I was not able to give my father even one meal with my money: Rajkumar Santoshi

Rajkumar Santoshi

Rajkumar Santoshi, 55, is a National and Filmfare awarded director who grew up watching commercial films of MGR and Vijay Anand, but learnt filmmaking from Govind Nihalani. Much like his mentor Govindji, he follows his conviction and has made films ranging from Andaz Apna Apna to The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Success, for him, is not money but the enabler that allows him to make films he would like to. His father PL Santoshi was a generous man and a respected director and he believes that it is his good karma that has made him what he is today. There are two things that can never change in his life — one that he owes his knowledge of cinema to Govindji and second that Sunny Deol gave him his first break. He spoke to TOI just ahead of the release of Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, about the possessive Sunny Deol, sharing his father's shortcomings and why he regrets not having spent enough time with his mother. Excerpts:

Your father PL Santoshi was an extremely respected director of his times.
My father was from Jabalpur. While his real surname was Shrivastav, his pen name was Santoshi. There was a shoot taking place in Jabalpur where they were looking for a dialogue assistant. He was a good writer and he wrote it for them. He got encouraged and came to Mumbai in the mid-30s to become a writer and became a lyricist. Then, in 1946, he got a chance to direct a film where he introduced Dev Anand and Guru Dutt assisted him. He introduced OP Nayyar and encouraged Kishore Kumar and made films like Sargam with Raj Kapoor and Barsaat Ki Raatwith Madhubala. He moved to Chennai for a few years to make Tamil films where he met my Tamilian mother and got married to her. He was married earlier, but those days, the anti-bigamy act had not kicked in and so he did not have to formally divorce to get married to my mother. He had two children from his first wife and we are still in touch. I was born in Chennai and moved to Mumbai at the age of five when my father returned to the city. The last three years before my father died was a very low phase for him in his career and he would ghostwrite for Telugu dubbed films to survive. We moved to a rented place in Thane. I also wanted to become a director and so I dropped my studies after Class XI and became an unpaid assistant to my father as he could not afford one. I feel very happy that I left studies and roamed with him in his last three years. Seeing him struggle, I understood life for the first time. My father was extremely emotional and respected and everyone called him guruji. His downfall had started as he turned producer. Creative people rarely become good businessmen. He was a spendthrift and was very generous. But I never regretted that fact as to make your life on your own strength, gives you another high. The struggle I have gone through helps me in my creative work today. He died in 1978 due to kidney failure. With zero savings and a mother, grandmother and two younger sisters to look after, I was left as the only earning member in the family.

How did you get your first break?
After his death, I became serious in life. I assisted Robin Dharamraj for Chakra. That is where I got introduced to alternative cinema. I then joined Vidhu Vinod Chopra to do production work, but I did not enjoy it and would often bunk office on some pretext or the other. I went to Vinod and confessed this to him and told him that even though he was paying me very well, I was not enjoying it and that he should leave me. He was very happy and he said to me, 'Raj, you will come up in life in a big way. Few people have the courage to own the truth like you do.' I then assisted Govind Nihalani and that became my biggest learning. I assisted Govindji on five films and whatever I am today is only because of him. I then realised that I had become relaxed and did not want to be called the best chief assistant in the industry. I again went to him to tell him that I wanted to struggle to get an independent break but requested him to keep my chair to fall back on. For one year, I struggled after which I met an old producer from south, P Subbarao, who I knew due to my father. He agreed to produce a film for me and suggested Sanjay Dutt who was a big star at that time. I had written Ghayal and was clear that I wanted either Kamal Haasan or Sunny Deol. Kamal's earlier Hindi film had not done well and Sunny only worked with big directors, but I was adamant. I thought of asking Dharamji, who knew my father, to put me on to Sunny but then decided against it and instead, called Sunny's secretary Jatin Rajguru and introduced myself as having assisted Govindji. He knew Govindji and gave me time with Sunny. Sunny agreed to do the film but he wanted 18 lakh whereas Subbarao agreed to give only 12 then and six later, that too, only if the film became a silver jubilee. Even though it was my first film, I took Sunny aside and told him that the film would cross 25 weeks and that he should agree. He agreed but the producer vanished for two months. Finally, Sunny decided to also produce it. That was the turning point in my life.

There is a lot of pain in your voice as you talk about your father.
My father gave me so much. His death disturbs me even now as I could not give him even one meal from my earned money. He died a sad man in KEM government hospital. He died worried and am sure he must have been so much in pain as we were almost on the street at that time. I remember one Diwali before he died, my father did not have any money and some friend had promised to give him some, so we had gone to his place in Byculla. There was puja happening there and my father is thinking that he has to go from Byculla to Thane where his family is waiting for him to come with the money to buy clothes and firecrackers. So we are sitting there seeing the firecrackers going up into the air and people have started their celebrations whereas ours had not even begun. While he never spoke to me about it, I understood his pain. That is why when someone comes and asks me for money, I always give it as I know that behind one man there is a whole family. Some people don't even ask due to self pride, but I will always make it a point to give it. My mother died three years back due to cancer and I cry thinking I could not spend as much time with her also. We all live thinking we will live forever, but life suddenly goes away. Even though she lived with me, she would be sitting on the terrace while I would have my discussions inside for three hours. Now I regret not having spent one hour out of those three with her. Even though my work will continue, I cannot get my mom back. We cry only once we don't have something, but don't value it when we have it. I have bought this house with a terrace where I can see the stars and feel the breeze which is tax-free but still we do not want to enjoy it. I feel responsible for my family and my team as I know they look at my face and live. Way back, I made Damini where the protagonist fights for the right of her maid who is raped and is not part of her family. Today, we are seeing a girl in Mumbai stand up for a rape of a girl in Delhi.

You seem to be an emotional person?
Yes. I am an emotional person and have not learnt from the struggle and downfall of my father and make the same mistakes. I am bad with money. When I had the choice of the best stars, I chose Sunny to make Ghayal even though I was a beggar looking for a job. I read somewhere that God also helps the brave. After making Ghayal I made Damini. I don't like to go either by the trend or stardom. I am quite rigid if I have made up my mind on something. I am a spendthrift and will even borrow money to help someone that makes my wife worried as I feel God has given me the position and the capacity to ask and pay back.

How is Sunny Deol?
Sunny has a tough exterior but is extremely sensitive inside. He is very touchy and possessive about his relationships. He liked me a lot but if I would work with other actors or other producers he would feel it even though he would not stop me.

You worked under Govind Nihalani for five years. Apart from films, what else did you imbibe from him?
Even though Om Puri was not a lead actor and everyone had advised Govindji to take Naseer inArdh Satya, he was clear that Om Puri was his man. He believed in him so much that he even made posters highlighting his pockmarks. After Ardh Satya, all big filmmakers wanted to work with Govindji but he wanted to make a small film Party for NFDC and he made it. I too was born like that but training under him, I learnt to stick to my conviction. Even today, that is what gives me courage as I know that even if no star works with me, I can still make an Ardh Satya
.