbar Patel 

The man who made the difference

When pediatrician Dr Jabbar Patel became a film maker, a few eyebrows were raised! But Jabbar Patel's tussle between medicine and cinema came to an end when his passion for theatre and creativity took over.

Today, Patel is set to make headlines with his soon-to-be-released Rs 7.75 crore film on the father of India's constitution, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, with South superstar Mammootty as the protagonist. Funded by the Government of Maharashtra and the Centre, the two and a half hour film reveals facets of Dr Ambedkar's complex persona, his progressive ideas, his relation with his two wives and his love-hate relationship with Mahatma Gandhi.

Anupama Vinayak interviewed Jabbar Patel, the creative director, who brings Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar to life in this film.

Comment on the change from pediatrician to film maker.

Theatre was part of my childhood, school and college years, and remained with me even while I was studying for medicine. But I devoted whatever free time I had to theatre. For 20-22 years, I practiced medicine in Daund, 40 kms from Pune, where my wife (a gynaecologist) and I had set up our Nursing Home.

I was closely associated with the Theatre Academy in Pune, which I founded. My tussle with medicine and art was on. I was never part of commercial theatre, choosing experimental theatre instead. At that time, a producer called Ramdas was making a film, and he approached me to direct it. That is how I signed my first film 'Samna.' Till date, I have done only films of my choice, not the formula kind.

What went into the making of the film on Ambedkar?

Dr Ambedkar was a very complex personality, with a sensitive side to him. I realised that if not handled with care, the film could lead to contradictions and controversies. After a lot of thought, I chose my three writers: Sooni Taraporevala, Arun Sadhu and Daya Pawar. Professor Y D Phadke was chosen as the research chief. I had one of the best cinematographers - Ashok Mehta. Nitin Desai was the art director.

I went to Columbia University and then to the London School of Economics and Grays Inn in the UK, where Ambedkar studied law, to understand that period better. In London, I met a person who was in the Labour Commission when Ambedkar was labour minister. Ambedkar scholars were only too eager to provide information. In all I spent four to five years researching the film. I found that there were different schools of thought on him.

The film encompasses a period when trends were constantly changing. We thus faced the challenge of recreating that era.

What part of Ambedkar's life have you tried to depict in the film?

Ambedkar is a man with ideas. Ideas so powerful that it could shock you. More than just the architect of the Indian Constitution, he was a social activist and a champion of human rights. The cause he took up is only comparable to that taken up by Martin Luther in America when he fought against racial discrimination in his country.

There is a logic behind Ambedkar's every act, his anger, his analysis of a situation and reaction to it. He had to fight for the education of his own people . Even though he was highly educated, his countrymen insulted him whenever possible. Despite this humiliation, he continued, calm and quiet, never violent, never a militant. The whole mechanism of his logic and intellectual exercise was very strong. He believed in non-violence and Satyagraha. He had to come up against Britishers, sometimes against great leaders of the Congress, and the ills of different religions.

I do not justify his actions, but I am very faithful to history. I have drawn emphasis on the whole inner journey of Dr Ambedkar's philosophy and at the same time I have also taken into account his life struggle .

When did you begin the shooting and how did you bring in authenticity?

Shooting began in August 1996 in London, with ace cameraman Ashok Mehta taking care to give the early 1900s look. Abroad, we did not shoot with sets, we redressed actual locations and made them look old. Sets were created only in India, that too we used some of the original old locations.

The air-conditioners and modern lamp shades of Columbia University, USA, had to be removed and replaced, concrete roads had to be covered with mud and gravel, contemporary furniture replaced with old British and American furniture.

Cameras did not fit in the chawl where Ambedkar used to stay, so we made a mammoth set with 16 buildings erected in a 10-acre area in Film City, Goregaon, Mumbai. Ambedkar spent his early childhood in the Bombay Improvement Trust Chawl, behind the Byculla market where he stayed till 1934. He was married for the first time in the fish market behind the Chawl. Some of the offices and streets were recreated, and we added trams, victorias, buggies, tongas, bicycles to recreate that old world charm. Besides London, the film was shot in New York and at around 80 locations in India including Pune, Baroda, Nashik, Nagpur, Kholapur, Mahad and the Film City at Goregaon.

Mammootty was there in each and every scene, which took 150 to 160 days of shooting.

Why did you choose Mammootty as Babasaheb?

I wanted to cast an unknown actor as Ambedkar. I thought maybe a non-Indian might fit better. I searched for actors in England, Canada and South-East Asia, but I was unable to establish any resemblance. Casting Mammootty did occur to me, but I put the thought aside, till I saw the wonders the computer did to his face. Then, I immediately decided on Mammootty.

Did Mammootty have to make physical changes for the film?

Mammootty had to put on a lot of weight for the film. He had to broaden his jawline with cheek pads and foam rubber pieces, use a bald cap to create a receding hairline, insert nose rings to give the illusion of naturally flared nostrils, shave off his mustache and shape eyebrows to peak over his glasses. Mammootty could not shoot for more than four hours at a stretch, as the make-up would start running. Hence, close-ups were shot in an air-conditioned studio. He took a lot of pains to appear as authentic as possible. Gradually, he kept shaving more and more of his hairline as he grew 'older' in the film.

Do you think that Indian audiences are ready for serious cinema?

The audiences today are better educated than those in the past - maybe about 10 or 15 years ago. Definitely, there are serious film goers, who love parallel cinema or art cinema. Between the 1950s and the 70s, there was a very strong film movement in India, with the development of different film societies. It prepared audiences for world cinema and good Indian cinema. Now the younger generation understands the language of cinema.

Unfortunately, we are going through a stage where we have more glossy entertainment. Two years ago the emphasis was on violence, whereas today Hindi films are more music-based. But, with keyboard music, we have lost melody and there is a lack in musical depth and almost no musical experiment. So, unfortunately, even though the audience is better educated, we do not have films that speak a powerful language. More and more formulae are being repeated.

Your most cherished moment during filming?

There was a scene in which Ambedkar gives diksha to Dalits. For the shot, we required a few thousand people, for which we approached Dalit organisations. With little persuasion, 1.5 lakh Dalits came, wearing white. Mammootty's speech moved them to tears and they came up to touch his feet. Such is the magic of Dr Ambedkar.

By : Anupama Vinayak