Cinema, politics and life with M S Sathyu

Mysore Srinivasa Sathyu grew into a cinematic sensation with his strong portrayal of politics in his films and theatre. 

His first film, ‘Garm Hava’ (1973) is about the plight of a Muslim businessman in post-Partition India. The film was seen as pro-Muslim and was even denied censor certification. He then showed it to prime minister Indira Gandhi to get a certificate for release. 

At 93, M S Sathyu is unapologetic about his political beliefs — he says, “I’m a leftist,” with vigour. In a conversation with Showtime, he recalls his cinematic journey. 

All your films — including ‘Garm Hava’, ‘Kanneshwara Rama’, ‘Bara’ — are political. What drove you towards these narratives? 

We have to use our art to expose what we find wrong, according to our beliefs. That’s why all my films are political and my theatre is fully political. Even when I made films and serials for Doordarshan, they were all political — even for a state-owned agency. 

How relevant is ‘Garm Hava’ to present day India?

We are deep rooted in religion and our identity is invariably related to religion. Udhayanidhi Stalin’s recent statement is controversial, the Hindu fundamentalists are after him now, this is the state of affairs. But what he has said is relevant.

Earlier the problem was about fundamentalism among the Muslims but today the fundamentals are Hindus, so the situation is the same. 

The many moods of M S Sathyu.

What challenges did you face while making ‘Chithegu Chinte’?

I wanted to make a satirical film because that genre was rare back then. Comedy in films is usually crude, and becomes too caricature-like. People still remember ‘Chithegu Chinte’ and enjoy the film, but I could’ve done it better. Such experimental films are difficult to make if you don’t get free support — not just financially. I had to cast the producer’s son in the main role, it was challenging. He wasn’t an actor, he was a karate teacher who gave lessons to the Bangalore police. So I used his talent as a karate master.

What are your thoughts on OTT?

OTT is uncensored media, there is a lot of scope. So, the producers have become bold but there is a lot of stress on violence and sex. That should change, it should be made more meaningful and should tackle real issues facing the country. 

Who are the promising voices in the Kannada industry today?

There have been a few experimental films recently which are well made, like Natesh Hegde’s ‘Pedro’ (2021) — it comprises non-actors, majorly. ‘Kantara’ (2022) is another film — it is violent but the sport itself is violent — it’s done well. ‘Thithi’ (2015) was a good film, using absolute non-actors. A new generation of filmmakers are coming up.

What do you think of present-day political films?

I watched this film called ‘Oppenheimer’ recently. Christopher Nolan is a great director, no doubt but I found that he is not sorry for the millions of people who died in Nagasaki and Hiroshima. He has glorified the making of the atomic bomb and the US administration. It was an inhuman film. But it has received success. 

In an old interview of yours, I read that your father wanted you to be a scientist or an engineer. 

(Laughs) School ge hogde poli alita idvi, cinema nodtidvi. (Instead of going to school, we would loaf around and watch films). Parents think about your security more than your talent. Filmmaking was not a secure medium then. Today, there are more opportunities. I tried doing my BSc in geology, but it was useless, the subject didn’t interest me. I didn’t write my exams. Then I went to Bombay and tried my luck there. To an extent I’ve been successful but I could have been more successful. But that is all right.

What are some of the best moments of your cinematic life?

Working with good actors who think like me, politically. Even in ‘Garm Hava’, most actors are from theatre, from across the country — they’re all leftists basically. It’s not easy to do political films. They have to be right, you have to be sure about what you’re doing, otherwise it will misfire.

The many moods of M S Sathyu.

Some incidents that you would like to share with us?

I was making a 13-episode serial on the Khalistan movement for Doordarshan. We went to Anandpur Sahib, the famous Gurudwara where the movement was centred. It was strange to see the Guru Granth Sahib kept aside and weapons placed on the sanctum sanctorum. I asked the granthi (priest) if I could shoot there. He said, “Do it fast and disappear from here.” It was a tense moment. We parked our Maruti van in such a way that if the whole unit ran out, we would run straight into the van. Some youngsters said we could stay at the Gurudwara, but we were not sure if it was the right thing to do. 

What do you think of this year’s National Film Award winners?

When you look at the awards, you can see that they’re all in favour of the people who support the BJP and RSS. It’s not supposed to be that way. But it is. 

What do you think of ‘The Kashmir Files’ receiving the Nargis Dutt Best Film on National Integration?

I haven’t watched the film, but I would like to watch it. I’ve read about it. I like watching controversial films. When I made ‘Garm Hava’, I got the Nargis Dutt Best Film on National Integration because the film was about integration.  We all belong to some kind of political thought — left, right or centre. It is important to bring that political understanding into our cinema and theatre.