With a fascination for period films, writer-director Atul Sabharwal says he likes the ‘drama which history brings’

Like his slow-burn film Berlin, writer-director Atul Sabharwal takes a while to warm up. The opening monosyllabic answer, in response to his reaction on rave reviews that Berlin has got, is a simple ‘thrilled.’ But soon enough profound assertions on his fascination for period cinema, for fiction as history and more, ensue.

First things first, he doesn’t think Indian audience only roots for fast-paced thrillers. He cites Sriram Raghavan’s Andhadhun and Badlapur, which, incidentally, he himself saw thrice in theatres, and Sujoy Ghosh’s sleeper hit Kahani, as sterling examples of such films working with audiences even in theatres.

Indeed, Berlin is a brand new kahani and treads new ground. Among its many novelties is the deaf and mute character as the lead protagonist of a spy. As a dialogue in the film goes… ‘Can any agency in the world recruit a deaf and mute person as a spy’… we wonder if Atul has ever come across one? He laughs, “Let alone deaf and mute, I doubt if I ever met any spy or even if I have I would not know. This is imagination at its best, the result of being a voracious reader of spy fiction and as Ishwak Singh’s Ashok says… ‘Common sense’. ” Interestingly, now Berlin has been published as a short story The Decipherer.

What is it with him and his fascination for period dramas? Be it Jubilee, which he wrote, and Class of 83, which he directed, and now Berlin? He admits, “I like the drama which history brings.” More so he loves these cusp points, “Transition from colonial rule to freedom struggle, from socialist ideology to advent of liberalisation.” One momentous moment in history he would like to revisit is the insurgency of Punjab’s 1984 and has just finished writing a show. But, he is not sure where and when it will leap on to the screen. This Punjabi born and brought up in Agra is not unduly perturbed about the volatility of subject, fraught with the danger of stirring a hornet’s nest. He says, “If one wants wounds to heal, they have to be raked again. Closure can’t come about without talking about un-savoury and bitter situations, and events.” Besides, he quips, “One can’t be concerned about log kya kahenge or if they will be offended. If that logic is applied, then we shall only be writing feel-good sugar syrupy stories and never dig into truths buried in the past.”

Among the many points Berlin makes is how truth often gets eclipsed by what is documented and written about. So how can cinema help in recording the truth? Atul, who recently bought a book called Fiction as History, shares, “If we choose to, cinema can be a reflection of its times as well as times gone by. A decades from now if we were to look back, Sai Paranjpye’s Katha and Govind Nihalani’s Ardhsatya would serve as reckoners of Mumbai’s chawl life of 1980s and police force, respectively. When we were making Class of 83, our referral points of that era were Nihalani’s Vijeta and Shyam Bengal’s Kalyug.”

Stepping back in time cinematically, however, is easier said than done. To those who felt ‘production design was the real hero in Berlin’, he reminds, “It’s always a collaborative effort, not just one creative working in isolation.” Actors, certainly are the face of cinema and director the captain of the ship, however, one department that always goes unnoticed according to him is ‘post-production team of editor, sound designer, colourist and more’. He adds, “In Berlin, particularly, they had a tough task at hand. It’s not easy to create silence. Yet, forget credit, often they don’t even get enough time to put things together. For their job is invariably under pressure of deliveries and not creative fulfillment.”

As for Atul’s creativity, well, the good news for all you Jubilee fans is that he is busy writing the second season. And the intent to ‘write a good story’ will always be uppermost in his scheme of things. Well, from the writer of clutter-breaking Jubilee and Berlin we expect nothing less!

Punjabi bonhomie

What happens when ‘mil baithe teen Punjabi yaar’… in this case Atul Sabharwal, Ishwak Singh and Aparshakti Khurana? Well, Atul lets us into the Punjabi bonhomie thus, “We gorged on pinnies made by Apar’s mother and even otherwise. Till today bond over food.” Since his Class of 83 too had Bobby Deol in the lead role, has he signed some kind of loyalty bond with Punjabi actors? He shakes his head in the negative. But, yes, for his mega and ambitious project on Punjab, which has a Sikh hero, he will certainly be looking towards Punjab’s treasure trove of talent.