Burmese director and comedian Zargana is writing script on Bogyoke Aung San's biography. This will be the first ever fictional epic picture based on Bogyoke's biography with real historical characters. Ko Zargana said the European producers are interesting in his script and producing the film, but he said that he would insist on filming this film in the locations inside Burma. Ko Nay Thwin of Mizzima interviewed him by phone.

Q: What is the present stage of your script?

A: It's almost completed. I don't write it like the biography with only historical facts, but mixed with fiction too. It took time because I had to mix the historical facts with action scene and other emotional fictional plots. It has 132 scenes, but the first scene and the last scene is the same so that actual total number will be 131 scenes. The running time will be 131 minutes, say 2 hours and 11 minutes.

Q: Can you tell me how the foreign producers offer to produce this film?

A: Two producing teams directly approached me. The first one is from Europe and another one is from UK which produced 'Beyond Rangoon' before. And also the Hollywood producer Beckman, the producer of ' Charlie Wilson's War', approached me to produce this film.

Q: How do they want to film it?

A: They want to produce this film in high budget and in grand scale as 'Gandhi'. They know a lot about Burma; have studied Burma for about last 20 years and can speak a little Burmese. They are interested in producing such a film, but have to wait as there are no one has started and initiated on it. I have appointment to meet with them this evening.

Q: Who will be the characters?

A: I wrote my script as I wish and I must insist on it. The first point is the main character Bogyoke Aung San must be the Burmese actor, and must be from upper Burma like Bogyoke. Similarly other historical characters must be Burmese actors: for U Thein Pe Myint from upper Burma, U Nu from delta region, and U Kyaw Nyein etc. I will show them the photos of these main historical characters. For instance, the actor for Thakin Ba Sein role must resemble him and also for Ko Ohn too. If we could not find the suitable actors from the present actors, we must find the new faces.

Q: Please tell us what inspired you to write this script.

A: It's been in my mind long time before. We have nothing to show the film on Bogyoke. But in India, there were 'Ghandi' and 'Subbhas Chandrabose', produced by Hollywood with big budget. The 'Gandhi' won Oscars and very successful. I asked myself why shouldn't be 'Bogyoke' film in our country. After seeing 'Subbhas Chandrabose', I started to collect the historical facts and photos on Bogyoke and many of my friends encouraged my work. Then I devoted all my time in writing it. But the script is unlike the history book, it has some fictional and emotional points too. I must dramatize some facts. Bogyoke might not have said the words exactly as I wrote in my script. It took one year for collecting and compiling the historical research and facts on Bogyoke (General). But it didn't take much time in writing the script, many friends helped me.

Q: How many pages finished in English? How long it will take to produce the film?

A: If this evening discussion is successful, the whole process will be completed within one year because the script in English has been finished. My friend Vicky Bowman helped me in translation since very beginning. So the script has been finished as a draft.

Q: Do you have any dream to produce this film as both script writer and director?

A: Yes, I did, I want to. But we must focus on Bogyoke not on me. We must emphasize on successfully producing the film not on Zargana. It will be ungracious if we produce this film with low budget, shooting in location like Syriam plum plantation (usual location for most Burmese low budget films) with 1-2 rifles like most of our low budget Burmese films are being produced. According to our script, there will be scenes in England, Amoi for military training scenes and to China too, the battle scenes in Burma. We must do it in grand scale. Bogyoke's movements and actions are much more than Ghandi, it had armed struggle, battle scenes in rural area and forests. We cannot produce such a film with our own resources and financial strength, without proper weapons, adequate manpower and elephants, horses etc. It can be produced only, I think, with the collaboration with Hollywood and Europe producers. We must let them produce this film. But they will mention my name as the script writer though I cannot perform as director. It's no problem for me. If this film has been successfully completed in our time, I will be very much proud of it. That's all.

Q: Yes, we see much positive prospects on this film now. And also we heard a lot of enthusiastic welcome and encouragement on this project. Do you have any negative response to your project?

A: Yes, some gave negative responses. They told me their responses in both directly and indirectly. Some are worrying about becoming a comedy if the script writer is comedian. Let it be. But I know well which one should be comedy and which one should be realism. Though there will be some humour scenes in my script, for instance, Bogyoke visited Daw Khin Kyi's place and courted her. Such a scene is included in Saya U Myint Soe's book. Another scene will be at the harbour, just before his departure from Burma, snap a baby from the lap of nearby Chinese lady when he saw military police and then the baby urinated on him. These are the natural humour. Some said we are doing the big project, a tall order for us. They said it's almost impossible to reconstruct the battle scenes in Sittang Bridge. If we say always only the impossibilities, there will be none produced. So I requested them to do something first before saying it's impossible and hopeless. The Japanese director prepared 9 years to produce 'Thway' (blood) film and succeeded only after 11 years. Now it's been 17 years, but this film still cannot be screened in Burma yet. But this Japanese director succeeded in filming and completing it alone. Why shouldn't our Burmese directors and actors produce the film about our national hero with the same zeal and perseverance with the Japanese director? So I said to them to try something with concerted effort. Anyway I thanks to all who gave suggestions.

Q: And next from historical viewpoints. Do you have any responses from historians?

A: Yes, I heard something. I have discussed with them directly. Some people, ThakinTin Mya, Thakin Hla Kun and Bo Ye Htut, are compiling the Bogyoke's biography, over 1,500 pages with rare photos. There are some discrepancies in my script from their thick volume. I've already shown my script to these elders. I don't say I'm right and they are wrong. But they write the biography and I write the script. I don't include some facts and points in my script. In film, we can't include all facts. We must select the interesting facts only. I showed my script to them.

Q: Does your script include some scenes, for instance, he picked up and ate 'bayargyaw' (fried grams) at banquet as soon as he entered the hall before saying anything which was written in Dagon Taryar's book?

A: No, I could not include all to avoid being lengthy. I could not include another interesting point like using the facial towel of Sayar Thein Pe Myint when he got out from toilet. There are 3 main parts in the first half of my script, first is student life, anther is his political life and the third part is returning to Burma after his military training from Japan. So we must conclude his student union life in 6-7 scenes as quick as possible.

Q: Why do you use the same scene for beginning and ending at Martyrs' Mausoleum?

A: I want to show the image of Bogyoke will never be diminished in the mind of the children. The children will sing a song honouring Bogyoke without background music. I want to end my film with this scene too.

Q: I saw only 6 parts of this script on your blog. Will you post more?

A: They requested me not to post on blog for the time being. Yes, they are right. If someone download my script and translated and then sent it to someone, we will be in trouble. They requested me to suspend posting on my blog during discussion with them. So I stopped posting further parts. After this evening's discussion, it will be much progressed.

Q: Another question is, are there any enthusiastic actors and actresses to perform in your film?

A: Yes, there are many actors and actresses who are eager to act in this film. We must choose them. I don't want to choose from existing actors and actresses. Many people contacted me and inquired me about this film the whole morning of today. The news is leaked. When the news was informed to Auntie Swe Zin Htike who is also coming to this evening meeting on selecting actors and actresses by foreign producers, many contacted us and said that they are interested to act in this and that characters. But I'm not interested in existing actors and actresses.

Q: Will they shoot it in Burma?

A: Yes, they must shoot it in Burma. I'll insist on it. If they don't shoot it in Burma, where will they shoot this film?

Q: Can it make a problem?

A: Certainly, there will be. I guessed it before very long time ago.

Q: OK, my questions are enough for your script. By the way, how do you feel about the September uprising?

A: You can see it in Saya Lun Swe's blog where a poem is posted. I read it to you. This poem represents all the artistes and the people. Please listen.

(Paraphrase)

This is not a story
It really happened
This is the most terrible foul smell of blood soaked page
I've ever heard
I've ever experienced

They were trained to kill a man
in cold blood

They writ their own history with saliva
for their lust and desires
They can't distinguish
even the valley and mountain
blinded by ego

They never reluctant
to swindle
and to make barefaced lies
they've been performing this trumped-up story
for 20 years

Sayadaw (Abbot) U Ottama
was not hit by police baton
in the smoke of tear gas shells

He didn't have to flee from the scene
amidst the gun fires
with his unfurling robe

He was not hit by rifle butt
with his hands tied in the back
And his corpse not floated in the creek
by the unknown assailant

These are all happened
under the colonial rule
when we were slaves
under the foreigners with different faith

They are the martyrs monk in our history
It really happened in our country

The recital of Metta sutra was fumigated by gun powder smoke
Saffron robe were soaked with blood
hunting the innocent people
seeing the Shwedagon platform as killing ground
All these really happened here

Look!
Saying god
doing differently
those hands
once offered Waso robe
once offered rice for alms
once carried umbrella of pagoda undeservingly
now stained with indelible blood
stained forever in Sansara