Sai Paranjpye interview: ‘Going to theatres has lost its charm’
The Hindu
The veteran filmmaker Sai Paranjpye was in Delhi to donate her collection of original, handwritten drafts and screenplays of films, teleplays and stage plays in Marathi, English and Hindi to Ashoka University’s Archives of Contemporary India
Sai Paranjpye is one of the few woman filmmakers and screenwriters who cracked Bollywood’s glass ceiling in the 1970s and 80s. She didn’t just script and direct her own projects; success and recognition chased her for entertaining dramas and comedies, assumed to be a domain of men.
Her critically-acclaimed Sparsh, her first feature film made in 1980 that won three National Awards; the 1981 film Chashme Buddoor that became a cult classic: and Katha, a 1983 romantic comedy which won the National Award for Best Feature Film — these works refuse to fade out of conversations on contemporary cinema even after decades.
Paranjpye is no stranger to fame but she wears her accomplishments lightly. At 86 now, she is unable to watch many films. “Going to theatres has lost its charm, the travel and traffic drain me and seeing movies on small screens doesn’t hold fascination for me,” she says.
The 2006 Padma Bhushan awardee acknowledges that the current toast of Bollywood are Zoya Akhtar and Kiran Rao whose Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Laapataa Ladies respectively she loved watching.
“There are a few women directors who are confirming their directing talent. Their cinema is a reflection of the world while keeping their own tangent,” says Paranjpye who was in Delhi to donate her collection of original, handwritten drafts and screenplays of films, teleplays and stage plays in Marathi, English and Hindi to Ashoka University’s Archives of Contemporary India.
Excerpts from an interview:
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