What has life taught you is a question oft asked, but rarely does anyone ask what has death taught you? The film The Coffin Maker by debut filmmaker Veena Bakshi tells us through her own script what death has taught Anton Gomes, a disillusioned coffin maker about life precisely at a time when his days are numbered. The appeal of the film can be judged from the fact that the film had to be screened thrice at the IFFI on popular demand.
The film won the best feature film award at the River to River Florence Indian festival held in Italy. It was also screened at the IFFK a few days ago.
The film, set in Goa, tells the story of a carpenter who has lost interest in life and is reduced to drinking and playing chess. He finds himself confronting death after a family fight. Life suddenly blossoms for the man as he realises the truth about life and death. Naseeruddin Shah makes a brilliant comeback in his inimitable style along with his real life wife Ratna Pathak Shah who plays his onscreen wife, the loudmouthed, but loving wife.
Excerpts from the interview with Veena Bakshi:
How tough is it to be a woman director?
There is no gender differentiation. As directors, we do the same things, go through the same hardships. But as a woman one deals with more crisis as one is also running a home. At times in the middle of a shoot there may be a crisis at home which needs to be handled. There is a gender bias on the set. People don’t listen if you are not tough. People mistake kindness for weakness. Besides, there is a limit as to how much I can socialise.
Why are women characters like you in the film?
I’d rather have strong women characters who become role models rather than show a weak woman. I would rather have a strong character and make her an inspiration to the women viewers. I think women are extremely strong. Societal norms and rules are which make us believe we are weak. All the dos and don’ts are for the girl child. Why? Why can’t a girl have be brought up to think for myself? I am not a cow, why should I be led around with a noose. You want to lead, then buy a cow, why do you want a daughter? I would rather have an abused woman in my film who can stand up and say ‘enough’. It would be a better role model for women than somebody who is helped to stand up which would perpetuate the weakness of a woman.
How do you react to the appreciation your film got at IFFI, Goa?
I realised that my film has actually been liked by film people, at film bazaars, by distributors, and audiences, in Goa. I believe in good cinema or bad cinema, not art or commercial films. There are expensive films and low-cost films. I am someone who wants to make films that appeal to people across the world, films that tell stories.
