When O.P.Dutta thought...

Courtesy: IndiaFM
Friday, November 03, 2006
Every filmmaker has his own unique style of working. Some filmmakers make shooting a light and fun filled process while some are hard taskmasters and plan everything well in advance. But then there are also some who like to let things happen spontaneously. J.P. Dutta is one such director. He never comes on set with preconceived notions. Though he is well prepared about what he is going to shoot on a particular day, he does not plan how he is going to take the shots. He never works out any shot in advance. He rather believes in keeping things spontaneous and letting them happen on sets. Says J.P.Dutta, "I improvise a lot on the set because there are so many ideas one tends to get when it one is in the actual atmosphere."

The people from cast and crew who have been working regularly with Dutta are very much aware of this habit of his. Since, he lets things happen on the sets itself, there are times when what he wants to film comes in divergence with what had been written earlier, leading to rewriting of the scene again. It is this habit of J.P.Dutta that gave his father O.P.Dutta a real hard time while making Umrao Jaan, who is also the writer of the film. Adds J.P. Dutta, "There have been times when I have made my father write and re-write a scene 4 to 5 times."

In fact, it was during one such occasion when on the sets, Shabana Azmi noticed O.P.Dutta writing feverishly. She was very much aware of J.P.Dutta's working style and therefore immediately chided him saying, "Don't tell me you are making him re-write yet again." That was when J.P. smiled and said to Shabana, "Trust me, he is not writing a scene. He must be writing why did I ever give birth to my son?"

But then J.P.Dutta shares an amazing rapport with his father. O.P Dutta has faith in his son and is sure that the outcome is going to be brilliant. Justifying his style of working, J.P.Dutta says, "I feel that a Director's unique sensibilities are his biggest trump card ...And one must fearlessly and unflinchingly be true to them." And well that did work for him because when O.P.Dutta saw Umrao Jaan, he was truly happy and proud of the way the film has shaped up. He in fact gives full credit to his son, J.P.Dutta, for the film.

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