So it all started on the very first day of the 8th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival Inauguration was going on and all the dignitaries took their seats when veteran film director and film academician Mr Arun Khopkar poked the other iconic and popular director Nagaraj Manjule about his white shirt. He said, “In the language of cinema, you are the hero and I am the villain since I am wearing black”. Nagaraj aptly replied, “In that sense, I am a Villian too, since I am dark, but off course these rules are being broken…”
It was surprising mere a coincidence for next day’s Masterclass with Mr Arun Khopkar about ‘Decoding the Colours in Cinema’. To break the rule, one must know the rules thoroughly. Rules, that are broken consciously are always a step ahead towards craftsmanship, and film festivals celebrates all those rule breakers and creators simultaneously.
Mr. Arun khopkar in his own right has decoded Guru dutt’s cinema and his craftsmanship. It would not be an exaggeration if I say that Mr Arun khopkar took the cinema lovers into the tunnels of Cinemascope that Guru Dutt used for the first time. A visionary, Guru Dutt with his extra ordinary cinematographer V K Murthy has played relentlessly the game of light and Shadow- the game of dark and white; with their intensity. Whether it is Pyaasa , Saheb Biwi aur Ghulam or Kagaz Ke Phool Guru Dutt gave us the vision about colours. And later two movies have also given us two iconic songs ‘sakiya’ and ‘waqt ne kiya’, creating illusions of emotions with the game of just two colours: Dark and White. And Off cource I could point this out because of the book “Guru Dutt: Trilogy”, an award winning book written by Mr Khopkar.
For Arun khopkar, cinema seems to be a rai`son de etre. The very cause of living. That’s why he sees cinema every where from city hights to slums, from dance to folk art. Thus when he talks about colours in cinema he talks about religious importance of light because absence of light gives only dark and white gives us the Rainbow. His mind travels through the scorching desert of middle east looking for the oasis where he finds the colour of Islam:Green. While talking of Japanese film director and screenwriter Yasujirō Ozu, Mr khopkar just didn’t forget to mention Ozu’s contribution in colour themes. He remembered ozu for his Red and yello theme for aggression and spreading blue for peace and compassion. He talks about the strategy and craftsmanship of eminent director while using colour theme in cinema as they, many a times ‘hides’ colours behind what is shown on the screen. And to find out that, one has to develop well versed, inquisitive acumen as a cinema lovers.
Yes, there is warmth in every word of Mr Khopkar and calmness in his eyes when he talks about Cinema. Khopkar didn’t forget to point out that the set up norms and feelings attached to the colours do not have political boundaris. The perceived notions attached to the colours are being broken constantly for constructive art. But even for that, one has to be aware of the colour pallette. At the end of the day, Arun Khopkar insists to understand every facet of cinema to make it a living experience otherwise a cinema would merely be an another medium of story telling.
A veteran film director, whose short films fetched 15 national awards and an eminent writer who is by far only prominent person writing about cinema in Marathi (contributed significantly to film academics overall) still doesn’t consider himself an authority and humbly rejects to be called A master. But it’s the well versed crowd that gathers everywhere he goes proves everytime that he is not just a Master but a National Treasure. (Though he jokes about it!)
– namrata falke
(namrtafalke20@gmail.com)
