Mani Kaul was one of the most important figures in the Indian parallel cinema movement. He not only made films on important topics but single handedly challenged the whole notion of filmmaking and traditional narrative techniques in India. His films, like Uski Roti, “Ashadh Ka Ek Din” Duvidha, and “Satah Se Uthata Admi,” are classic examples of making films as art pieces that are abstract and open to interpretation.
Early Life
Mani Kaul, born Rabindranath Kaul on December 25, 1944, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in a Kashmiri Pandit family. He was the nephew of veteran filmmaker Mahesh Kaul. Mani Kaul developed a taste for films from a very young age. While he was in school, one of his friend’s famiy owned a theatre. The connection became his first exposure to cinema. He once recalled that he stole Rudolf Arnheim’s book, “Film as Art” from the local library. He graduated from Jaipur University in 1963 and went on to join Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). In FTII, he get the chance to learn under the guidance of Ritwik Ghatak.
Indian New Wave Cinema
There are two types of cinema in the world. Martin Scorsese referred to one as a stroll in an amusement park, where the audience is a passive observer, being directed on when to laugh, cry, or feel excitement. In complete contrast, another type of cinema evolved as a powerful medium of reflection, allowing the audience to decide their interpretation.
Inspired by this filmmaking approach and its vast potential, a whole generation of Indian filmmakers emerged in the mid-20th century. They considered themselves artists and were dedicated to realism. For them, portraying the reality of their work, often highlighting social issues and the struggles of the common Indian, was more important than anything else. Leaders in this movement included Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, followed by Shyam Benegal, G. Aravindan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ritwik Ghatak, Govind Nihalani, Girish Kasaravalli, Girish Karnad, and more. By the ’70s, it became known as the “Indian New Wave.”
Cinematic Journey
Mani Kaul, like his mentor Ritwik Ghatak, was a rebel among rebels. Realism, or narrative, wasn’t their primary concern. Instead, these filmmakers viewed them as tools for self-expression, using archetypes and indigenous traditions to shed light on the human condition.
His debut film, Uski Roti (1969), was “one of the key films of the New Indian Cinema or the Indian New Wave.” The film represents a significant shift in Indian cinema’s technique, form, and narrative. It was among the early experiments with form in Indian cinema. The film earned him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie.
Mani Kaul and His Films
His second film was Ashadh Ka Ek Din (1971) starring Arun Khopkar, Rekha Sabnis, Om Shivpuri and Aruna Irani. It was based on a play by Mohan Rakesh by the same name. The film tells the story of Kalidas’s love triangle with Mallika and Priyangumanjari. Ashadh Ka Ek Din, won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie.
His third film, “Duvidha (1973),” was a venture into colour cinema, adapting a short story by Vijaydan Detha. This film, depicting a ghost’s love for a merchant’s wife, received international acclaim, particularly in Europe. Kaul won the National Film Award for Best Direction and Flimfare Critics Award for Best film.
Kaul was also a co-founder of the Yukt Film Co-operative in 1976. Yukt aimed to promote avant-garde films where he was part of the direction team consisting of him, K. Hariharan, Saeed Akhtar Mirza and Kamal Swaroop, together, made the film “Ghasiram Kotwal,” an adaptation of Vijay Tendulkar’s play. The film starring Mohan Agashe and Om Puri was not a commercial success but was selected for the Berlin Film Festival. It slowly gained reputation as a “remarkable avant-garde experiment in collective film-making.”
Mani Kaul – Continue To Experiment
Some other notable films of his career include “Satah Se Uthata Admi (1980)” starring Bharath Gopi, Vibhuti Jha, Satyen Kumar and M. K. Raina, “Nazar (1991)” starring Shekhar Kapur, Shambhavi Kaul, and Surekha Sikri, TV mini series “Idiot (1992)” starring Mita Vashisht, Shah Rukh Khan, Ayub Khan Din and Neeraj Vora, “The Cloud Door (1995)” starring Anu Aggarwal, Murad Ali and Rohit Raj, and “Naukar Ki Kameez (1999).”
He also directed saveral important documentaries like Dhrupad (1982), Mati Manas (1984), A Desert of a Thousand Lines (1986), Before My Eyes 1989), National Film Award wining Siddheshwari (1989) and many more.
Under the guidance of his guru, Ustad Mohiuddin Dagar, Mani Kaul delved into the intricacies of Dhrupad. For a long time, he immersed himself in the rich traditions of classical music. Despite his deep connection with musical traditions, a unique aspect of Kaul’s approach was his reluctance to incorporate music into his fictional films. In his own words, “I keep it (music) very separate from film,” distinguishing his perspective from other filmmakers who often integrated music into their cinematic narratives.
Mani Kaul’s Legacy
Film Critic Khalid Mohamed commented, “As a film director, he discussed the status of women (Uski Roti, Duvidha), crafted visually seductive documentaries (Arrival, Before My Eyes, A Desert of a Thousand Lines), and went through a spell of interpreting Fyodor Dostoevsky’s masterworks. The Russian writer’s short story A Gentle Creature inspired Nazar, shot in low, chiaroscuro lighting.”
Mani Kaul once said, “The self is described (in the Upanishads) as indescribable, unreachable, unknowable, and unavailable to the senses. So it is never experienced, but it is always there. This affects very deeply the question of art. You really cannot make that sense of self a subject of filmmaking. It is in fact the one who is making that film.”
Mani Kaul passed away on July 6, 2011, after a prolonged battle with cancer. His death was a significant loss to the world of cinema, but his legacy lives on through his films and the many students he inspired.
Mani Kaul on IMDB
