Space Craft

Anuradha Benegal is not aloft the ninth cloud for being the production designer of her husband Dev Benegal's much talked about Split Wide ...

Anuradha Benegal is not aloft the ninth cloud for being the production designer of her husband Dev Benegal’s much talked about Split Wide Open. This consciousness, it seems, she has already felt four years ago with English August the framed poster of the one of the major parallel cinematic works of India, drapes a large portion of her Juhu office lobby.But there’s more to Tropic Film premises at Janaki Kutir than its walls trimmed with film posters.

Judicious use of space here comes across as more sensible than handiwork of most architects today. Not surprising, if one knows that Benegal is also an architect by profession. So what did she think of participants at the H&FS Design Awards held last month? "Unfortunately, the focus is on surface treatment these days," she says, disillusioned with the whole notion of interiors, where wall papering and cluttering don’t let the space breath.

"Professionals today treat interiors as a cube, by giving in to the popular demand," she says, pronouncing the need for a professional bringing in his values to the project — a sentiment one could perceive both in English August and Split…

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"I feel, there is so much mediocrity these days and customers don’t get to experience the elemental and purer things. Stemming from this, English August happened very organically," says Benegal, who sensed film-making as an extension of her exacting attitude and her interest in varied streams of art. Should we say it runs in her blood? After all, her mother started the Mohile Parikh Centre for Visual Arts! "Yes, probably it’s ingrained in me," she says, firmly believing in injecting values to mainstream cinema. "A string of narrative and melodrama are intrinsic to films. But one can also explore modern sensibilities with a melodramatic chord, not compromising on the statements we make."

Ironically, Benegal is a complete box-office viewer. In a suspending sense of belief, she even cries during a film, Shahrukh Khan is one of her favourite actors, she loved Baadshah, but is disappointed with Phir bhi dil hai…. "With all the resources he had, he could have made a very good film. Resources are, after all, constrained for us," she says, explaining the reason behind the gap of four years between their two films, for "ideally, one should be able to finish a film in two years." Believing that it isn’t enough to make a good-looking film and that one should also create an environment true to the characters, Benegal points out the importance of her role. Production design is a fairly new concept in India. "From conceptualising the blue-print to linking the concepts underlying the script and the director’s vision, is what a production designer does." In other words, being involved in everything!

All because Benegal doesn’t believe in an escapist fare. "This can happen only if you give your best to one project. Even my architectural projects are very few. I do as much as I can complete," she verbally balances her work and the need to spend time with her six-year-old son Ishaan. The next project? "We will soon film Kiran Nagarkar’s Ravan and Eddie, where characters will grow up from the novel’s context to be dance directors and action directors in Bollywood. Funny and wicked!"