'I am supposed to be a big star'

What adjectives would one associate with the character Satya in Ramgopal Varma's film of the same name?

Quiet, nondescript, one who chooses his words, would be some. So it is rather unsettling to find that, in person, actor Chakravarty, or Chakri as he prefers, is anything but the above.

After a three-year hiatus from Hindi cinema, Chakri is back with Durga, which he has directed, produced and acted in. Priyanka, an upcoming Bengali actress, and Sayaji Shinde, also star in the film scheduled for a March release.

Sporting a bright orange T-shirt and a cap, Chakri exudes a sense of bonhomie. While he flits from one topic to another and spouting philosophy in-between, Vidya Shivram tries to pin him down to talk about his latest project:

How did Durga come about?

After Satya, I told Ramu (Ramgopal Varma) that I was leaving and would back after two years. He thought I was talking like a kid. After all, even people who played small roles in Satya were getting work.

Then I explained that I had a strategy in mind. I started writing.

Like Satya, Durga also about the underworld, isn't it?

Satya's canvas was violence. That canvas was painted with a love story. Durga is just the opposite. The canvas is a love story painted with the red brush of violence.

Where Satya stops --- note, not ends --- Durga begins. Why think of Satya as only the character? Satya is also a story; it is a moment; it is the name of a film; it is truth.

My film is not a sequel --- no punarjanams [rebirths] here! The approach is realistic. You could say it is in the genre of films like, say, Ankush, Drohkaal, Kaal Chakra or Tezaab. More a Tezaab. That does not mean Durga is like Tezaab.

With Durga, you appear to be breaking away from RGV (Ramgopal Varma). But is his shadow still lingering?

I worked with RGV, not with David Dhawan. So naturally, there will be shades of him, not someone else! There are shades of RGV, not the shadow of RGV.

I believe in drama, like him, in twists and turns. I like to give a certain space and some details, whereas he gets into the story and characters head on.

How did you cope with the multi-tasking --- direction, acting, production?

From the days of Shiva, RGV's first directorial venture in which I acted, I have assisted in direction, editing, sound --- everything.

It's all in a bag. Lots of people say, "When I am directing, I think like a director. When I am acting, I think like an actor." I believe you need to be a split personality to do that.

But yes, it was physically taxing. It was back-breaking --- editing, acting and post-production. Production, actually, is the most non-creative and difficult job.

Now, the director in me is happy, the editor [in me] is happy, the actor [in me] is happy. The producer, however, [in me] is scared.

Would you slot Durga with the new crop of films that attempt to be different?

If it is different, it is incidental. There are no more different films, no more stories left. Only the screenplays can be different. The best have already walked away with the stories, like Guru Dutt. I just made what excited me. And I believe it will attract the youth, the masses and the families.

How much of a learning experience has it been?

I am not sure what I have learnt. All I can say is that I have implemented whatever I know. I am not sure whether what I have learnt is right or wrong, but I only know it that way.

I shot the film just the way I wanted to and, if given another chance, I would do it the same way.

Do you have a lot of fans in the South?

What an embarrassing question.

*grinning* Well, I am supposed to be a big star there and I do have a fan following. I have produced and distributed films, too.

But here [in Mumbai], I want to be treated as a fresher. I think people are more forgiving if you are young. It is nice to be fresh and just one film old. It has a nice feel to it.

India News Feature Service