Rising
                               From The East
______________________________

SIMRAN SODHI GARG talks to Om Puri
about his new-found status as a hit international star

Om Puri.
The name is today synonymous with excellence in Indian and international cinema. From Govind Nihalani’s Aakrosh and Ardh Satya to City Of Joy, Tamas and the recent East Is East, Om Puri has proved that it is brilliant consistency, over a period of time, that sets him apart. His convincing foray into commercial cinema with movies like Narsimha and Ghayal adds to the actor in him. In the last four years, he has done three British films — Brothers In Trouble, Hanief Kurieshi’s My Son The Fanatic, which received rave reviews in Europe and the US, and the recent East Is East. Costing only 2.5 million pounds to make, East Is East has grossed more than 8 million pounds since its release in Britain. The total number of its prints grew from 90 to 220 in two weeks flat. The film has been released to packed houses in India — both in English and the Hindi-dubbed version.

‘‘Momentarily happy’’ is how the actor sums up his reaction to the success of East Is East. Relaxing at his Seven Bungalows flat in Andheri, he quietly puffs away at his cigarette while talking on a range of subjects. ‘‘But I can’t sit on it for long,’’ he says. ‘‘The movie has been a major success because the topic is very universal. It is about an immigrant who is trying to find a balance between his culture and that of the country he has adopted,’’ he remarks. East Is East — a rip-roaring comedy about a Pakistani man, his English wife and their seven children — was a surprise smash at the Cannes Film Festival. ‘‘For me, it was important to portray the character in a way that the people would understand him, not hate him. For example, in the scene where he hits his wife, it was important to bring out that he does it not because he enjoys it, but out of desperation,’’ he says.

Om Puri succeeds in capturing the psyche of a man suspended in ambivalence — mild on the surface but deep inside, grappling with a craving to ‘‘belong’’. He captures the emotions of immigrant parents who watch their children grow up in a culture that is alien to them. ‘‘It is not that George Khan is not making adjustments. He allows his children to go to an English school. His daughter wears short skirts and he stays in an English-dominated locality because of his wife, though he would rather stay at Bradford,’’ Puri explains at length. His deep understanding of the character is a complement to the perfectionist in him.

It’s an old question but one that eventually comes up. Why can’t Bollywood ever make a movie like this? ‘‘Good movies have been made at times. Movies like Satya, Mrityudand and Roja have all dealt with serious issues and still been a success. Even though, unfortunately, the majority of movies are escapist ones,’’ he explains. Is the audience to be blamed, I prod further. Puri puts forward an interesting explanation, ‘‘A large number of people here go out for movies just to escape from their surroundings. There are a large number of people who stay in slums and other areas where even basic amenities like electricity are not available. So, their motive in seeing a movie is to escape from their reality and to have a good time for at least three hours.’’ And then, with a little laugh, he adds, ‘‘There were times when as a student in Delhi (he studied in National School of Drama for three years), I used to go for a movie just to escape the heat.’’

He is all praise for movies like Taal which he feels are technically superior and have good music, though he feels the subject is again naive. As the conversation proceeds, the intensity and passion that goes into making him such a brilliant actor sometimes bursts forth in the form of a slight irritation. When I mention American Beauty and wonder why we fail to explore life and art in our films, Puri puts it bluntly, ‘‘They just don’t have it in them.’’ And then, after a pause, with a little less anger, he adds, ‘‘Those who have the talent don’t have the money.’’

Why did you shift to commercial cinema? And it is a rare honest answer that I get. ‘‘I got a lot of recognition and awards for the art movies that I did. But I also needed money to live. Even now, I don’t hanker after money. I believe it comes on its own. And then, my needs are not too many,’’ he tries to explain. But when I point out that he gave a great performance in Tamas, I get my first glimpse of the real Om Puri. He looks at me and throwing up his hands in desperation, exclaims, ‘‘I got Rs 80,000 for doing Tamas for five months. How was I to survive?’’ Compromise? ‘‘I don’t allow the frustration to come to the surface. I do whatever is offered to me with a lot of sincerity. Even though, at times, I don’t believe in the work I am doing, I still take it professionally.’’

But doesn’t he feel that he deserves better than what Bollywood is offering him? ‘‘I don’t really care now. I do whatever comes my way. Had I come from a landlord’s family and had some ancestral property to fall back on, I could have said I will do this and not that, but I really have no such option.’’ And then he adds laughingly, ‘‘At times though, you do wish you had luck like these young girls nowadays. They do one movie and then demand Rs 1 crore for the second. But then, Bollywood doesn’t really bother about the supporting cast. The heros and heroines come four to five hours late, they keep 400 people waiting and waste resources. But they just don’t seem to realise it,’’ he adds with a tinge of sadness. ‘‘When I do a commercial movie, I never have the script with myself. So, even if I want, I can’t do any homework. Whereas, when I do an art movie, I have the entire script in hand. And that makes the work easier.’’

Why? I am all curiosity. ‘‘So that no one can steal their ideas.’’ And then, he adds in irritation, ‘‘As if they are geniuses or something.’’ What now? Recently, in the Internet magazine, Salon, veteran critic Michael Sragow had posed a question, ‘‘Is Om Puri our greatest living actor?’’ When I mention this to Puri, he is quiet for a while. And then, with a smile, he remarks, ‘‘It is very flattering. But I still feel I need to explore more.’’

It seems as if we will see more and more of Om Puri in the international film scene. He is working in a Welsh movie with the director of Notting Hill. Zoo Keeper is another English movie that will be released in September. It deals with the problem of ethnic cleansing. V. S. Naipaul’s Mystic Masseur is also being filmed and Puri looks forward to working in it. He picks up a pile of scripts lying in a corner and shows them to me. ‘‘This was sent to me by Meera Nair but I don’t have the dates so I will have to turn this down.’’ And there is better news. In September, a retrospective of his movies is going to be held in England. ‘‘They had called in the morning and I suggested a few of my works. Works like Tamas and the 13 short stories I did on television with Gulzar. Though the final selection is still to be made.’’

As we wrap up the conversation, the door bell rings and another journalist who has come to interview him enters. Puri leaves the next day for England. This time, to shoot for a Hindi movie. ‘‘I was telling my wife, Nandita, yesterday that this is the first time that I am going abroad to shoot for a Hindi movie,’’ he says with a smile. ‘‘Feels kind of weird.’’ Seems like life has come to a full circle for Om Puri after 25 long years. He looks forward to the future with a light heart, ‘‘I don’t get obsessed with a dream. I believe in taking life easy.’’

Next - Poverty Of Numbers