For someone who is considered a trendsetter in Marathi cinema, Umesh Kulkarni is self-effacingly honest. Most of his films — be it his first Valu (the Bull), Vihir (well) or Deool (for which he won the 2011 national award for the best feature film) — are placed far from urbanity.
They portray rural settings, naive ambitions and beliefs that border on superstition.
Yet he feels his version may not be as truthful as someone who is from a village.
The Pune-bred FTII alumnus, who is part of the Marathi new wave, loves the countryside because of his taste for travelling and a poetic sensitivity that connects him to nature. But his version of rustic life wouldn’t be as truthful as Nagraj Manjule’s, he says. “The caste question, abandoned farmlands... these are known better to someone who has lived there. I made these films, as they came to me as an experience rather than as a thought-out move,” he says.
Films, as such, are not to make statements or driving home any message, he feels. “Who am I to give any message? Films are more powerful medium than that. My aim is to create an experience about the philosophies, people and ideas that touch me,” he says.
Creative partner
His contemplative mind is complemented by his creative partner, Girish Kulkarni, who translates into scripts Umesh’s ideas that are often intangible frames. Umesh’s film Highway , which was shown at the IFFK this year, reflects his vision of a journey. Girish translated that into a road trip narrative. Together, the film looks beyond the obvious to narrate facets of life that emerge during a travel.
Short films
A taste for such instinctive and deep storytelling is what draws Umesh closer to short films and documentaries, which, he feels, are strong mediums to speak about experiences. To help evolve the medium, he takes workshops for young filmmakers. In fact, he feels the boundaries between all genres of films should be erased.
Umesh’s documentary on Kumbh Mela is complete and he is making one on the fading ‘wada' culture of Pune. Again, the idea has a personal link, as it was in one such ancestral home-cluster that he grew up.
For Umesh, being part of a new wave in Marathi cinema is not as comfortable as it seems. “It’s not very easy for a Marathi film to be shown when Bollywood pumps in money to publicise their movies. It is, however, a far better scene now than 10 years ago. Content wise, too, its better with lot of young filmmakers trying to tell their experience,” he says.
Yet the dream scenario for Umesh would be when there would be exchanges between all languages. “Digital revolutions have made it possible to some extent. But still, there is room for more.” As someone who looks at life from a distance, he feels such exchanges would help unfetter thoughts and search beyond accepted mindsets.
