Interview with Rakesh Anand Bakshi, Writer of

Director Diaries and Founder of Bicycle Angels

How did I begin to write this book?

I realized that there were no books which documented our Indian directors
voices and how they ended up in film-making.
Also I wanted the book to inspire film directors who find their dreams
unfathomable, as I also went through the same phase. The thirst and hunger to
know how directors I admire make films urged me to interview them.
Once the seed of the book was born in my mind, it was nurtured not just by my
own passion to see it through but it was the passionate reactions of the directors.
Thanks to my business and marriage failing, my father, the lyricist, Anand
Bakshi understood its time he supported me to do something in filmmaking. It is
he who then introduced me to my first film director as an assistant, Subhash
Ghai. Also my sister Suman Datt insisted me to follow my passion.
In hindsight, it was natural my life unknowingly was moving in the direction of
Directors Diaries.

How did I decide on directors to interview?

The choice of whom I should choose to interview was made by me from the
directors and films I had admired and liked, irrespective of their box office fate
or judgements by some critics.
Some of my filmmaker friends helped me reaffirm my own. Some directors
helped with eager passion and heart-warming response while some refused.
Though all the directors enriched me in varied ways, some things amongst
many others that I thought about long after meeting them were - Anurag Basus
love for his father, Ashutosh Gs pursuit for perfection, Farah Khans love for
her father for whom she suppressed, Govindji for how the combination of two
words cinema and photography fascinated him to choose cinematography;
Imtiaz Alis childhood memory of discovering the reading room in his house
and failing the ninth class transformed him, Mahesh Bhatt Saab for his deep,
Santosh Sivans dedication of his work to someone to remain motivated and
inspired, Prakash Jha was working in a restaurant to gather money for his
survival in Bombay and pay college, Tigmanshus years at NSD, Vishalji
playing harmonium during food festivals at Pragati maidan and many others.
Also I hope to include one chapter for one or two film old directors, under a
chapter On the Horizon.

The industry today?

We value our artists, but most people do not look at filmmakers as artists. With
so much media attention given to actors and painters and other artists, the
director has somewhere got side-lined or pushed to the edge of the platform
because media mostly aims their lights at actors only. I think a book like this
and other books like these will help general people realize the creative souls
these directors are

Looking ahead

By publishing Vol 2, which is ready, will be published in 12 months or less. And

most importantly, publish the book in regional languages, especially HINDI
with an addition of recent iconic director from Marathi cinema to the Marathi
version. I am hoping to do the same for other regional languages too, add a
bonus chapter from their cinema along with the present 12.

Some things I learnt from writing this book.

An important thing I learnt from these interviews is that cinema is not a

destination for most film-makers; it is a journey which continues even after one
makes their first film, even after making many successful ones.
Also that a good director ensures that all individual parts and all individual
contributions are creatively brought together. The totality reflects his or her
fundamental ideas, dreams, beliefs, convictions, about life and films at that
moment in time.
I learned that the process of film-making is often challenging, frustrating and
tiring hence the best reward a director can hand to the collaborators and
contributors to his art and craft is a great film.

Advice from directors and me

Read something like Biographies as often as you can. Write short stories or
poems when you can.
Don't stop working to write your script/s. Do both simultaneously. Create a
balance.
Continue to work as an AD.
Keep working on TV, or TVC or film sets in some professional capacity, even if
it not paying too well at that moment.
Be humble, be patient, have an ego, but a creative ego which comes from
conviction and not just beliefs, but not an attitude-ego
Most importantly, none of these 6 are the gospel. Write your own 6 or more.
Inhale life. Exhale art. Includes cinema.
Lastly, learn from your mistakes.
What does it take to write a book?

Many publishers, top ones too, rejected me saying 1) no one is interested in

directors. 2) Q and A books do not sell. My reply to them was simply Thank
You. So be self-motivated. For a film script you create from your life
experiences. For this book I created from their life experiences. For both you
need your own experiences.

In a book you decide what stays and what goes. You are the master of your work
in a book.

Writing for films, you may not get paid. Even if the film does well. Writing a
book, you will, however little, if it sells. ;)
Most importantly, value your worth and ask for your worth.

How do you think Youth can connect with society?

Offhand I can say the youth must develop emotional intelligence through
movies and books to overcome personal and career obstacles, for deepening
friendships and relationships, creating a balance between personal life and work
and developing creativity and sense of charity within and outside.