As a student of cinema in the 1960s in the U.S., S. Krishnaswamy went for a film screening one weekend. Open to all students, the film — part of the March of Time series — was about India. He watched it with great interest. So did the others. The film was a satire on the country (“No, a caricature,” he corrects himself vehemently), and it made him very angry. After the screening, he strode to the podium, picked up the microphone and declared, “This is stupid. The film is nonsense.”
A level-headed professor managed to pacify the young and dapper Krishnaswamy, son of renowned filmmaker K Subrahmanyam, and told him to return home and make a film that would depict the real India. “Indeed, I will,” he declared.
That was the turning point in his life. It changed the perspective of a man whose sole interest was, and still is, Indian art, culture and history. His company, Krishnaswamy and Associates, which has completed 50 years, has made films and documentaries, all of which revolve around art and culture.
If the 1973-flick titled I explored the Indian identity, his magnum opus – the four-hour Indus Valley to Indira Gandhi – chronicled diverse facets of the country. From then, till now, he hasn’t let his enthusiasm wane; he continues to make offbeat films.
The challenges he faced on this journey were many, but the fact that he had chosen the road less-travelled is what egged him on. “It’s about attempting something different from what people think is the right thing to do,” he explains, adding, “We also have to ensure that we draw an audience; we might not come up with a Sholay , but the intelligentsia knows what we’re doing.”
Filmmaking throws up several challenges — logistics and otherwise — and Krishnaswamy recalls a particular instance in 2006, when he was working on a film about the Indian impact on Southeast Asia. “Initially, collecting research material was a big task,” he says. But that wasn’t the only stumbling block – on ground, there were bigger issues waiting for him. “We went as a 10-member crew and there was an earthquake close to the area where we were filming,” he recalls, “It was quite an experience.”
It’s not just places that attract him; powerful people inspire him too. Documentaries on personalities like C. Rajagopalachari, Ramana Maharshi and M.G.Ramachandran aroused his interest in understanding people and throwing more light on their life and views. And that’s how he came up with informative biographies on R. Venkatraman and C. Subramaniam.
His recent small-screen outing was also driven by a personality (Swami Vivekananda). After the 52-part Tamil serial, Krishnaswamy now awaits the telecast of its Hindi version.
How does he look at the sweeping changes that have transformed filmmaking, thanks to technology? “I believe that with every medium that comes, an earlier medium matures,” he says, “But, the need for creativity will always exist. I’d like to create material that will stand the test of time.”
Ask him about the concept of news going viral, which is a big draw among directors and ad-filmmakers, at present, and he says, “They’re for the now. Our interest is in posterity.” Does that mean he doesn’t watch videos that go viral? “Oh yes, I do watch them. Some of them are really good. But it’s just that you like ice cream and I like coffee,” he says with a smile.
Krishnaswamy and Associates may have scored half a century with several accolades to their credit, but they don’t seem content to bask in past glory. The future is already here, with the filmmaker’s daughters, Latha and Gita, taking over, with the assistance of their mother, Mohana.
They are busy now with their latest online project — video-on-demand – and that’s quite a task considering they have over 1,000 hours of material. “We expect our video-on-demand to be up and running in a couple of months,” he reveals, adding, “We’ll first launch about 200 hours and then the rest. We will also produce new material for the web. By doing this, people can watch the documentaries and short films sitting in the comfort of their home, anytime.”
