02 February,2010 09:47 AM IST | | Urmimala Banerjee
"if I wasn't a filmmaker, I would be a journalist." His love for the inside story has earned him a lot of praise and awards. In fact, from Chandni Bar (2001) to Fashion (2008), Madhur Bhandarkar's films have garnered a total of 11 National Awards. Recently, Fashion earned Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut the National Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. Back from a much-needed break in Kashmir, CS catches this realistic director for a chat:
WHO: Madhur Bhandarkar
WHAT: Talking about his films and himself
WHERE: At his office in Andheri
Breaking free
It was my childhood dream to visit Kashmir, and I fulfilled it this New Year. I went there with my wife and three-year-old daughter. I was totally fascinated by snow as I have never seen it before. It was fun tossing it at my friends. We went sledging in Gulmarg and couldn't help reminiscing about all the hit films shot there. Some of the locals even recognised me. I would definitely like to go there to shoot parts of my future films. People hype the terrorism in Kashmir, but the place is very beautiful.
Myths about Madhur
Everyone who comes to meet me for the first time thinks that I am a very serious, intense person. But that's not true. I have a strong funny bone and constantly crack one-liners on my sets. I love poking fun at myself too. In fact, when we were shooting for Chandni Bar, Tabu constantly kept telling me, "Madhur, you have such a good sense of humour, why do you make such dark films. You should make a comedy film instead. " I also enjoy imitating my actors on the sets. Contrary to what people might think, I am very much grounded. If my car has gone for servicing, I won't call for another car. I will take a rickshaw and go home. On the way, I will chat up with the driver about local news, his family, or girlfriend, whatever. People feel that I am an introvert but I am actually quite friendly.
Reality rocks
I watch a lot of news and get a lot of inspiration from real-life incidents. I love film-makers like Goldie Anand, Woody Allen and Mani Ratnam. In fact, I would like to explore all genres of cinema. You won't believe it, but I am a big fan of Manmohan Desai's films. I have watched all of them. But I can't ever make those kinds of films. My movies will always be under the parameters of realism.
Story telling
Controversy and criticism have always followed me. I have been criticised for all my films, be it Chandni Bar or Corporate. People say that Madhur takes all facts and puts them in a story. But I always like to tell hard hitting stories. If I weren't a film maker I would be a journalist.
