Indian filmmaker Dheeraj Akolkar sweeps western world with his docu-drama...

First it was the hugely well-received documentary on the legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. Now Indian filmmaker Dheeraj Akolkar (who has in the past assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali) is sweeping the Western world with his docu-drama on the mythical Norwegian artiste and painter Edvard Munch, whose symbolist paintings have changed the way we look at the human soul on canvas. That an Indian filmmaker should be given the privilege of putting Munch’s stormy life on screen is a matter of great pride for all Indians.

Dheeraj’s film entitled Let The Scream Be Heard premiered in Oslo on October 23, and in Mexico City the next day. It now opens in Prague and Mexico on the eve of Munch’s 150th birth anniversary on December 12. Says Dheeraj, “Rune Trondsen and Stein-Roger Bull of Nordic Stories had the idea of  making a film to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Edvard Munch. They were looking for an international director, as they felt that a fresh perspective on a subject so close to the Norwegians was needed. They had contacted a few directors before they asked me. I was definitely interested. They invited me to visit Oslo, especially to look at the Munch paintings. By the time I was in front of the third or the fourth art work, I knew I wanted to do this... I knew that I could do this well.”

He says it was not easy. “Liv & Ingmar and Let The Scream Be Heard, each had its own challenges. But Scream... was definitely tougher for a number of reasons. I had worked and meditated on Liv & Ingmar for two-and-a-half years before the film started, so I had ample time to envisage, develop and work around the rough edges. When it finally started, I was extremely confident of what was right for the film... and then Liv Ullman (Bergman’s soulmate) was in front of the camera! With Let The Scream Be Heard this was not the case.

I was offered the film when Liv & Ingmar had not even ended. We had ten months to finish the film. On the top of everything else, Edvard Munch was not alive to tell his story on camera,” he says.

Let The Scream Be Heard is creating waves across the world. “The fourth version of Munch’s painting ‘Scream’ sold for $120 million in New York – the highest price ever grossed by a single work of art in an auction! The news made international headlines. And what people seemed to be speaking of with utter respect was not the painting itself but the price for which it was sold. As if it would not have made any difference what work was being sold, as long as it was sold for $120 million dollars – well, the message was very clear! Munch had never been so hot, so hip. His touring exhibitions had recorded over 1.2 million entries in Paris, Frankfurt, Oslo, London, Tokyo and New York... I thought to myself: In this world of 15 minutes of fame or even 15 seconds of fame, why are we celebrating an artist even after 150 years? Why is he still relevant to us? What is there in his art that has surpassed the boundaries of every kind? Do we safely presume that Munch is great because his work sells for millions and millions of dollars, or is there anything else? That is what made the approach clear.”

Dheeraj decided to make this as an artistic investigation to discover and celebrate the secret behind the universality and timelessness of Munch’s art. “I was never interested in making a traditional biography. There are many such already made. I was interested in looking at Munch from today’s context. The times we live in are as important as the artist. I wanted to make it relevant for today. I wanted the film to give answers, ask questions today. I wanted the film to go beyond Edvard Munch.  I spoke to various Munch biographers, scholars, art historians – but my insistence was also to speak to a group of artists from various art streams such as Music, dance, theatre, sculpture, cinema, architecture, painting and performance art .

The scholars would give us the details about Munch, but only the artists could take us to the genesis, to that sacred space between the mind and the surface of the canvas. Together, their insights have been invaluable. We contacted over 45 International artists, but the main strength of the film is Edvard Munch himself ! In over 62 years of creative life, this man produced more than 40,000 works of art – Paintings, prints, sketches, lithographs, woodcuts, photographs, sculptures, texts, poems… the list is extensive !”

Dheeraj had access to the rarest of material on Munch. “ The Munch museum has over 27,000 of these pieces, The National Museum has many rare masterpieces.  They gave us complete access. One of the senior curators at the National Museum told us that in her 30 years of work.She had never seen ‘The Sick Child’ ,‘Scream’, ‘Madonna’ and ‘Puberty’ out of the glass frame. We were literally inches away from these masterpieces, experiencing their power, recording them on camera – an unforgettable experience… When you are in such close proximity of great art, it silences you completely.”

Dheeraj is also seen in his Munch film. “I decided to add one more element which would bind the whole film together – the element of an Investigator. I decided to step in front of the camera as a traveller, asking questions, seeking answers... Answers, at times in words, at times in silences.. So yes, a lot of research, a lot of thought went into it.”

Dheeraj also has Bollywood plans. “There is an Indian film based on a very important story. The script is fully developed and I have been meeting some people in Mumbai and waiting for a couple of more responses. When the time is right, it will begin. That’s my faith. Or better to say, when it begins, will be the right time for it. It will be really exciting to work in India again and I am looking forward to the experience.”