Uzbek Cinema: Breathing Freely

Aditya Monday December 29, 2008

Uzbeks love cinema, particularly the Indian cinema. No, it is not just The Tramp (Awara) that is part of Indo-Soviet folklore. Any Soviet - in fact that was one of the tests of 'Sovietness!' - could burst into the Raj Kapoor/Mukesh song 'Awaara hoon' (‘I am a Vagabond’). But what amazed me in Uzbekistan was the repeated reference to Confluence (Sangam) and 'Dost dost na raha,' (My Friend is a Friend No More’), surely a new chapter in the Raj Kapoor saga, and a crucial sub-section of all serious discussions on Indo-Soviet relations. Be it any remote corner of Uzbekistan, even snowy mountainous areas, one can have an intelligent conversation on Indian cinema! In Samarkand, at an informal party to which Indian guests were invited, the hostess played not only 'Awaara hoon' on the piano but also 'Main shayar to nahin' (I am not a Poet, But…) from Bobby, and surprise, surprise - a treat for a cinephile - the instrumental theme that runs through all of Raj Kapoor's films! A festival of Kapoor's films with concert programmes, organised by the Indian Embassy under the title 'Remembering Indian Cinema', had all tickets sold out. Crowds thronged the halls and Bharghav Mitra, an official at the Indian Embassy, even recounted how in Samarkand, Randhir Kapoor spotted a woman in the distance carrying his father's photo. Very moved by the old woman's gesture, he pointed out to his younger brother, Rishi Kapoor, that although their father had passed away long ago, here was an old woman in a remote land remembering him with so much palpable emotion - something few actors can boast of.

Government Initiatives Within a month after his country became independent, President Islam Karimov set up a government committee on cinema, signaling the seriousness with which the government viewed the business of cinema. Uzbek Kino is run on state budget. It produces 15 feature films a year, 20 documentaries, 10 animation films, and 60 hours of video. The government does not take the profits and earnings from films, but allows the money to be reinvested into film production. It completely finances films at the state-owned Uzbek Kino. This 100% subsidy is in contrast to Russia where the state gives a 50% subsidy to films in government-owned studios.

It is only because of this support that Uzbek cinema has survived, and survived well, as compared to other independent states in the post-Soviet space. Neighbouring Tajikistan, for instance, which had a film industry in working order till the fall of the Soviet Union and the start of the Civil War in 1991, has an industry that is still to get back on its feet. Most of its directors are working in Moscow or abroad: Jamshed Usmanov and Gulya Mirzoeva are in France; Bakhtiar Khudoinazarov is in Germany; Mairam Yusupova in Moscow; Bako Sadykov who worked in Tajik Film until independence is in Uzbekistan; Davlat Khudonazarov, who used to claim that Satyajit Ray had a great influence on him, no longer makes films but supports a studio in Tajikistan under the aegis of the Aga Khan fund. Some Uzbek filmmakers, too, are now based in Moscow: Ali Khamraev is there and currently working on a documentary on the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbaev; Elyor Ishmukhamedov, who had won a major award at the International Film Festival of India during Soviet times, is also in Moscow.

In Uzbekistan the industry continued due to the government's timely initiatives, retaining what was good from the Soviet socialist system while adapting to the demands of a market economy. Uzbek Kino has two separate studios, for features and documentaries, and in both the government has a 51% stake, with the rest having been auctioned. There are five major government-owned studios: in addition to the feature and documentary studios, there is the Karakalpak Film Studio (that produces at least one documentary, feature, and one animation film annually), the Molodyozhnoe Obedineniye (for the youth) and the Ecofilm Kino Studio devoted to films on the environment.

New Directions Uzbekistan also boasts 40 private studios. While the government-owned studios shoot on film, the private ones tend to make video films. The latter are quickly made; films, on the other hand, need nearly 10-12 months. In 2006, a total of 29 feature films were made by both state-owned and private studios. While the older directors are getting back to work, there has been a spate of young filmmakers as well. "They catch the moods of the city, and of the interiors in new and interesting ways which is why even stars work with them", says director Bako Sadykov. President Karimov declared 2008 as the 'Year of Youth', and young people are being trained to make films. Among the private studios, the 'Fifth Studio' is experimental. Some of the films by young directors making waves are Yurta, whose actor, N Khodzhaev, won a major award at the Kinoshock Festival, and the recently-premiered Horserider by cameraman-turned-director Hamidullah Hasan. Other important recent films include Shukrat Abasov's You Are not an Orphan, Bako Sadykov's Muruat, and Amir Timur by Ergashev and Bako Sadykov. Amir Timur, the first ever film on a historical figure venerated by the Uzbeks, was released as a film and a six-part teleserial. Kamara Kamalova's The Road Under the Skies was awarded at the Eurasia Film Festival in Kazakhstan. She returned to filmmaking after a break of many years and won the state award for her contribution to Uzbek cinema in 2007.

The Soyuz Kinematographistov (Union of Cinematographers/Filmmakers) continues to function and has 300 members, including people from private studios. What distinguishes the post-Soviet film scenario is the total absence of state control over artistic expression and Soviet-style censorship. Uzbek directors remarked that there was complete creative freedom and no pressure to make propaganda films. There is also talk of reinventing the Festival of Films from Asia, Africa and Latin America that used to be held in Tashkent, a festival sorely missed by directors. 

Recent films focus on the divide between the rich and the poor, a divide that has emerged very sharply after the fall of the Soviet Union. There are fantasy films such as the recent Svenigator, on a robot who falls in love with her maker, shown at the Eurasia Film festival in Astana. The theme of the differing values of the provinces and hinterland and the cities is also an important theme across the post-Soviet space, including Russia and Uzbekistan. Malenkiye Lyudi (Small People) from Uzbekistan is a compendium of tales, depicting the conflict of values between generations and the village and city. Many films exhibit the strong influence of the Hindi cinema on the exposition of themes and on style.

Indo-Uzbek Ties At any time, there is at least one Indian film running in Uzbek theatres. The Uzbeks love the narrative style of Indian cinema - its high drama, bright colours, music and dance. Ali Baba and Forty Thieves, one of the most popular Indo-Uzbek co-productions, does not fail to get box-office collections even when it is rerun today. What is not so widely known is that Umesh Mehra runs a magazine called Sardorwhich covers the latest film and star-related gossip, and is sold in Uzbekistan to an eager readership. The main thief from this film, the Uzbek actor Ergashev, pointed out that it was over six years ago that he had last worked with Umesh Mehra. They are now working on an idea for a new film. Ergashev said they had a good working relationship for co-productions: "The heroes have to be definitely Indian, otherwise the films will not sell in India, which is a very big market. From the sales in India we get 5% (this amounts to almost USD 1 million) and we give 5% from our sales. From other countries we take 50-50".

There are other possibilities for co-productions: Akbar Khan wants to make a film on Babar, another historical figure revered by the Uzbeks. Uzbek filmmakers come to India for post-production. Amir Timur, for instance, was processed in Chennai. There is also an agreement for a cultural exchange of two students from Uzbek Kino who will study in Kolkata. The Museum of Cinema at Uzbek Kino screens world classics for a niche audience. It is here that the films of Satyajit Ray rub shoulders with those of Fellini and other masters.

And people have moved on from the Raj Kapoor oldies: they love Ravi Chopra’s Baghban (the Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini starrer, in which they play an elderly couple ill-treated by their children / 2003), and on television, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin (There is no One Like Jassi, a popular teleserial from India).

by Rashmi Doraisamy


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