Prakash Jha looks exhausted. Relieved but exhausted, after waging a pitched battle to get his latest film, “Raajneeti”, cleared by the Censor Board. Jha (58), a six-time National Award winner, contested the ‘A' (Adults) certificate handed to his film by a Revising Committee consisting of some Congress loyalists who were wary of what they perceived as similarities between Congress President Sonia Gandhi's career and the character played by Katrina Kaif in “Raajneeti”. Jha challenged their ruling by appealing to the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal — and emerged victorious with a U/A certificate.
The episode could well provide cinematic fodder for the director, many of whose films (“Gangaajal”, “Apaharan”) have a strong political underpinning and who contested the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from West Champaran in Bihar. Excerpts from an interview.
Did you show “Raajneeti” to some Congress functionaries as is rumoured?
They wanted me to show them the film before it went to the Censor Board. I said, look, in 35 years of my career, I have not taken anyone's approval for my films and I'm not going to start now. There is a system in the country; let it go through the Censor board. After that I am willing to show it to anyone. So they forced themselves into the revising committee.
Who were ‘they'?
Not the Congress party; the request came from the system.
And who were the loyalists in the Committee?
Among them were one Tom Vadakkan (AICC General Secretary), Pankaj Sharma, associate editor of Congress Sandesh and Sanjeev Bhargava. Perhaps they thought there was something in the film strongly connected to Sonia Gandhi.
Your posters don't help matters…
Look, if I dressed any young woman in that kind of sari, made her stand like that, and wave like that, people will come to such conclusions. Why only Sonia Gandhi; you could say she looks like Priyanka Gandhi too.
What about thevidhwa(widow) which was turned intobitiya(daughter)'?
In the film, Katrina's character becomes a widow, takes over the party and contests the elections. They objected to that, saying “Connection ho sakta hai .” (Connections [to Sonia Gandhi] could be drawn). So I changed the line. Theek hai (It's okay). Because the whole country now knows about this controversy and when they hear bitiya , they'll know it was originally vidhwa .
And the cuts in the intimate scenes?
What cuts? One amorous scene has been cut by 50 per cent; the other intimate scenes are all there.
Surely you must have been prepared for trouble, given that our politicians are overly sensitive, to put it mildly.
We are not politically sensitive, we are political idiots. Political behaviour should be solid and considered. It should not resort to forcing yourself into a committee, have me going to a tribunal and getting the A certificate overruled. Besides, they've given my film so much publicity. What kind of political wisdom is this?
You've contested elections in 2004 and 2009; what was the greatest learning?
In a sense, it was one I knew beforehand: that you don't win elections because you mean well, intend well and want to do well. I thought I could beat the odds.
To win an election, you need to make the political equations work. That's where I went completely wrong in 2009. The Congress candidate Sadhu Yadav did not win, but he took 70,0000 votes away. I polled 1,51,000.
Which was not bad at all.
Which was excellent, considering the situation.
You talk very pragmatically about political equations; where's the idealism?
They are two entirely different things. You cannot win an election with idealism. If you want idealism, if you want to be a satyawadi (follower of the truth), you should not be in politics, you should be in an NGO.
My reason for contesting elections was primarily to get into a position where I would have access to resources for development — creating jobs, educational infrastructure and good healthcare. Which I am now doing, in my individual capacity, but on a smaller scale.
What kind of development work are you doing?
I have an NGO called Anubhooti. We're building a hospital in north Bihar and my artists from “Raajneeti” are doing shows to raise funds for it. During the 2008 Kosi flood, we took care of 6,000 people for six months; now we're building an entire village for the poorest of them. So my development work continues. But I'm done with electoral politics.
So politics was just a means to an end.
Absolutely. What would I gain personally by becoming a member of parliament? As a filmmaker I enjoy a much better position and prestige. What sitting in Parliament would have given me was access to government departments and the chance to convince them to build the hospitals and schools.
I'm a political being because I am aware, awake and observant. I try to understand the changes that result from the switch-over from a feudal system to an open-market economy. Or the manner in which the caste system is being raked up again with the Census. (vehemently) We are getting into very, very dangerous territory; it is going to take us back to the dark ages.
Many film-makers, including those who do not make popcorn films, believe that a film's primary aim is to entertain, not to hand out any message. Given your keen political awareness, where do you stand?
I don't want to give any message through my films; I never have. I only want to make the equations clear as they appear to me and if you want to take something home, fantastic.
With “Raajneeti”, I'm not trying to make a film on Indian politics, with bhaashan baazi (long lectures), denigration of the bureaucracy and corruption, etc. I want to entertain you, engage your mind, and tell you a story; that's all.
