Screenwriters From India

"The Ray Gopi Gayan classic was known as much as a children's film, noted for Gupi, a singer, and Bagha, a drummer, as a social film which was a comment on poor governance, corruption at high places and lapses in administration in contemporary society."

"Sometimes even Satyajit Ray was criticized for portraying only the poverty of Bengal. That poverty is not the whole story of India, just a part."

"Ray was a terrific director! He was versatile in choosing the subjects of his film. And his films were very sophisticated, very clean. I got some idea about India from his films."

"...Indian cinema does not stand for just Bollywood. Kolkata is the place of Satyajit Ray..."

"Last, but not least -- in fact, this is most important -- you need a happy ending. However, if you can create tragic situations and jerk a few tears before the happy ending, it will work much better."

"I never imagined that any of my films, especially Pather Panchali, would be seen throughout this country or in other countries. The fact that they have is an indication that, if you're able to portray universal feelings, universal relations, emotions, and characters, you can cross certain barriers and reach out to others, even non-Bengalis."

"If the theme is simple, you can include a hundred details that create the illusion of actuality better."

"I believe in committed cinema. I mean, commitment in the broadest sense of the term."

"In relation to man and his society, experiment can not dangle on void. It must belong. Belong to man."

"Tagore once said– art has to be beautiful, but, before that, it has to be truthful. Now, what is truth? There is no eternal truth. Every artist has to learn private truth though a painful private process. And that is what he has to convey."

"Being fair-complexioned continues to be the norm in cinema."

"Rajnikanth’s dedication, compassion for the welfare of co-artistes and passion for cinema have been key factors for his success as a mass-entertainer."

"Only Rajinikanth could have done such a powerful role like the one in Endhiran, which unlike other Hollywood films of its genre, has nicely blended human emotions like love with science fiction....“If in a conservative place like Dubai, people queue up early morning to see this film, then Rajinikanth is definitely God’s favourite child,”"

"If one analyses his career graph closely, one can understand that the arrow always pointed upwards. There were no major jumps, no deep plummeting…"

"...are all pointers tro how he was obsessed with creating a new trend in cinema,"

"But it was the fire in Rajini’s eyes that convinced me that he has a future as an actor."

"Even ten years back, Indian film producers may not have thought of this scale, as there is a business logic to this new model aided by neo-liberal economic policies; when films are available on DVDs alongside Internet-based web interface, the first two weeks box-office collections make all the difference."

"Truly come of age globally."

"Continues that great tradition that binds reel-life with the larger than life-world as a popular hero."

"His performance, his involvement in the film, was unforgettable. During the 90-day schedule, the entire unit was on a kind of vrat, abstaining from cigarettes and non-vegetarian food. We took the script first to Mantralayam, the abode of the saint, and got it blessed. We did the same thing again with the first copy."

"He then did Sri Raghavendra, a saintly role completely at variance to his usual flamboyance. And the idea came from Rajini himself. He is a devotee of the saint. He took the idea to K Balachander (KB, as he is known) who produced the film. I directed it."

"Twenty-five years in the industry for him, 25 films with him for me... It gives me great pleasure to realise that I too have had some small role to play in his success."

"How do I describe the Rajinikanth I know? I would say he is, at the bottom of it all, human. That is the best adjective I have. It is this quality of humanness that stands out. He acts in front of the camera... never behind it. In the sense, he is a natural, unaffected person in real life. He is open, frank, very forthright, very loyal to his friends and family. A great human being."

"Rajini is the kind of person who is involved in every aspect of the film he is working on, right from the scripting stage. Even when doing an out-and-out commercial film, he has to sit with his script, get a feel of the character he is playing... You can't separate the actor from the star, because he is very involved with whatever role he plays. He is very demanding of himself, has to be one hundred per cent satisfied with every take he gives. He drives himself very hard."

"If Rajini is a diamond, then KB and I worked together to perfect him. KB discovered him. I helped to polish him."

"...supplanted the noted Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio as japans trendiest heartthrob in Japan."

"He gets flustered if I am not present at all the important functions in his home. He would keep asking people whether I had arrived. It has been so for years now."

"Rajini is a very committed actor. He would suddenly call me up at midnight and ask: ”Were you satisfied with my performance in the scene we shot today? Should I have acted differently, sir."

"Rajnikanth has gone through harrowing times. He has come out defiant, never defeated. Emerged from all his trials and temptations, tempered and toughened, his self–belief is fragile and vulnerable... For, success sits lightly on his shoulders. His spirit is sustained by his spirituality and his courage by his convictions."

"While others used the staircase, he used the elevator to stardom. I don’t think any other actor in cinema made cigarette smoking a such an asset to his repertoire."

"Rajinikanth claims that I am his school. But I must admit that this wasn't the Rajinikanth I introduced. he has evolved on his own merits and strengths. I gave him an opportunity and unveiled him to the world. He went and conquered it"

"He has no serious interest whatsoever in politics. He was compelled to make some political statements, a while ago, to achieve a particular purpose. I would not like to specify more on this particular issue. Now that he has achieved that objective, he has no further interest in politics. We have advised him to steer clear of politics. If you want to help people, we advised him, please do it as an individual, not as a politician."

"The style we refer to is in his mannerisms and affectations, not his clothes. "Basically, he is a very simple man. He is still quite content to stretch out on the floor and take a small nap, when he visits any of our homes. He has not become dependent on luxuries, soft beds or plush furniture."

"We think he has achieved much more than he could have in any other profession because he is helping so many poor people in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere today,""

"Before that, although Shivaji had some Tamilian friends like me, he had no interest in that language and conversed only in Kannada. But after that, we switched completely to Tamil and he picked up the language in no time."

"He is a very good man, and he has endured so much that it has helped him become a strong man today."

"He was a good sportsman too. He was an excellent fast bowler and a good fielder. He was also a very good kabaddi player."

"He studied in English medium and that is how he speaks such good English in movies now. If he had studied further, he would have become a doctor or engineer today."

"We used to have a period called story hour. Shivaji was such a popular story-teller that after some months, he became our standard minstrel: the students simply did not want anyone else. He would not tell original stories. But he had the talent of narrating and enacting well-known, popular old tales -- like that of Vikram and the betaal -- so well that the biggest truants would come to class to listen to his stories."

"...he was always God-fearing and fairly spiritual-minded. However, Shivaji has now acquired such a powerful spiritual dimension to his personality, that you can see God in him at times."

"We would struggle to heft a big bag of groceries home, but Shivaji would pick up sack after sack, and heave them right into waiting lorries. He was never a shirker and his capacity to work hard has definitely helped him reach where he is today."

"Shivaji [Rajinikanth] was known for his depiction of Duryodhana. Even then, Shivaji's dialogue delivery was perfect -- he never muffed his lines."

"Two decades after he opted out of an indifferent run in Hindi films, Rajinikanth conquered Bollywood in his own way in 2010. The Robot set the box office on fire, reaffirming his super star status"

"Everyone in the bus service liked him, back in those days. He used to move easily with everyone. But he was also a very short-tempered man. He would not get violent or anything like that when he lost his cool, but he never hesitated to shout at people if he felt they were in the wrong. Basically, he was a serious-minded type of chap, but he could also be the life and soul of a party, keeping everyone laughing with his jokes.""

"Shivaji [Rajinikanth] would lend a certain style to even the most mundane of a bus conductor's tasks. He would snap out the tickets with pizzazz. He was always very fast in his movements and everything he did. It is this speed and style that he has taken with him into cinema, and that has become his trademark there now."

"Even then, Shivaji [Rajinikanth] used to grow his forelock long and push it off his forehead a thousand times a day. That's why his hair has all dropped off now! He was always a very different kind of man. For example, he would walk very fast: if we walked somewhere in a group, he would walk off briskly far ahead. It is this impatience to get ahead that stood him in good stead later."

"We are still on yeno lai and baaro nanna magane (Kannada terms for extreme familiarity) terms with him: if we ever forget and address him as Saar (Sir) since he is a rich superstar and we are all poor, ordinary men, he gets most hurt and offended."

"He could do well in politics since he's a fire sign - they fire straight from the shoulder! But he can make enemies in the process, so he should avoid it." He could focus on charity work instead. Rajnikanth shares characteristics with other typical 3s, like the world's second richest man, Warren Buffet (30/8), who used to deliver newspapers door-to-door early in life, and the fourth richest, Ingvar Kamprad (30/3), born in a small village, who used to sell matches for a living. Rajnikanth's run of good fortune is far from over. His 60th year will also be a landmark for him."

"Jupiter is the planet of wealth, which means such a person is rewarded for his efforts. 3, 6 and 9 are Rajnikanth's lucky numbers. He's currently in his 57th year (5+7=3), and 2007=9. Sivaji adds up to 9. Even more acclaim may come his way before his birthday."

"He's a classic number 3, not once but thrice. He's ruled by Jupiter (3) as he is born on December 12 (3), and as a Sagittarian, he is influenced by Jupiter, his compound number is 12+12+1950=3."