Of creative liberties & controversies

Manpriya Singh

As Sidharth Malhotra gets into camouflage clothing and combat mode for Shershaah, Kangana Ranaut puts on layers of prosthetics in Thalaivi, Ranveer Singh gets onto the cricket pitch and Parineeti Chopra in the badminton court, we know the biopics and for that matter the controversies are not dying down anytime soon.

Could Deepika Padukone’s Chhapaak be an exception to the three mainstays of biopics, controversies over credits, debate over creative liberties and whether they deserve one in the first place. Though Sanjay Dutt has got one and Salman Khan has said that he will never allow one to be made.

Justice prevailed

As the Delhi HC directs the makers of Chhapaak to include advocate Aparna Bhat’s name in the credit rolls, there is still one thing that she cannot figure out, why did she have to seek legal action for ‘something so simple’. “Each time it’s a surprise,” opines Ketan Mehta on the controversies that his biopics have courted. Despite having made quite a few from Rang Rasiya, a biopic about painter Raja Ravi Varma to Manjhi the Mountain Man to Aamir Khan-starrer Mangal Pandey; he cannot point his finger on how to avoid them. “There is no formula.” But efforts can always be made. “For instance, in case of Manjhi, I met the family, made them feel comfortable and that helped.” The trend of biopics in Bollywood that probably started with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Mary Kom is not going anywhere anytime soon. While it may be impossible to count the biopics we have had lately, it is definitely possible to count the ones that didn’t reach the court. “Disputes can rise over anything, you can’t avoid them sometimes, but yes efforts can be made,” opines Jagdeep Sidhu, writer of Harjeeta, and dialogue writer of Saand Ki Aankh. He shares the check-list, “If you are honest with the family and people whose lives are being translated onscreen and if you are honest to your script; that helps. Also, one should be clear about the credits, the names and the amount.” But each time, is a new situation.

Stage managed?

Neerja, on the nation’s hero Neerja Bhanot had all that a biopic can ever hope for, a National Award for Sonam Kapoor, Rs 100 crores at the box office till there is an alleged breach of contract on the part of the producers not keeping the contract of donating 10 per cent of the collections to the Neerja Bhanot Trust. While the case is still ongoing, Aneesh Bhanot, Neerja’s brother, puts things into another thought-provoking perspective, “Unfortunately, most of the times, the controversies are staged. Because you know, positive or negative all publicity is good publicity.” Now, that’s another debate, for some other day.