Amol Palekar, the celebrated actor, director, and producer, has penned his memoir, Viewfinder. It presents a panoramic view of his career and narrates stories, through Palekar’s prism, about his experiments with experimental theatre and cinema.
Writing an autobiography is a complex task; authors can be soft on themselves and harsh on others. Palekar has a few sentences that border on immodesty. However, considering Palekar’s achievements, one could argue that he is writing about them with pride while appreciating others.
Indeed, he writes about the contributions of prominent personalities from theatre— such as Mohan Rakesh, Vijay Tendulkar, Badal Sarkar and Girish Karnad—as well as those associated with films, including Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Karnad and Shyam Benegal. He also discusses the works of Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who stayed away from commercial films and sheds light on his association with theatre and film personalities such as Satyadev Dube, Shambhu Mitra, Nana Patekar, Shriram Lagu, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Amrish Puri, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjiv Kumar, Rajesh Khanna and Ashok Kumar among others.
The book tells the tale of Palekar’s diverse yet complex relationships. It presents an honest tone and handles the depth of emotions deftly. Even when recounting the topic of marital discord with his first wife, Palekar writes with sensitivity, narrating how he navigated through the complexities of a broken marriage.
Palekar writes about establishing a theatre group called Aniket to stage unconventional plays. Directing and acting in plays, he writes, helped him observe minute details and prompted him to be a perfectionist.
Palekar’s hit films — such as Rajnigandha, Choti si Bat, Chit Chor, Gol Mal, Gharonda, etc.— were not typically commercial. However, they appealed to the middle-class audiences. Looking through the Viewfinder, Palekar gratefully acknowledges the role of his mentors, Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee.
Palekar’s work, however, never fell into any stereotype because he constantly reinvented himself. For instance, Bhumika, a Shyam Benegal film in which he acted as a villain, was a milestone in this context. He broke the shackles of middle-class mediocrity that was about to get stuck with his name triumphantly.
Besides, Akrit, the film he directed in Marathi, earned him international recognition in the 1970s. Incidentally, during the days of emergency (1975-77), Vasant Sathe, the then Information and Broadcasting Minister, blocked Akrit from being screened in an international film festival, claiming that India’s image would get damaged if it was shown.
Palekar mobilised prominent writers, artists, and intellectuals from Maharashtra and appealed to Mrs. Gandhi to reconsider the governmental decision. Ironically, even if Palekar opposed the emergency rule, Indira Gandhi overruled the minister and gave clearance to show Akrit abroad.
Indira Gandhi also recalled Palekar’s role in Girish Karnad’s famous play Hayavadana. A little later, Rajiv Gandhi’s regime also sought Palekar’s collaboration in making and promoting films for children.
Palekar avoided active politics. However, Whenever artistic expression was stifled or the ‘idea of India’ was threatened, Palekar raised a flag of revolt. For instance, in 2019, Palekar publicly opposed the government when it restricted the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA) from holding external shows. He has also mobilised artists, journalists, and public intellectuals to defend freedom of expression. After 2014, the politics of hate prevalent in India understandably disturbed Palekar and prompted him to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Palekar’s quest to hold on to his values and principles is a recurrent theme in all the chapters. He also introspects and expresses regrets about his mistakes. He locked horns with influential producers, stood up against them and approached the courts to seek justice.
Palekar has refrained from taking a compartmentalised view of life and arts. Owing to his passion for poems, literature, paintings, music, directing and acting, he has been able to relate to various towering artists.
I found his feelings for and relationship with Kishori Amonkar profoundly touching. Through his memoir, Palekar — the poet, actor, dramatist and director — drives home the point that all the arts are interconnected.
He has dedicated the book to all who enjoy a contrarian view, reflecting the author’s personality. The narrative is non-linear in style, perhaps making it less accessible to lay readers.
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