HOW REAL IS REEL?
Striking a fine balance between reality and dramatisation is no mean feat for filmmakers
Reality never fails to fascinate Bollywood. Last year, a number of stories such as Uri: the Surgical Strike, Mission Mangal, Gully Boy, India’s Most Wanted, Article 15, Batla House and The Sky Is Pink were rooted in reality. A similar trend is noticed in the web space. Series based on real events such as Delhi Crime, Rangbaaz, Jamtara – Sabka Number Aayega, Kaafir and The Forgotten Army are being talked about.
Among the movies released this year, Chhapaak (inspired by the life of an acid attack survivor), Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (based on the life of Tanaji Malusare, a military assistant of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji) and Shikara (based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the valley), stirred the fact versus fiction debate once again. We have a number of reality based movies set for release later in the year. The extent to which creative liberties can be taken becomes the core of the discussions, as there’s always the fear of hurting the sentiments of communities and families of the subjects involved. Nikkhil Advani, who directed Batla House and has shot for a web series based on 26/11 attacks, says it’s an “everyday battle” for filmmakers to find a balance between facts and taking creative licenses. “I find my inspiration in such stories. Fact is stranger than fiction, which allows the filmmaker in me to do a lot of research. The biggest challenge is to maintain a balance. Bollywood is a dramatic genre, especially when you’re working within the mainstream space. There’s a responsibility to be true to the story and due approvals are needed from the person and their family. We can’t push the envelope too much,” he says.
Sanjay Gupta, who wrote Shootout At Lokhandwala (2007) and is now directing Mumbai Saga, the story of Bombay becoming Mumbai, shares, “My obsession with real life stories started with Shootout At Lokhandwala. We have such amazing incidents in our own city which need to be told. As a filmmaker, my process is to first collect the material which includes speaking to the people and their family and do an extensive research which is turned into a screenplay,” he says. The filmmaker adds that one needs to stay true to the incident and also make it entertaining, or else it will turn into a documentary. “When we say ‘entertaining’, it doesn’t mean adding comic sequences or songs, it’s about taking certain creative liberties within the given parameters,” he says.
Director Hansal Mehta just wrapped up shooting for a web series titled Scam 1992, based on financial crimes that took place in the 1990s and 2000s. “Within the boundaries of time and cinematic language, we have to convey the essence of the characters and their journeys. A filmmaker imagines his version of a story based on available resources. While writing a script, I think what the story and the characters mean to me at a personal level. With different stories, there are different kinds of accuracies that one want to achieve,” he explains.
Actor Ajay Devgn, who’ll be seen in Bhuj: The Pride Of India, based on the reconstruction of the IAF airbase with the help of local women, believes that sources often lack information and thus the responsibility lies with the makers. “It’s tough to tread that thin line of realism, justify the characters and still be imaginative enough to dramatise the characters ,” he says. Filmmaker Meghna Gulzar, known for Talvar (2015), Raazi (2018) and Chhapaak, says, “I don’t take creative liberties and my films are proof of that. If a need is felt to make a film more cinematic, we play around with the timeline of the events and not make it chronological. You can add dimensions to a character without distorting the essence of their personality. There’s always an essence of reality in our films, books and literature.” Gulzar, who is busy with a project based on Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, adds, “It isn’t a
It’s difficult to tread that thin line of realism, justify the characters and still be able to dramatise the characters so that the audience enjoys it. AJAY DEVGN ACTOR
I don’t take creative liberties and my films are proof of that. If a need is felt to make a film more cinematic, we play around with the timeline of the events. MEGHNA GULZAR FILMMAKER
biopic strictly in the sense of the term. It’s like a take on the life and the times of Sam Manekshaw.”
Actor Kirti Kulhari, who was seen in Uri and Mission Mangal, believes there is nothing fictional about telling human stories. “I do projects that are kind of real, or based on human relationships,” she says.