The Prime Minister
Sh. Atal Bihari Vajpayee has asked the Film industry not to be
monotonous and portray life in all its colours and shades of emotions.
Shri Vajpayee was releasing a book "Living Legend – Dr. Akkineni"
here today. The Prime Minister asked, "When life is so rich
and complex, when there are so many colours and shades of emotions
and experiences in life, why do our films generally try to stick
to a stereotype?"
The Prime Minister
further said "In India we have many great literary works
– ancient, medieval and modern. I would urge our filmmakers to
be bold and creative and choose powerful themes from the great
works of Indian literature. Make films that will captivate generations
of Indian film lovers with their emotional and moral force."
The full text of
Prime Minister’s speech on the occasion is as follows:
I am truly pleased
to be with all of you this evening to honour Dr. Akkineni, the
doyen of Tulugu cinema and a legendary name in Indian Cinema.
We have the legend himself in our midst, and that makes the occasion
more memorable.
In ancient times
we had samraats who ruled large kingdoms and whose names
are often recorded with pride in history. But samraats
now belong solely to the past. In the age of democracy, there
is no place for emperors and empires.
However, there is one set of samraats
whose rule continues even in our own times. These are the nat
samraats. They rule over the hearts and minds of million
of their admirers. Their empire often crosses geographical and
cultural boundaries.
Dr. Akkineni Nageshwar
Rao is one such nat samraat. He may have stopped
acting in films, but he remains an evergreen hero for all those
Telugu people who have seen him playing a wide range of characters
in hundreds of films.
Friends, I
have quickly glanced through the book Living Legend, which
I had the pleasure of releasing a while ago. I was astonished
by the sheer variety of roles that this popular film hero has
played during his long and distinguished career.
From pauranik
films to patriotic films, from romantic films to those based on
rural life, from social films like Devdas to those depicting
the lives of great cultural celebrities like Kalidas and Sant
Tukaram – this popular actor has played of all these roles, and
more.
I wonder whether
actors in modern times get to play such a wide range of social,
psychological and historical characters. I am not trying to criticize
the film industry of today. And if there is criticism, I would
like it to be taken in the right spirit. But I cannot help wondering
– and often feeling sad – why so many of the films these days
look so monotonous?
When life is so rich and complex,
when there are so many colours and shades of emotion and experiences
in life, why do our films generally try to stick to a stereotype
?
It is not that the
compulsion to stick to a stereotype comes from the audience. No.
For example, take the success of the film Devdas. It has
been made and re-made in many Indian languages. Even the latest
creation has been widely appreciated. And I can tell you that
I too have watched it and liked it much. It is our deserving entry
for the Oscars next year and I do hope that it wins it.
Incidentally, I am
told that, one of the best roles of Devdas has been played
by Dr. Akkineni.
But let us ask ourselves:
What is the secret of the success of Devdas? I sould say that
it is the power of the story by the great writer Sarat Chandra
Chattopadhyay, who is one of my favorites writers.
In India we have many great literary
works – ancient, medieval and modern. I would urge our filmmakers
to be bold and creative and choose powerful themes from the great
works of Indian literature. Make films that will captivate generations
of Indian film lovers with their emotional and moral force.
One more thought.
Indian film industry is not just Bollywood. Cinema is non-Hindi
languages in our country has a rich and proud tradition. Along
with Hindi cinema, it has played a great role in promoting national
integration and in celebrating different aspects of our diverse
social and cultural life.
I think that there should be greater
awareness of non-Hindi Indian cinema, both within and without
our country.
I was reading the
preface by Dr. C. Narayan Reddy, the great Telugu writer, Gyanpith
award winner and member of the Rajya Sabha. I was struck by his
description that Dr. Akkineni as "a synonym for refined
acting".
The difference between
gross and subtle acting is the refined art of Bhava. Our ancient
Natya Shastra has made a deep study of this aspect and explained
what is the right emotion and expression for different circumstances
and different characters. I am sure that actors of the new generation
can learn a lot in this department from Dr. Akkineni.
Friends, I would
like to express myself on one more aspect of today’s films. But
rather thanput it in my words, I would like to borrow Dr. Akkineni’s
words to convey my thought and my concerns.
In this book, there
is a very informative interview in which the actor has been asked
many questions about his life and art. In one of them, his comments
have been sought on the depiction of romance on screen today.
Here is Dr. Akkineni’s reply and
I quote:
"There is no romance,
only sex exhibition. You need some 50 dancers in the background
to enhance the mood. Earlier there used to be ‘bhava’ in every
moment – bhava, which came from ‘janapada’……. Now everything
is done mechanically. The trouble with me is I cannot criticize
the film industry. I am a child of the film industry. I cannot
criticize my family members. I feel sorry inside. Film-making
is a coordinated effort and change should come from within
as it affects everybody."
Very wise words. From a wise and
versatile actor. My kudos to him. And thanks to all of you.
Apart from Dr. Akkineni, BJP National
president Shri Venkaiah Naidu and a number of prominent personalities
from Andhra Pradesh were also present on the occasion.
