{"id":8309,"date":"2024-01-23T18:07:54","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T12:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/?p=8309"},"modified":"2025-01-07T16:12:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T10:42:45","slug":"directors-chair-hindi-cinemas-golden-age-in-conversation-with-manek-premchand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningandcreativity.com\/silhouette\/directors-chair-hindi-cinemas-golden-age-in-conversation-with-manek-premchand\/","title":{"rendered":"Director\u2019s Chair \u2013 Hindi Cinema\u2019s Golden Age: In Conversation with Manek Premchand"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Manek Premchand<\/p><\/div>\n

A distinguished music critic, Hindi film connoisseur and author, Manek Premchand has always been fascinated by Hindi cinema\u2019s music. The music of the golden era has motivated him to write several books on the subject \u2014 Yesterday\u2019s Melodies, Today\u2019s Memories,\u00a0Musical Moments From Hindi Films,\u00a0Romancing The Song,\u00a0Shiv Kumar Sharma, The Man and His Music<\/em> (co-authored with two others),\u00a0Talat Mahmood\u2014The Velvet Voice,\u00a0Hitting The Right Notes,\u00a0The Hindi Music Jukebox,\u00a0<\/em><\/span>The Unforgettable Music of Hemant Kumar<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>Majrooh Sultanpuri \u2014 The Poet For All Reasons<\/span><\/a><\/em>and\u00a0Windows to the Soul.<\/em> Besides these, he has written hundreds of music-related articles for a variety of newspapers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this time he has ventured into an unchartered territory. His latest book – <\/span>DIRECTOR\u2019S CHAIR \u2014 Hindi Cinema\u2019s Golden Age<\/i><\/b><\/a> is an entertaining and educative study of the work and lives of most of the notable film directors from Hindi cinema, ranging from people who created films from the silent era in the early 20th century, running down the golden age of the \u201850s and \u201860s, and ending in 1980. The thoughtful, serious, flippant, romantic, thrilling films of this period have a class that is not only unparalleled, but they also provide film critics and connoisseurs valuable material for examination.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand, armed with his passion for Hindi cinema’s music, coupled with his extensive industry experience, brings a unique perspective to the table and adds depth to this exploration of the golden age’s cinematic gems.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read on as we uncover the inspiration, challenges, and fascinating anecdotes that went into the creation of this 572-page masterpiece. Whether you’re a film enthusiast, a history buff, or someone with a keen interest in the magic behind the silver screen, you will find this conversation enlightening.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can order the book on <\/span>Blue Pencil Online<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Amazon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Jyoti Babel:<\/b> What was your inspiration behind the idea of <\/span><\/i>DIRECTOR\u2019S CHAIR \u2014 Hindi\u00a0Cinema\u2019s Golden Age<\/span><\/i><\/a>? What motivated you to dive into the mammoth task of\u00a0writing about the lives and works of Hindi film directors spanning 7 decades?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> I have been writing on music, especially our film music, for decades, but I have also known that there is a visual world such songs have. It was the proliferation of visuals on TV and the popularity of YouTube that triggered my desire to try to also look at the song as it was filmed. My rudimentary attempts to do so made me write a bit from the director’s angle, which in turn helped find me an opportunity to become a Jury Member at the Bangalore International Film Fest, in early 2022. That’s the evolutionary start to my desire to attempt painting such a canvas.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Director\u2019s

Director\u2019s Chair \u2013 Hindi Cinema\u2019s Golden Age by Manek Premchand<\/p><\/div>\n

Jyoti Babel:<\/b> Selecting a specific topic for a book is one challenge, but creating an\u00a0encyclopedia, especially on a vast and diverse subject like Hindi film<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/i>directors, raises the dilemma of deciding what to include and what to omit\u00a0from the extensive pool of material, research, and insights. The book covers\u00a0directors from the silent era to 1980. Why did you decide on 1980 as the cut-off year?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> You are so right, the book was an enormous challenge for me. As I have mentioned in the book’s introduction, I imagine that it may have posed a challenge to other\u00a0historians too, some of whom many of us admire, like BD Garga, Mihir Bose, and Bunny Reuben. Perhaps that’s why they never touched this subject, although there was a crying need to address it. Because look, several generations have enjoyed impactful films, right? Their makers have left deep impressions on our minds, so their stories had to be told on a common platform.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As for the cut-off year, the project was already threatening to look unmanageably\u00a0large when I spent a few days considering the idea. Thus the curtain had to be dropped somewhere. So what I did was look at my earlier book, Yesterday’s Melodies, Today’s Memories. In that book, I had lowered the curtain in 1980. That book was first published in 2003, and not a single reader (it has sold in 1000s) ever suggested that 1980 was the wrong time to stop. They did find other small issues, like why wasn’t so-and-so not enough there, or such-and-such song absent, etc. But no one contested that by 1980, the magic of the music had dropped significantly. I imagine most people feel the same way about Hindi cinema. The quality fell precipitously by that year.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jyoti Babel: <\/b>Your earlier works were chiefly on music – on singers, music composers,\u00a0lyricists, musicians. How was writing about directors different? What\u00a0<\/span><\/i>challenges did you face in researching and compiling information about\u00a0directors from different eras?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> This book was a departure from my other work, and it was tough deciding whom to take, and whom not to. Then which films to talk about, and which to give a miss. A lot of subjectivity then, but helped in large doses by a ‘jury’ of 12 friends who helped me decide the personalities to attempt. Resource matter had to be found, and old films had to be watched and rewatched. I had to make perhaps three dozen changes in virtually every para of the book to offer a sharp focus on the people who needed to be saluted. But I’m not complaining at all. It was fun, oh yes! It was fun, and I’m not glad the writing and publishing is over.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jyoti Babel: <\/b>The golden age of Hindi cinema produced iconic film directors whose works\u00a0are considered classics today. Is there any specific director or film that you\u00a0found particularly fascinating or inspiring during your research?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> Many, many. But Sohrab Modi, BR Chopra, V Shantaram, Nitin Bose, AR Kardar…oh my goodness, so many! These guys were mad I tell you. I don’t mean it clinically of course. But I can’t find the right word to describe their obsession.\u00a0<\/span>Junoon<\/span><\/i>\u00a0I think in Hindustani. It’s when an idea or project consumes you. I got inspired by Dadasaheb Phalke when he staked his all to make India’s first feature film. The amazing K Asif just forgot what money was–and time was–because he somehow found both, to aspire for excellence in <\/span>Mughal-e-Azam<\/span><\/i>. Hrishikesh Mukherjee and his feelings for the common man, in film after film. BR Chopra who was just exceptional is espousing social causes. It’s a huge list!\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"great

A few of the hundreds of film directors profiled in Director’s Chair
L to R top row: Nitin Bose, K Asif, Sohrab Modi, Bimal Roy
L to R bottom row: Hrishikesh Mukherjee, AR Kardar, BR Chopra, V Shantaram<\/p><\/div>\n

Jyoti Babel: <\/b>Are there any lesser-known directors or films from the golden age that you\u00a0believe deserve more recognition, and why?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> No one comes to mind as such. But a lot of people are remembered for their cinema, like Raj Khosla, M Sadiq, Gulzar, and HS Rawail. These people were very gifted too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jyoti Babel: <\/b>What do you believe is the most significant legacy of these Golden Age\u00a0directors on the Indian film industry and film culture in general?\u00a0How has their\u00a0influence shaped the generations that followed?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> The important thing the filmmakers from the golden era did was to generally offer\u00a0<\/span>saaf-suthra<\/span><\/i>\u00a0films with good music. They used imagination and spared no effort. They took from published literature, both Indian and foreign, and interpreted it well. They did not rely on camera zooms or flash cuts to give us too many headaches. They romanticized the idea of love, of brotherhood, of loyalty. The idea of loyalty was showcased by a Hindu Rajput (Ajit) for a Muslim Prince (Dilip Kumar) in <\/span>Mughal-e-Azam<\/span><\/i>.<\/span> Insaf Ka Tarazu<\/span><\/i> made us worry about crime and punishment. <\/span>Mere Mehboob<\/span><\/i> showed us to look at Sadhana’s ethereal beauty, without a ton of makeup. <\/span>Sangam<\/span><\/i> advanced the idea of sacrifice. Many films of this age were like Aesop’s fables, which had moral messages.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"samadhi

Nalini Jaywant and Ashok Kumar in the very popular movie Samadhi<\/em> (Pic: NFAI)<\/p><\/div>\n

Jyoti Babel: <\/b>How did the evolving socio-political landscape of India shape the themes and narratives explored by directors during the Golden Age?\u00a0Did their films actively engage with or mirror these changes?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> Oh films and society took from each other all the time. They had a symbiotic embrace. The early talkies, ie, the 1930s and ’40s for instance had plenty of cinema that echoed Gandhiji’s call for independence. Stories and songs also moralised about becoming good human beings.\u00a0<\/span>Teri gatthri mein laaga chor musafir jaag zara<\/span><\/i>\u00a0from <\/span>Dhoop Chhaon<\/span><\/i> (1935) tells us to stay alert. By dozing off, here’s what will happen:\u00a0<\/span>Neend mein maal gawa baithega, apna aap luta baithega, phir peechhe kuchh naheen bachega laakh machaaye shor<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0Films handled narratives to tell us what was happening, so for example, <\/span>Kismet (1943)<\/span><\/i> highlighted Gandhiji’s call for Independence, while <\/span>Samadhi (1950) <\/span><\/i>reflected the events of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and his INA. Films mirrored what was happening in society but society also mirrored what was happening in cinema. This is true even today, except there’s some distancing between such art and real life. Perhaps that’s why we don’t take films so seriously. But Guru Dutt, and Bimal Roy, such people were giants who managed to make an impact on our psyches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jyoti Babel: <\/b>In the book, you emphasise the director’s significance in the filmmaking\u00a0process. You also touch upon the challenges faced by filmmakers in the\u00a0absence of today’s technological advancements. How did these challenges\u00a0shape the creativity and ingenuity of directors during the golden age, in your\u00a0opinion? Could you also elaborate on how the director\u2019s role extends beyond\u00a0that of other members of a film’s cast and crew?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> It was like this. Directors were like children who had a Lego set in their hands, with infinite possibilities of creating the product they imagined. This was inspired by others excelling in the medium, not only in India but also abroad. It was an age when everyone just rolled up their sleeves to make a thing of beauty. Everyone needed money of course, but most of these people were first concerned about doing something to be remembered for. That has changed now. Most directors do exactly as the producer says, meaning money is perhaps 90% of the story. It’s as if they are following Warren Buffet who famously said, “There are two rules in the business. First, don’t lose money. Second, follow rule number 1.”<\/span><\/p>\n

As for his role, the director is the boss, just like a captain is the boss in a plane or ship. The director interacts with everyone, the story writer, and then every single person, across the diverse areas that come together to complete a film. Most other people have really nothing much to do with the others. It is the director who takes the blame for a film’s dismal performance or a successful one. That’s why he is always named in Film Fest brochures, even if no one else is mentioned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Chupke

Lily Chakraborty, Jaya Bhaduri, Asrani and Hrishikesh Mukherjee at the shooting of Chupke Chupke<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Jyoti Babel: <\/b>Your previous works include books on Hindi cinema’s music. How did your\u00a0fascination with film music contribute to your exploration of directors in this\u00a0book, and do you see any notable connections between directors and music\u00a0in the golden age?<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Manek Premchand:<\/b> So for example I love the songs of <\/span>Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966)<\/span><\/i>. But when I looked at the visual treatment the director gave the songs, I went wow! For example, the song\u00a0<\/span>Dilruba maine tere pyaar mein kya kya na kiya<\/span><\/i>\u00a0is sung by Dilip Kumar as he sings for Waheeda, who is also around. At one point, the lyrics get to where he needs to assure her and perhaps himself of his love for her. The setting is the ruins of Mandu, with a statue of Lord Shiva, who is the mute companion in their romance. So he looks at Lord Shiva and sings\u00a0<\/span>Kaun duniya se dare, jab nigehbaan hai tu<\/span><\/i>?\u00a0When you watch the song, the\u00a0mise-en-scene\u00a0amazes. Director Kardar chose the same location later to highlight Waheeda’s angst when she thinks her sweetheart has died. Only this time she has a questioning look for Lord Shiva.<\/span><\/p>\n