‘Creative suggestion’ is perhaps the most abused term in filmmaking in Mollywood.
More often that not it ends up as a mere euphemism for interference by lead actors. Anyone in doubt may ask budding film-makers, who have to put up with the so called creative commands dressed up as suggestions.
The issue came under the scanner after an award winning music composer accused a popular actor of removing two of his songs from a recent blockbuster. While the movie’s director came to the rescue of the actor and went to the extent of saying that the musician was under the spell of hallucination, the larger issue of interference remains nevertheless.
A senior scriptwriter told Tinsel Town on condition of anonymity that a few leading actors continue to ‘suggest’ change in dialogues, scenes, songs and even the technical crew.
People close to an ongoing production, with a superstar in the lead and directed by a youngster, confessed that the actor was not happy with some of the dialogues and wanted it re-written. The film-maker, who is making his debut, refused to heed and made it clear that he would rather shelve the project than change his well thought out script. “He was so confident that the actor had to finally climb down and the scene was shot the way the director wanted,” a senior technician associated with the film said.
Scriptwriters and new film-makers revealed that these actors, however, never try to make such ‘creative interferences’ in movies helmed by accomplished film-makers. “They turn doves and simply obey the directors,” they said.
But not all actors are prone to such ‘creative pangs.’ There are those who just repose faith in directors and go by the lines given to them. They are not worried whether they bag the best lines or fellow actors get better scenes.
G. Krishnakumar
