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Orson Welles, Jean Renoir, Ingmar Bergman, Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, David Lean, Andrei Tarkovsky, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Bernardo Bertolucci, Frank Capra, Francis Ford Coppola, Jean-Luc Godard, Fellini, Kubrick, Michelangelo Antonioni, Roman Polanski, Sydney Pollack, Steven Soderbergh, James Ivory etc etc
and
PC Barua, Sohrab Modi, Mehboob, Kedar Sharma, Bimol Roy, K. Asif, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Mani Ratnam, Gulzar, Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani, Mani Kaul, Basu Chaterjee, Hrishikesh Mukharjee, Chetan Anand, BR Chopra, Yash Chopra, Vijay Anand, Ramesh Sippy, Shekhar Kapur etc etc are the names which have been taking us on the visual tours to show us their chosen stories and we have been enjoying these virtual rides sitting under mesmerisation of the over all phenomenon of the cinema. We have laughed and cried by seeing their films. Rather we have been re-living again and again all 9 rasas by watching their films.

We remain mesmerised with their giant visions but none of them had achieved this huge appreciation since very beginning. Behind the shining success of most of them, a tough and struggling phase has been existing.

Actors can act, cinematographers know how to use camera, other technical people know their expertise area and producers have money but a film can not be made unless a director steps in the project.

In a way he does not do much than to handle the team of people having different expertise areas but without him no good film can be made.

Raj Kapoor famously had said once something like – “In my films writers, actors, composers, instrument players, lyricists and singers have contributed more than my own contribution and I have only acted like a conductor who only hints when violin has to be given preference and when tabla or sitar should make a jugalbandi. I have very little contribution in the creation of my films and I have helped only taking best out of these talented people”.

What he had said about his films is true for any film but its also true that a Raj Kapoor is a Raj Kapoor and same talented people with some other person may not make film like Awaara.

Directors have something special and that is not available with actors, and other people associated with other areas of film making. Director is a leader.

Senior journalist and PFC author Ajay Brahmatmaj has been generous enough to provide us his special interview series where he is taking interviews of some of the famous directors of India. He is revealing their struggling phases before they achieved the success.

Ajay writes

Directors have similar importance in the films as a prime minister has in a democratic country. If PM is a good politician then he gives direction to the nation. Director becomes a guide, conductor and analyst for a film. While making a film, a director plays many roles and passes through several conditions. While watching the films, we see everything but we don’t see the director. We see acting of actors, we listen singing of singers, composition of composers and words of lyricists. We hear and enjoy dialogues. We watch cameraman’s work. Only director remains missing from making an obvious impression. He remains an abstract kind of thing dissolved in several departments of filmmaking.

Shyam Benegal once said that if you believe in the concept of God and want to feel or see him then you should meet a director. Film director is like a God walking on earth. If this world works under the guidance of God then virtual world of films works for 3 hours under the guidance of directors. Director is creator of each scene of the film.

Stars have occupied the most prominent place in the film industry and directors are left behind in the background. Directors have not got the place which they should have got.

Keep visiting this place to know the struggling phase of Prakash Jha, Ashutosh Gowarikar and many other directors.

Read here how 19-20 year old Prakash Jha, doing Physics Honours from Delhi University, left DU and reached Bombay with Rs 300 in his pocket.

Read here with which phase Ashutosh Gowarikar passed through after the failure of Pehla Nasha and Baazi and how he got to make Lagaan.

Keep visiting here to read many other revealing stories.

We all enjoy when watch a kid trying to learn walking and his initial steps we watch with joy and at the same time we fear also that he should not fall down and we remain alert to support him. His body gets a dis-balance a little and our hands are reached behind him to support but if he arranges the balance himself then we don’t touch him. This watching of a kid’s initial walking has been bringing immense joy to people all over the world since the inception of life on earth.

Directors initial journey will not bring us joy as we will be witnessing their pain, struggle but at the same time their strong determination and success story may help many wanna be directors.

The series “Initial Steps“ is going to begin soon.

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