SHIEKHSPEAK! 
AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR OF DEVDAS: AN INDIAN HAMLET

By Fuad Omar.

What was the first day you sat down to pen the book like and did you devise an overall map of the book prior to starting it, or let your instincts and own fascination with the subject guide you?

The first day I sat to word this book was one year ago. I was already writing The Making of Asoka then and I was in my closing-the-book phase when I visited the sets of Devdas and I was struck by the grandeur of the film. The larger than life canvas of how this movie was going to be shot caught my fancy and I decided write on Devdas. When I started on the book what I had was the making of Devdas ditto like the one I had done with Asoka. But then suddenly when I was waiting for the muse to visit me during my intimate moments with my laptop (laughs) came the idea of Devdas the Indian Hamlet. I little research into the character called Devdas gave me a completely new dimension to approach the book. That's when I started looking at this phenomenon called Devdas with complete awe. I decided to chart his journey from the first time he hit celluloid to Sanjay Leela's interpretation of the romantic loser. 

What lessons did you learn from writing the book on Asoka and that you incorporated into 'Devdas the Indian Hamlet'? 

I realized that a book for movies and movie buffs should be like the films they reflect. So with this book apart from the immortal-Good beginning, fabulous middle and great endings dictum that movies are supposed to follow there is ample research and great visuals to support everything that I claim of comment on. This is not to say that my book Asoka did not follow these diktats. But here in this book I have tried to incorporate everything that a film book reader would expect from a Devdas coffee table book. If he picks my books he should feels 'chalo yeh book is just like the film - it is complete paisa vasool'. If my reader ends up saying that, I think I will have attained nirvana. Because Devdas was a piece of cinema that was a delight in every sense of the word and if with this book I manage to even touch 25 per cent of the film then I would sit back and brag about it to my grand children. hahahaha

Tell me about the format of the book in terms of pictures and layout: Who has done the pictures and would you say the book is a chronological journey from an introduction to Devdas the character to afterthoughts? 

Devdas – The Indian Hamlet is no ordinary coffee table book though coming from me its sounds rather immodest. But what it attempts at being is a one-stop shop for everything you ever wanted to know about Devdas, the man who made the nation hit the bottle time and time again. The scope of this book is much wider than just the making of the film, though it deals in great details about the making of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas. It is kind of the making of Devdas – the character, rather than just the film. In this book, we have not limited ourselves to this one single film. We have explored and researched the phenomenon called Devdas that has gripped the Indian psyche ever since Sarat Chandra penned his novel way back in the last few years of the 19th century and it was offered to public during the early 1900s.

So in a sense, yes, this book is a next step. It moves from exploring the process of movie making to the process of analyzing the evolution of movies themselves based on Devdas as the character that portrays this evolution, reflects it and is affected by it himself, as he goes through over 12 cinematic avatars.

What for you is the most memorable moment of the film? 

For me the most memorable moment of the film is the climax of the film. The poignancy, the pain, the pathos, the urgency of reaching your loved one before the Almighty sends you the final memo, the breaking of all norms and traditions by Paro for the man she loved, the futility of it all. The end of love, the immortality of the re-union. The climax has every emotion every lover in his or her life has experienced. Sanjay Leela gave this climax a look and feel that only he could. He managed to mount even such a morbid end and that is the excellence of the film maker. What makes the climax even more worthwhile is all the filmic touches of the gul mohar flower that falls on Devdas's feet when Paro offers it to her God during prayers. (God somebody kill me...that was awesome). The ant which crawls from the shirt over the collar so that the camera can catch it and it get the fifteen seconds of fame also added to the inertia and well as momentum of this immortal climax. How the ant reached there? Was it fixed? Was it thrown there? How did it get lured to come there in the first place? Was it just an ambitious ant that we did breed? All these questions and many more are answered in my book-Go today and buy it. Hahahha Talk about marketing you think  I have an alternative career option waiting.

What for you is the most memorable moment of the making of the film? 

Every frame while this movie was being made was a memorable experience for me. 

This was no ordinary film when it was being made. I have been a part of movie business for over ten years now and I know how movies are made. What happens to creative juices when the money flow gets tighter? What happens to a project when the circumstances are not really positive? What becomes of a film from the day it starts to the day they call a final wrap? But with this movie I would say it beat all the set norms of Hindi movie business. Sanjay Leela is truly a dedicated, passionate cinema person. He did not care about the winds, the rains, the money flow, the money crunch, the big question of “should I short change my movie because it should see the light of the day” never ever bothered him. Whether it was Shah Rukh's dhothi, the Maar Daala steps, the six thousands light bulbs which glitter proudly hundred feet away from the camera - everything was his concern. That's exactly why Devdas turned out the way it did- a masterpiece. 

How was it working with the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Madhuri Dixit?

It was an amazing experience to document a film that had such a spectacular cast. Shah Rukh is the reason that I persevered for this long a duration. Two and a half years is a long long time for someone as impatient and restless as me. But Shah Rukh was the inspiration and Shah Rukh was the beacon for this project. Every time I felt I could not go on, I would look at Sanjay Leela and Shah Rukh working. Shah Rukh himself is a bundle of nerves… He is like a shaken bottle of chilled Pepsi… about to burst every instant. I used to think if a restless soul like Shah Rukh can be patient, so can I, who is about a thousandth of Shah Rukh when it comes to restless energy. His enthusiasm and his encouragement was the reason why this book is seeing the light of the day. 

As for Aishwarya, her brains far transcend her physical beauty. She was a delight to talk to. The way she went under the skin of Paro and delivered a spectacular performance… it is amazing to see such a combination of beauty and brains at work. Madhuri was grace personified. She is poetry in motion, to say the least. It was a soothing sight to watch Madhuri practice her routine with Pt. Birju Maharaj. Both Shah Rukh and Madhuri are legends unto themselves and I do not think words can express my gratitude to them for sharing their wonderful experiences with me.

What is the scope of the book?

As I said, the book is a cinematic journey. We have started at the very beginning, dwelling on the master wordsmith, Sarat Chandra and the conditions around him. His childhood, youth, foray into writing, etc. Then we have taken up each of the cinematic versions and analyzed it in the light of the social situation of the time and how it evolved. 

So the scope is vast. We have put in a lot of efforts and researched through the archives in Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata. Apart from the history, there is an analysis of the character itself. As to what made Devdas what he was, what made the filmmakers take this project? From P C Barua to Bimal Roy, Shakti Samanta and Gulzaar. From K L Saigal’s portrayal to the nuances of Dilip Kumar’s performances. As well as the shadow of Devdas in Indian films and how the various elements like childhood lovers, golden hearted prostitute and unrequited love have become de rigor themes in Indian cinematic vocabulary.

Do you think there is a market for Indian film based books?

I feel that Indian audience the whole world around has now evolved to a stage where they are demanding more than just masala flicks. I believe that there is a huge potential for creating a synergy between entertainment and information, provided, this information is presented in a very engaging format. It has to be well-researched information in a well-presented format. There is a continuous bombardment of information in the form of 30 seconder and 15 seconder promos and sound bytes, from various television, radio and multimedia channels. It is essential that there is one source free of all the compulsions of time and content of the new media. I feel a book is such a source. If a person is interested, he should be able to walk to a shelf, select a book, sit at a desk, browse through the pages, get hooked, read and come out enriched with the experience. A book is not about instant gratification for 10 seconds and then a search for yet another one. It is an experience to savor. And I believe that the Indian audience is not only ready for it, he deserves it. After all Indian films are such a rich treasure of experience waiting to be savored. Bollywood today is the most powerful selling item after the Bible...if there is no demand for books on it, then I think I should quickly become a priest. Hahhaha

Why do you believe Devdas is such a timeless classic that allures film fans and romantics everywhere? 

The magic of Devdas is the unrequitted love that ails the characters. The pain of love not achieved is the same in Brazil, Bombay, or Bangladesh. Everybody knows how it is to love and not get the most loved one. The poetry of hurting yourself because you failed is also that fascinates every human being breathing. If Devdas would have happily married Paro maybe they would have had a shitty marriage ceremony. And the whole legacy of Devdas would have got restricted to an invitation card. (sic). But because what happened to them they lived over the years so that they could haunt us again and again. To remind us that its better to have loved and died for it then to have never ever having loved. 

What next for you? 

Oh I am working on a book on Bollywood which will give you an insider diary look at what goes on in the world of dreams. I am sick and tired of these silly Bollywood books by outsiders who have no idea of what makes us tick. They come collect some pseudo ancient film posters and compile a book on Bollywood. Just because Bollywood is the flavour of the decade I know many are trying to make a quick buck on it. But I hope I will end up throwing some new and interesting light on how we look at our movies..Why we make what we make and why we are what we are? The book should be ready by the end of this year. Apart from this book I am also scripting a movie called “Supari” starring Nandita Das and Uday Chopra. Scripts and screenplays are of late my full time passion and when I am over with this extra marital affair I wish and hope to direct movies one day.