OM Puri may seem like a reticent actor who would not like to share his personal likes and dislikes with strangers, but when you corner him to chat about his favourite movies, music and books, you find he opens up with complete ease.
During his recent visit to Karachi, he took the time out to be placed on our Hot Seat. When asked about the films he’s enjoyed the most, Om Puri says, “I have many favourites but the films made in the Fifties and Sixties have left the greatest impression on my mind. Among the noteworthy ones are the 1957 film Pyasa, directed and produced by Guru Dutt, in which Dutt has also acted. I also rate Kagaz Kay Phool and Jagtey Raho very highly. But, I do enjoy some of the later films too, and among the better ones I’ve seen is Ankur (The Seedling), Shyam Benegal’s first feature film as a writer and director, which was incidentally Shabana Azmi’s debut film too, as a film actor. Other movies I’ve enjoyed are Mandhan and Garam Hawa.”
However, by far Puri’s favourite movie is Tamas, a mini television series in which he has also starred and about which he says: “It is a very significant film. People would ask us why we were reminding them about partition by making a film on it, but my answer was always that it is a part of history about which our children should know. And the fact is that our two countries are still tense with each other, although the animosity is substantially less, and this film is a good reminder of what can happen if we don’t mend our ways and learn to live together and respect each other’s cultures. It is like a warning of the price that we have to pay if we don’t take heed.”
Veer Zara, on the other hand, is one of the few films that Puri took the time out to see in a cinema — he says he was invited to the mahurat but did not see the film then — and was not impressed by.
He says about the movie: “I didn’t find the storyline credible. What was the point of keeping the hero in jail for 22 years? There was no progress in the story for nearly an hour-and-a-half and the film was far too long. However, I do concede that it has been very well shot visually and its music is good too.”
Admitting that he began to watch English movies quite late in the day, Puri says, “I was brought up in Patyala and didn’t see them when I was growing up. But, I do enjoy them and the one film that I saw a long time ago, which has left an impact on my mind till today is Taxi Driver, starring Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd and Jodie Foster. The film is about a mentally unstable Vietnam war veteran who works as a nightmare taxi-driver. The other great English movies I’ve seen are Apocalypse Now based on Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, which is yet another addition to the large number of Vietnam war movies in existence, and Schindler’s List.” The latter, directed by Steven Spielberg, is based on the holocaust horror.
However, that doesn’t mean that Puri does not appreciate comedies. He claims he “loves Charlie Chaplin.” According to Puri, “His movies have meaningful humour, and I always compare him to R.K. Lakshman, who is a legendary cartoonist of India (The Times of India carries his cartoons everyday). I feel it is very difficult to criticize with responsibility and in a way that the target of your criticism realizes there is need to change and improve oneself. Merely abusing achieves no purpose.”
Puri recalls with as much fondness another duo that was famous for its comic acts with a social message - -the notorious ‘Allan’ and ‘Nanna’. Coming back to Chaplin, he adds, “The greatness of Chaplin is that without resorting to the use of any language, he made such great films.”
Puri claims he enjoys listening to music. Says he, “I love listening to folk music and classical music, in particular. I feel folk music of all countries whether you understand the language they are sung in or not, has a certain similarity, especially in rhythm.” Also fond of Nusrat Fateh Ali’s renditions, Puri claims he has many of the legendary singer’s cassettes. He states, “I’ve also heard Reshma and Farida Khanum ji a lot. The first time I heard the latter was in 1980 when we were shooting Mandi in Hyderabad and I found her voice to be truly wonderful.”
Regarding popular Indian film music, Puri says, “I don’t enjoy contemporary film songs as a rule. Taal may have been the only exception, which boasted really good music. The songs of old movies though, sung by Mukesh and Mohammed Rafi were great.”
Claiming to listen to English music as well, Puri says he is fond of Henry Bellefonte and Cat Stevens. However, as a rule, he says he doesn’t “listen to western music too much. When I am travelling, I like to listen to instrumentals of Chopin and Beethoven.”
Puri admits that he doesn’t read books a lot, but adds: “I have read a few books that have had an impact on me, such as Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet, and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach — a slim book I gifted to many friends.”
Puri claims he enjoys reading biographies because often he can identify with the person’s life. He recalls particularly, Charles Chaplin’s biography, about which he says, “The portions dealing with his childhood are very rich and touching and moved me greatly, but the sections in which he dwells on aspects pertaining to box-office, business and calculations are not so gripping.” These days Puri says he is reading a lot of magazines, particularly political ones, “to keep in touch with what is happening around.”
FAVOURITE BOOK: Jonathan Livingstone Seagull by Richard Bach
OM Puri may seem like a reticent actor who would not like to share his personal likes and dislikes with strangers, but when you corner him to chat about his favourite movies, music and books, you find he opens up with complete ease.
