Literature should be presented without entertainment: Gulzar

Indian literature is very rich and directors should be careful when they adapt them into a film or a TV series. It should not have unnecessary tinge of entertainment, feels poet-lyricist Gulzar.
The 79-year-old director, who is this year's Dadasaheb Phalke awardee, adapted the works of well-known Indian writers for the big and small screen.
Gulzar said literature can not be reformer, it can only remind or record the past era.
"There are many mediums today to gain knowledge. Today's youth Google everything and get everything on their finger tip.
But literature is very important and my aim is to encourage them towards it in a simple way.

"Shyam Benegal's films are the best examples. His films are engaging and entertaining but without any dose of necessary song and dance," Gulzar said.

Gulzar was in the capital today to unveil the DVDs of 'Godan' and 'Nirmala' from his 26-episode TV 2004 serial 'Tehreer... Munshi Premchand Ki' on Doordarshan.
It included multiple episodes of the celebrated author's best-known novels 'Godaan' (The Gift of a Cow) and 'Nirmala'.
Gulzar said he adapted Premchand's most of his books into screen because he finds the author close to his heart.
"I have met Premchand in three stages of my life. I met him first in school when I read 'Hajj-E-Akbar' and 'Idgah'. I could very well relate to the story of 'Idgah' because I had seen my mother making chapatis in tandoor and her hands used to get blisters.

"Second time I met him in my college when the interpretation of these stories become big. I started relating with the socio-political scenario of the society and last I met him when I turned director. I understood how beautifully he used to bring out the small nuances of our day-to-day life," Gulzar said.
The poet, who started off his film career with legendary director Bimal Roy's 'Bandini', said that films today should not be blamed for the mishappenings in the society.
"Cinema is the mirror of the society. Nothing goes to society from cinema. Rather cinema presents the violence in the society in a loud way with the help of background music. Violence in society is severe," he said.