If marriages are made in heaven, inventive partnerships within the movie world are cast in movie faculties. Aspiring filmmakers and technicians research collectively, spend time exchanging concepts and their bonding leads to future cinema experiments and initiatives that go on to grow to be cinema classics. One such partnership was cast in FTII, the place a younger Hitendra Ghosh was studying the ropes of filmmaking below his tutor Shyam Benegal. This was the early ’70s, Shyam Benegal had already spent a substantial time within the promoting circuit and made some compelling documentaries. So Benegal reviewed a 30-odd minute diploma movie made by Hitendra Ghosh and was satisfied that Ghosh could be the proper man to seize the sound of his upcoming movie Nishant. After which over a interval of fifty years, Hitendra Ghosh was the Sound Designer on each Shyam Benegal movie, proper up till his final one – Mujib: The Making Of A Nation (2023).
Chatting with Filmfare about this piece of historical past between his and Shyam Benegal’s early profession, Ghosh says, “Shyam babu was my examiner at FTII. He had already made Ankur, however he was recognized extra for his documentaries again then. And since documentaries are recognized for his or her genuine portrayal of actuality, that facet rubbed off on Shyam’s cinematic type too. His movies needed to be as genuine as actuality. Maybe he noticed that streak in my diploma movie and he was satisfied {that a} rank newcomer like me ought to be the Sound Designer on his second function movie. I used to be shocked. I used to be a no person, I didn’t also have a clue about Bombay or the Bombay movie trade. However straight out of the FTII in Pune, I discovered myself working because the Sound Designer on Shyam Benegal’s Nishant.”
Shyam Benegal had invested all his religion in a newcomer movie pupil. It was choice that was bothering a younger Hitendra Ghosh way over it was the already established filmmaker, Benegal. Fifty years on, Ghosh is ready to look again at that call of Shyam Benegal and clarify why it was so. He says, “Shyam babu had the knack of trusting the individuals he would work with. He was the director on a movie and in contrast to most different filmmakers, he wouldn’t meddle in different individuals’s jobs. Most administrators will inform their actors, the right way to act, the right way to carry out, the right way to emote or the right way to ship the dialogue. Shyam alternatively would hand the script to his actors and inform them to do their job. If Naseeruddin Shah got here up with the concept he’ll say 2 strains of dialogue standing up, then go and sit in a chair and say the following 2 strains of dialogue sitting down, Shyam would say, ‘certain, let’s do it that means’. Govind Nihalani, who shot most of Shyam’s earlier movies had full freedom to do what he wished with the digicam. Shyam ji wouldn’t ask him how he needs to take the shot. In distinction, I’ve seen trendy filmmakers ask the cinematographer to step away from the digicam as they begin working it for key photographs. Shyam would by no means do this.”
Shyam Benegal gave Hitendra Ghosh the identical freedom whereas recording the movie’s sounds. In reality, Hitendra was at liberty to name for retakes if the sound recording wasn’t on top of things. He explains intimately, “Shyam babu simply left the whole sound of the movie to me. His solely expectation was that we report all the things on location. He didn’t consider in dubbing and fixing the sound in a while within the studio. All the pieces that you simply heard in a Shyam Benegal film was recorded reside on set or on location. We’re speaking in regards to the ’70s and ’80s. Each different filmmaker within the nation was counting on actors dubbing their dialogues after the shoot within the studio, however Shyam would give his actors only one transient. ‘There can be no dubbing in a while. Your dialogues can be recorded reside, as you carry out’.” It was akin to appearing in theatre in entrance of a reside viewers. For the actors on a Shyam Benegal film set, failure or fumbling was merely not an choice. Ghosh believes, that’s precisely why Shabana Azmi, Anant Nag, Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil and even Shashi Kapoor gave their life’s greatest performances in Shyam Benegal motion pictures. He explains, “Plenty of filmmakers inform the actors throughout shoot, ‘Arre rigidity mat lo, hum woh dialogue dubbing mein sambhal lenge’. Shyam would by no means give that likelihood to his actors. They needed to converse their last dialogues on set and I must report all their voices with my single microphone. Hollywood had the know-how to shoot sync sound through the ’70s, however we didn’t have these sources. So the actors needed to be focussed and provides it their greatest on set. No Shyam Benegal movie ever went into the dubbing stage.”
Curiously, certainly one of India’s first official sync sound movies, Zubeidaa (2001) was additionally a Shyam Benegal film. However Hitendra Ghosh and Shyam Benegal had already been utilizing the sync sound method from 30 years in the past. Ghosh explains how the magic unfolded on the units of Junoon (1979), “In one of many scenes Naseeruddin Shah has an emotional outburst and he’s raiding a shelf stuffed with pigeons, throwing them out. We had one mic and through his animated antics, Naseer hit the microphone 3-4 occasions. It created a loud ‘thak’ sound within the recording. However Naseer’s efficiency, the outrage he poured out was good. As at all times, Shyam got here to me to ask if the sound was okay. I instructed him that Naseer’s hits on the microphone could be an issue, however I’ll deal with it. I might have requested for a retake, however I knew the depth of Naseer’s efficiency wouldn’t be the identical, so we saved the unique shot.” There was one other event the place Hitendra was capable of train his veto, and it created a problem for Naseeruddin Shah. Ghosh elaborates, “On one other day through the Junoon shoot, I went as much as Naseer and instructed him that he had a shot the place he was strolling and needed to say a dialogue. I instructed him to stroll with thuds in order that the mic would decide up the sound of his strolling. Naseer immediately retorted, ‘Arre yaar Ghosh. Primary scene mein dialogue bolu ya zor zor se pair patak ke chalu?’. To which, I politely instructed Naseer that it was the requirement of the scene and he once more retorted, ‘Tum log kya kya karate ho hum actors se…’.” Evidently, on a Shyam Benegal set, each particular person was trusted to do their job with out somebody influencing them. Ghosh believes that’s why Shyam Benegal’s function movies had the identical sensible influence as documentaries. Ghosh provides, “Nothing in a Shyam Benegal film was staged. All the pieces was actual and genuine.”
Hitendra, over a profession spanning 5 a long time has labored on greater than 3000 initiatives with greater than 2000 filmmakers. His filmography has greater than 300+ function movie entries and he has labored with stalwarts like Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Tapan Sinha, Subhash Ghai, Rakesh Roshan and extra. However he nonetheless considers Shyam Benegal to be the perfect of the lot. Ghosh explains, “There’s no different filmmaker at par with Shyam Benegal on the earth. In reality, I can inform you the fundamental distinction between a Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal. Satyajit Ray would plan each element, each shot, each a part of his shoot a day earlier than. He would plan for probably the most primary digicam actions as effectively. Shyam Benegal alternatively would inform his solid and crew, ‘Let’s go to the situation tomorrow and see what we have to do’. Shyam babu would determine his strategy, his course and his filmmaking method relying on the day and the situation. That’s why he was capable of give a lot freedom to everybody on set. He would let his crew deal with something and all the things that was wanted to create the shot.”
In reality, such was the liberty on Shyam Benegal’s units that he would take heed to his workforce members for vital selections like casting, too. Ghosh elaborates how he was capable of persuade Benegal into casting Smita Patil for Nishant and Nafisa Ali for Junoon. Ghosh reveals, “For Nishant, Shyam had already finalised Shabana Azmi, however we had been looking out for different actresses. We wanted a lovely face and our choices had been restricted. Someday, I used to be on the Mumbai Doordarshan workplace and I noticed Smita studying the information. I discovered her complexion and options to be very enticing. After I met, Shyam later within the day, I instructed him he should meet this lady known as Smita Patil, who’s a newsreader with Doordarshan. I had already spoken to Smita, who was not assured a couple of stint within the motion pictures, however ultimately she confirmed as much as meet Shyam and the remaining is historical past.” Ghosh had an analogous contribution through the pre-production section of Junoon, a movie that was produced by Shashi Kapoor. He remembers, “Shyam and his workforce had finalised a woman to function in Junoon, reverse Shashi Kapoor. She was the daughter of India’s then ambassador to Japan. She was a brief lady, barely 5-feet tall and he or she was handsome. However I discovered an issue together with her casting. Right here, we had the good-looking Shashi Kapoor, virtually six-feet tall, and his character needed to fall in love with this younger lady. She needed to be bodily enticing and charming. So I walked upto Shyam and instructed him that casting the Ambassador’s daughter was not a good suggestion. Shyam defined that it was a requirement of the script. Shashi’s character was 35-odd years outdated and he needed to fall in love with a 17-year-old lady. That’s why they solid a brief lady who would look younger sufficient on display screen. However I used to be satisfied {that a} man, of Shashi Kapoor’s age and his persona, would wish bodily attraction. I had met Nafisa Ali, who was then a Nationwide swimming champion as effectively. She was tall and so good trying that males used to show round to catch a glimpse of her. I recommended Shyam meet Nafisa as soon as earlier than capturing Junoon. When Nafisa met Shyam, he was capable of perceive my perspective and after some auditions, Nafisa was finalised for the position of Ruth in Junoon.”
With Shyam Benegal’s passing away, his oldest collaborator and good buddy, Ghosh is feeling the ennui. He confesses, “I had simply met Shyam on his 90th birthday on December 14. He seemed lively and blissful. We met Shabana and Naseer, too. However now he’s gone. I caught by him from Nishant to Mujib. There have been so many individuals who labored with him, however I had the great fortune of working alongside him for my whole profession and his as effectively. It’s unhappy to see him go. It’s unhappy to see all my good mates go. I first misplaced Mukul S Anand, then Tapan Sinha and now Shyam.”
