| Ram Gopal Verma |
Mumbai: He pioneered films on crime and the underworld but with "Nishabd", an emotional drama, Ram Gopal Varma traverses through unfamiliar territory and says the film will prove he isn't shy of showing emotions. Varma describes "Nishabd", which stars Amitabh Bachchan and newcomer Jiah Khan and which has opened to a mixed response, as a clean film. The director also admits that his film is partially inspired by another Amitabh starrer "Cheeni Kam". "It's a new chapter in my career. I've never made a more emotional film. Lots of people think I shy away from showing emotions. 'Nishabd' will do away with that belief. Actually, I shy away from over-blown emotions. I can't show my characters bawling," Varma said in an interview. |
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 In "Nishabd" have you been able to capture all that you set out to do? |
| Ram Gopal Verma: It's a new chapter in my career. I've never made a more emotional film. Lots of people think I shy away from showing emotions. "Nishabd" will do away with that belief. Actually, I shy away from over-blown emotions. I can't show my characters bawling. In the way I've used various aspects of the medium this is my finest work to date.
I always said "Bhoot" was a better film than "Satya". That's because there was no material in the former. "Bhoot" manipulated audiences' attention. In "Nishabd" there's no manipulation. It's my most honest film to date. I haven't tried to be effective or clever.
I rate "Nishabd" as Amitabh's best performance ever because there's no performance at all. It proves more about him as a human being than an actor. You need to be an extraordinary human being to portray the emotions in "Nishabd". He captures emotions from thin air.
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| Being put in a rather unconventional relationship, do you think you've done full justice to Amitabh's dignity? |
| Ram Gopal Verma: I don't think he has ever looked more dignified. Initially, he had some reservations about doing such an unconventional love story. But he trusted the rapport that we had developed during "Sarkar". "Nishabd" is his best performance to date. As a director I couldn't understand where all those emotions came out. Amitabh shocked me with his naked emotions.
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| Where did you find Jiah? |
| Ram Gopal Verma: I met her a year back. Something about her struck me. I thought I'd use her in one of my productions. When Amitabh and I were discussing the idea of "Nishabd", Jiah came to my mind immediately.
Jiah is natural. Apart from overcoming her fear of the camera, I didn't have to work on her at all.
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| Was it hard shooting love scenes? |
| Ram Gopal Verma: "Nishabd" has nothing to do with sex. And in any case there are no 'love scenes' in real life. To me love is when you want to share part of your life with a woman, to talk, sleep and watch movies with her.
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| How did you manage to complete the film in a month? |
| Ram Gopal Verma: I always used to wonder how big productions in Hollywood actually managed to finish lengthy films in such a short span of time. Time is lost in Bollywood because of a lack of clarity. Even I've learnt to economise over the years. "Sarkar" took half the time and resources of "Company". "Nishabd" started with every member of the cast getting a copy of the script. So no time was lost on location.
I chose Munnar because I've never shot in a tranquil green exotic location before. Clean looking locales with clean looking people (laughs) for a change. I think "Nishabd" is about looking real. I've a problem with actresses wearing too much makeup. If you want to kiss a sexy girl you don't want to taste the lip-gloss in your mouth.
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| How did you discover Munnar? |
| Ram Gopal Verma: Someone found this place for me on the net. Because of the novelty of the subject we had to go with the natural flow. My cinematographer Amit Sarkar said he was far more excited about "Nishabd" than "Sarkar".
People thought it'd be a very sexual in content. But the sexuality isn't in showing the physical attraction. The challenge was to capture those forbidden emotions without losing the dignity of the actors, characters and the circumstances they had to go through. I shot the film like a thriller without a thrill element.
In "Nishabd", I've completely re-invented myself as a technician and a storyteller. I never felt so fulfilled as a filmmaker. "Sarkar" was home territory. I could do it with my eyes closed. "Nishabd" was a process of discovery. It has changed my approach to filmmaking. Now, even if I re-made "Sarkar", it'd be different. I'm surprised I could capture something as sensitive and subtle as "Nishabd". It's the simplicity of the story that made it so difficult. For all you know "Nishabd" could be a TV serial. I didn't design a single moment. The whole film just happened.
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| I believe you were partly inspired by "Cheeni Kam"? |
| Ram Gopal Verma: Yes, Amitabh told me about "Cheeni Kam". I also heard about a man in Hyderabad, who married a much younger woman. When Amitabh told me about himself and Tabu in "Cheeni Kam", I suggested a film with a much younger girl. Within five minutes we decided to do "Nishabd" and within three days the script was ready. The film was shot in 20 days.
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