Wanted to explore Meerabai as contributor to literature, not Krishna devotee: 'Anubhuti' director

New Delhi: Filmmaker Anirban Dutta, who is looking forward to the world premiere of "Anubhuti" at the 2024 International Film Festival of Rotterdam (IFFR), says he wanted to explore the contribution of 16th-century poet Meerabai in the field of literature instead of her image as a Krishna devotee through his film.

Billed as a stylised musical performance piece on the love triangle between Krishna, Radha and Meerabai, the movie will be screened at the ongoing gala in the Netherlands under the 'Harbour' segment on Monday.

Dutta, known for his 2018 debut feature film "Jahnabi", said when he started studying the comparisons between Radha and Meerabai, he found that it could be a bit "controversial".

"People are a little hesitant to compare Radha and Meera. I also started questioning myself a lot when I met people from cinema and literature.

"(I wondered) Why was Meera standardised as a devotee of Krishna and why was she not studied as a poetess or contributor to literature? I had that question in my mind which I have explored through the film," the writer-director told PTI in an interview.

He also watched 1979's "Meera", the Hindi film directed by Gulzar and starring Hema Malini in the title role, but felt let down.

"I watched the film on Meera in Bollywood by Gulzar and I was highly disappointed. The incidents in that film were based on her personal life, she was only shown as a devotee who is crazy about Krishna and loitering around... What about her work?" Dutta asked.

When artists leave behind such "a gigantic amount of literature or cinema" in their name, it has to be studied, added the Kolkata-based filmmaker.

"That is the reflection of herself or himself. Her life was all her work," he said.

Meerabai's work is incomplete without music and therefore, Dutta worked closely with composer Vaishali Sinha on "Anubhuti".

"Vaishali is a trained vocalist in Hindustani classical music and she suggested we use a 'raag' called 'Meerabai Ki Malhar', created by Meerabai. Vaishali has also lent her voice to the film," he added.

The filmmaker said works of master filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen, Mani Kaul, and G Aravindan have had a deep impact on his cinematic sensibilities, but he has his own voice.

"I try to create my own synergy and visuals. I try to take whatever impressions I can from what is happening around me... I'm a filmmaker who personally wants to kind of transport us to an alternative world of something profound, calm and composed," he said.

"Anubhuti", a 96-minute Hindi film, is also produced by Dutta under Anirban Dutta Films. It features Aritraa Sengupta, Rittick Bhattacharya, and Shamila Bhattacharya.

Meerabai, a Rajput princess, is considered a prominent figure in the Bhakti movement. Her bhajans are a part of public consciousness even today.

Dutta is currently working on the film "Road to Kiarostami"