Music composer and director Vishal Bharadwaj may seem like a man of extreme sensibilities. After Makdee, a well-received film for children which won the second prize at last year's Children's Film Festival in Chicago, he directed the bloody saga Maqbool. Inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth, it is violent but not gory, he says. He does not believe in gratuitous depiction of violence. And he does not see anything startling from switching from a children's film to a violent movie for mature audiences.

Set in Mumbai's gangster world, it tells the story of Maqbool, a shrewd and efficient second lieutenant in a gang who wants to wrest control from the aging leader. Apart from dwelling on ruthless ambition and its consequences, the film deals with corruption in the police and movie industry, and the sway some gangsters hold over them.

The film was well received at the Toronto International Film Festival and impressed South African film magnate Anant Singh so much that he bought its world rights. Singh has produced several films in Hollywood, including the Whoopi Goldberg anti-apartheid musical Sarafina!

Bharadwaj, who has been watching films at various film festivals for over 15 years, was in North America recently to attend the Toronto Festival and speak with other festivals' authorities.

Maqbool has been invited to more than half a dozen film festivals. Bharadwaj expects the film to have a crossover appeal in America and England, and many countries where people will discover Bollywood also makes films with depth.

A short, stocky man who hasn't shaved for several days because he has been busy promoting Maqbool and seeing films from far-flung countries like China and Poland, Bharadwaj says seeing a riveting and artistic film gives him joy that cannot be forgotten.

As a composer, he is best known for his work in Maachis. Though he says he won't give up composing, he hastens to add that he is weary of the way Mumbai's filmmakers make use of music in movies.

Maqbool is produced by Bobby Bedi who gained international recognition with the Shekhar Kapur directed Bandit Queen. The film stars Irrfan, Tabu, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri.

Did the thought of directing films scare you?

When I thought of turning director, people told me that if the film flops, I would be a loser as a director and composer. But I was prepared to take the plunge... and the risk.

Tell us about Maqbool.

Maqbool is a gripping film that reexamines life and its dilemmas. It is about choice and consequences. It is set in the real world. Maqbool says that wrong ambition and greed lead to downfall, at times to a violent downfall. It should be seen on the big screen.

What was most interesting thing in adapting Shakespeare?

Macbeth, in particular, can be adapted to fit any period or setting. The corporate world, politics, educational system or underworld.

What attracted the artists to the film?

They got a complete script at the start with clearly etched out characters.

It is wonderful that such big actors like Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri agreed to comparatively smaller roles. The younger actors are brilliant. Pankaj Kapoor is compelling. Tabu and Irfan Khan have done excellent work.

The script is getting a lot of praise...

We had a very well evolved script. Even the gap of a breath wasn't there in the script. It was so tightly constructed.

Were you unnerved directing such a formidable cast?

There were a few moments when I thought I would be overwhelmed by the actors. But I told myself, I am the director and I am making the film. Once I was clear about it, there was no hesitation about directing. Artists respect you when they sense you know your business and are passionate about what you do.

How long has this film been brewing?

For a long time, I wanted to make a violent film so that I could deal with themes of great conflict. But I did not find interesting material. It did not compel me. I wanted a story that focused on the human condition.

A few years ago, I saw Akira Kurosawa's 1957 classic Throne Of Blood (Kumonosu Jo) inspired by Shakespeare's Macbeth. That film was my immediate inspiration. I read Macbeth many times and then started working with Abbas Tyrewala to adapt the play.

What were the challenges in the script?

Kurosawa adapted Macbeth to reflect his thoughts about a period in Japan. We wanted to make a film set in contemporary Mumbai.

What did you have in mind while writing the script?

The film is not meant for Shakespearean scholars. My co-scriptwriter and I knew we were treading on sensitive ground. We had to identify with the play's spirit and essence and retain them in the film.

We knew we could make a powerful film of guilt and its denial if we could get a good cast. The well-structured screenplay helped us get a very talented cast. More than anything else, the film was made because of the rare sensibilities of producer Bobby Bedi. When I work on a script, I tell myself that with each film I should be able to say more visually than orally. The more things you can say visually, the more mature a film is.

What is your forte as director?

I don't want to be tied to one genre. My tastes are wide. I won't stick to one genre or go around looking for a genre. All that I look for is a great human story. I do not believe in making films for elite audiences. I have always believed a well-made film can reach many people.

Both films were made with distinct outlooks and both are interesting in their own ways. There are a few composers who have turned directors. Salil Choudhury directed Pinjre Ke Panchi about 30 years ago.

May be I was meant to finally become a movie director. I like filmmaking better than composing, as the medium of cinema is always a director's medium. There are not many directors who like the music I create.

Why is that?

I'm tired of dealing with Bollywood filmmakers, who have dubbed me as a composer good for situations but not good enough to sell audio tapes. I never believed in a musical number being another item in a film. I wanted to work with producers and directors who believe in using a song to build the narration.

Some directors in Mumbai admire your work...

People like Gulzarsaheb make films once in three years. As there are so few directors who appreciate my work as a composer, I have composed music for only eight or nine films in eight years.

I am here to promote my film but I am also conscious that I am also here to see films from all over the world. Not just see them but learn from them.

'I want to scare kids' Only when children are scared, says Vishal Bharadwaj, will they love his film Makdee

Son of lyricist Ram Bharadwaj (Jurm Aur Saza, Zindagi Aur Toofan), Vishal Bharadwaj has composed brilliant music for films like Gulzar's Maachis and Hu Tu Tu, Ram Gopal Varma's Satya, and Vinay Shukla's Godmother. He even won the Filmfare R D Burman Award for Maachis in 1996.

Now, the music director takes a step forward into film direction. Makdee, starring Shabana Azmi in the unique role of a witch, opens November 15.

The children's film has been selected for Spotlight on India, a special section at the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival.

The debutant film director chats with Subhash K Jha.

Makdee is a short film --- just an hour-and-a-half long...

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Yes. It will be screened at multiplexes in Mumbai where small films --- and I don't mean only in terms of budget --- have found an ideal outlet. Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham (an hour 40 minutes), and Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding (two hours), got a wide release in India through these downsized theatres.

Why not Makdee?

Multiplexes want shorter films so they can run five instead of four shows.

Do you think smaller the film, the better?

Yes. It is better to hold an audience for 90 minutes than to bore them for three hours. Indian filmmakers need to snap out of the three-hour mentality. They feel they are offering audiences value for money when, in fact, they are only drowning them in tedium. In Hollywood, the length of a film is dictated by the theme. An average film is an hour and 45 minutes. In India, quantity matters over quality.

In Makdee, everything works in collaboration. My small film was sold at a better price han Harry Baweja's so-called S** film Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai and the new Govinda comedy Waah! Tera Kya Kehna in some territories.

Shabana Azmi adds a luscious dimension to your project.

Absolutely. If Makdee is getting so widely noticed, it is because of Shabana's presence. If someone else had starred in the film, it would not have been noticed.

I had earlier offered her a film in which she was to play a politician with grey shades. She was very keen. But three days later, she declined saying that [husband] Javed Akhtar had advised her against doing a role that went against her personal ideology as a female politician. But I would love to do that project with Shabana.

When I wrote the role in Makdee, I did not think she would accept the offer. I have known her from the days of her film Godmother, where I scored the music. So I called her up. She laughed and asked what mischief I was up to.

When she heard the story, she agreed readily. When I asked her about the remuneration, she said that she did not want any money. She wanted me to use that money to enhance the production values instead.

We have been able to take Makdee to five important international film festivals in Frankfurt, Chicago, Tehran, Norway and Cairo. We completed the film in 24 days, thanks to Shabana's cooperation.

Her makeup as the witch is extraordinary...

I had been warned that Shabana hates makeup. I was prepared for ill temper. Instead she was very cooperative. For two months, we carried out test makeups. Every time, she would sit for four hours to put on the makeup. We hunted for the right eye lenses on the Internet, which we finally ordered from London. And we had to give her a blue-toned skin which took a lot of time. Considering how meagre our budget was, what we have achieved is truly remarkable.

But don't you think children will get scared by the witch?

I want to scare them. The more scared they are, the more they will love it. By the way, Makdee is for children between the ages of six and 60. Percept Pictures, which made the Dino Morea-Rinke Khanna starrer Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi, partners me in this film.

We are making sure that this small film reaches every part of the country. Can you imagine a music composer who spends most of his working hours in his recording studio suddenly stepping out to sell a film to a largely unreceptive market? I have been going crazy.

Fortunately, the market is opening up. There is a growing need for a different kind of entertainment.

My cameraman Hemant Chaturvedi became famous after he shot Ram Gopal Varma's Company. He had shot my telefilm Tan-tan-nan before Company. He has done his own witchcraft in Makdee.

What prompted you to become a producer?

Initially, the Children's Film Society was supposed to produce Makdee. But when the roughcut of the film was submitted before [chairperson] Sai Paranjpe, we had a number of creative disputes. She objected to my film being shot like a modern day thriller. She wanted me to spoonfeed young minds like a typical children's film of the country.

I refuse to treats kids like idiots.

In Makdee children are treated as mature people. Sai had a problem with everything, including my editing. She didn't like my jumpcut technique or my use of handheld camera. She wanted to re-edit my film and cut it down by 15 minutes.

I refused and returned the Children's Film Society’s money with interest, something unheard of.

Now, we are ready to release Makdee on a scale that no film from the Children's Film Society has ever dreamt of. We have already recovered our investment on the table.

It must be a whole new experience...

Yes! A music composer producing and directing a film! The only music composer to make a film before me was Salil Chowdhury [Anand, Madhumati]. I always wanted to be a director, not a producer. I was forced to become one. But it was for the best. Now I can make my own films and give music for them.

But I will always remain a music composer first. In fact, I have just signed on a film with director Tinnu Anand.