Hitendra Ghosh: There’s no different filmmaker at par with Shyam Benegal – Unique
If marriages are made in heaven, inventive partnerships within the movie world are solid in movie colleges. Aspiring filmmakers and technicians examine collectively, spend time exchanging concepts and their bonding leads to future cinema experiments and initiatives that go on to grow to be cinema classics. One such partnership was solid in FTII, the place a younger Hitendra Ghosh was studying the ropes of filmmaking underneath his tutor Shyam Benegal. This was the early ’70s, Shyam Benegal had already spent a substantial time within the promoting circuit and made some compelling documentaries. So Benegal reviewed a 30-odd minute diploma movie made by Hitendra Ghosh and was satisfied that Ghosh could be the right man to seize the sound of his upcoming movie Nishant. After which over a interval of fifty years, Hitendra Ghosh was the Sound Designer on each Shyam Benegal movie, proper up till his final one – Mujib: The Making Of A Nation (2023).
Chatting with Filmfare about this piece of historical past between his and Shyam Benegal’s early profession, Ghosh says, “Shyam babu was my examiner at FTII. He had already made Ankur, however he was recognized extra for his documentaries again then. And since documentaries are recognized for his or her genuine portrayal of actuality, that side rubbed off on Shyam’s cinematic model too. His movies needed to be as genuine as actuality. Maybe he noticed that streak in my diploma movie and he was satisfied {that a} rank newcomer like me needs to be the Sound Designer on his second characteristic movie. I used to be shocked. I used to be a no one, I didn’t also have a clue about Bombay or the Bombay movie business. However straight out of the FTII in Pune, I discovered myself working because the Sound Designer on Shyam Benegal’s Nishant.”
Shyam Benegal had invested all his religion in a newcomer movie pupil. It was choice that was bothering a younger Hitendra Ghosh way over it was the already established filmmaker, Benegal. Fifty years on, Ghosh is ready to look again at that call of Shyam Benegal and clarify why it was so. He says, “Shyam babu had the knack of trusting the folks he would work with. He was the director on a movie and in contrast to most different filmmakers, he wouldn’t meddle in different folks’s jobs. Most administrators will inform their actors, the best way to act, the best way to carry out, the best way to emote or the best way to ship the dialogue. Shyam however would hand the script to his actors and inform them to do their job. If Naseeruddin Shah got here up with the concept he’ll say 2 traces of dialogue standing up, then go and sit in a chair and say the subsequent 2 traces of dialogue sitting down, Shyam would say, ‘certain, let’s do it that manner’. Govind Nihalani, who shot most of Shyam’s earlier movies had full freedom to do what he wished with the digital camera. Shyam ji wouldn’t ask him how he needs to take the shot. In distinction, I’ve seen fashionable filmmakers ask the cinematographer to step away from the digital camera as they begin working it for key photographs. Shyam would by no means do this.”
Shyam Benegal gave Hitendra Ghosh the identical freedom whereas recording the movie’s sounds. In actual fact, Hitendra was at liberty to name for retakes if the sound recording wasn’t on top of things. He explains intimately, “Shyam babu simply left the complete sound of the movie to me. His solely expectation was that we document every little thing on location. He didn’t consider in dubbing and fixing the sound in a while within the studio. All the pieces that you simply heard in a Shyam Benegal film was recorded stay on set or on location. We’re speaking concerning the ’70s and ’80s. Each different filmmaker within the nation was counting on actors dubbing their dialogues after the shoot within the studio, however Shyam would give his actors only one transient. ‘There can be no dubbing in a while. Your dialogues can be recorded stay, as you carry out’.” It was akin to performing in theatre in entrance of a stay viewers. For the actors on a Shyam Benegal film set, failure or fumbling was merely not an choice. Ghosh believes, that’s precisely why Shabana Azmi, Anant Nag, Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil and even Shashi Kapoor gave their life’s finest performances in Shyam Benegal motion pictures. He explains, “Lots of filmmakers inform the actors throughout shoot, ‘Arre stress mat lo, hum woh dialogue dubbing mein sambhal lenge’. Shyam would by no means give that likelihood to his actors. They needed to converse their last dialogues on set and I must document all their voices with my single microphone. Hollywood had the expertise to shoot sync sound throughout the ’70s, however we didn’t have these assets. So the actors needed to be focussed and provides it their finest on set. No Shyam Benegal movie ever went into the dubbing stage.”
Apparently, one in all India’s first official sync sound movies, Zubeidaa (2001) was additionally a Shyam Benegal film. However Hitendra Ghosh and Shyam Benegal had already been utilizing the sync sound method from 30 years in the past. Ghosh explains how the magic unfolded on the units of Junoon (1979), “In one of many scenes Naseeruddin Shah has an emotional outburst and he’s raiding a shelf stuffed with pigeons, throwing them out. We had one mic and through his animated antics, Naseer hit the microphone 3-4 instances. It created a loud ‘thak’ sound within the recording. However Naseer’s efficiency, the outrage he poured out was good. As all the time, Shyam got here to me to ask if the sound was okay. I informed him that Naseer’s hits on the microphone could be an issue, however I’ll maintain it. I might have requested for a retake, however I knew the depth of Naseer’s efficiency wouldn’t be the identical, so we saved the unique shot.” There was one other event the place Hitendra was capable of train his veto, and it created a problem for Naseeruddin Shah. Ghosh elaborates, “On one other day throughout the Junoon shoot, I went as much as Naseer and informed him that he had a shot the place he was strolling and needed to say a dialogue. I informed him to stroll with thuds in order that the mic would choose up the sound of his strolling. Naseer immediately retorted, ‘Arre yaar Ghosh. Primary scene mein dialogue bolu ya zor zor se pair patak ke chalu?’. To which, I politely informed Naseer that it was the requirement of the scene and he once more retorted, ‘Tum log kya kya karate ho hum actors se…’.” For sure, on a Shyam Benegal set, each particular person was trusted to do their job with out somebody influencing them. Ghosh believes that’s why Shyam Benegal’s characteristic movies had the identical reasonable influence as documentaries. Ghosh provides, “Nothing in a Shyam Benegal film was staged. All the pieces was actual and genuine.”
Hitendra, over a profession spanning 5 many years has labored on greater than 3000 initiatives with greater than 2000 filmmakers. His filmography has greater than 300+ characteristic movie entries and he has labored with stalwarts like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan and extra. However he nonetheless considers Shyam Benegal to be the most effective of the lot. Ghosh explains, “There’s no different filmmaker at par with Shyam Benegal on the planet. In actual fact, I can inform you the essential distinction between a Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal. Satyajit Ray would plan each element, each shot, each a part of his shoot a day earlier than. He would plan for probably the most primary digital camera actions as nicely. Shyam Benegal however would inform his forged and crew, ‘Let’s go to the situation tomorrow and see what we have to do’. Shyam babu would determine his strategy, his path and his filmmaking method relying on the day and the situation. That’s why he was capable of give a lot freedom to everybody on set. He would let his crew maintain something and every little thing that was wanted to create the shot.”
In actual fact, such was the liberty on Shyam Benegal’s units that he would hearken to his workforce members for essential choices like casting, too. Ghosh elaborates how he was capable of persuade Benegal into casting Smita Patil for Nishant and Nafisa Ali for Junoon. Ghosh reveals, “For Nishant, Shyam had already finalised Shabana Azmi, however we have been looking out for different actresses. We would have liked a pretty face and our choices have been restricted. Sooner or later, I used to be on the Mumbai Doordarshan workplace and I noticed Smita studying the information. I discovered her complexion and options to be very enticing. Once I met, Shyam later within the day, I informed him he should meet this lady referred to as Smita Patil, who’s a newsreader with Doordarshan. I had already spoken to Smita, who was not assured a few stint within the motion pictures, however finally she confirmed as much as meet Shyam and the remainder is historical past.” Ghosh had an identical contribution throughout the pre-production section of Junoon, a movie that was produced by Shashi Kapoor. He remembers, “Shyam and his workforce had finalised a lady to characteristic in Junoon, reverse Shashi Kapoor. She was the daughter of India’s then ambassador to Japan. She was a brief lady, barely 5-feet tall and she or he was handsome. However I discovered an issue together with her casting. Right here, we had the good-looking Shashi Kapoor, nearly six-feet tall, and his character needed to fall in love with this younger lady. She needed to be bodily enticing and charming. So I walked upto Shyam and informed him that casting the Ambassador’s daughter was not a good suggestion. Shyam defined that it was a requirement of the script. Shashi’s character was 35-odd years outdated and he needed to fall in love with a 17-year-old lady. That’s why they forged a brief lady who would look younger sufficient on display. However I used to be satisfied {that a} man, of Shashi Kapoor’s age and his character, would want bodily attraction. I had met Nafisa Ali, who was then a Nationwide swimming champion as nicely. She was tall and so good trying that males used to show round to catch a glimpse of her. I instructed Shyam meet Nafisa as soon as earlier than taking pictures Junoon. When Nafisa met Shyam, he was capable of perceive my perspective and after some auditions, Nafisa was finalised for the position of Ruth in Junoon.”
With Shyam Benegal’s passing away, his oldest collaborator and good pal, Ghosh is feeling the ennui. He confesses, “I had simply met Shyam on his 90th birthday on December 14. He regarded lively and pleased. We met Shabana and Naseer, too. However now he’s gone. I caught by him from Nishant to Mujib. There have been so many individuals who labored with him, however I had the nice fortune of working alongside him for my total profession and his as nicely. It’s unhappy to see him go. It’s unhappy to see all my good associates go. I first misplaced Mukul S Anand, then Tapan Sinha and now Shyam.”
