European Producers Interested In Biographical Film On Bogyoke Aung San

by Nay Thwin

Monday, 14 January 2008 00:00

Burmese director and comedian Zargana is writing a 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 European producers are interested in his script and want to produce the film. But he said that he would insist on shooting this film in locations inside Burma. Ko Nay Thwin of Mizzima interviewed him over telephone. Q: What is the present status of your script? A: It's almost completed. I did not write it like a biography with only historical facts, but mixed it with fiction. It took time because I had to mix the historical facts with the action scenes and other emotional fictional plots. It has 132 scenes, but the first scene and the last scene are the same so that the actual total number will be 131 scenes. The running time will be 131 minutes, say two hours and 11 minutes. Q: Can you tell us what the foreign producers have said about producing this film? A: Two producing teams approached me directly. The first one is from Europe and another one is from UK which produced 'Beyond Rangoon' before. And also 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 on a high budget and in a grand scale like 'Gandhi'. They know a lot about Burma; have studied Burma for about the last 20 years and can speak a little Burmese. They are interested in producing such a film, but had to wait as there was no one started and initiated the script. I have an appointment to meet them this evening. Q: Who will play the characters? A: I wrote my script as I wished and I must insist that the film is true to the spirit of the script. The first point is the main character of Bogyoke Aung San must be a 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 the delta region, and U Kyaw Nyein among others. I will show them the photographs of these main historical characters. For instance, the actor for the role of Thakin Ba Sein must resemble him and so also for Ko Ohn. If we cannot find suitable actors from the present lot of actors, we must find new faces. Q: Please tell us what inspired you to write this script. A: It's been in my mind for a long time. We have nothing to show in film on Bogyoke. But in India, there were 'Gandhi' and 'Subbhas Chandra Bose', produced by Hollywood on big budgets. 'Gandhi' won the Oscar and was very successful. I asked myself why shouldn't there be a film on 'Bogyoke' in our country. After seeing 'Subbhas Chandra Bose', I started to collect historical facts and photographs on Bogyoke and many of my friends encouraged me. Then I devoted all my time in writing the script. But the script is unlike the history book, it has some fictional and emotional points. I had to dramatize some facts. Bogyoke might not have said the exact words as I have written in my script. It took one year to collect and compile the historical research and facts on Bogyoke (General). But it didn't take much time in writing the script because many friends helped me. Q: How many pages have you finished in English? How long it will take to produce the film? A: If this evening's discussion is successful, the whole process will be completed within a year because the script in English is complete. My friend Vicky Bowman helped me in translating from the very beginning. So the script is complete as a draft. Q: Do you dream of producing this film both as both script writer and director? A: Yes, I do, 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 not be gracious if we produce this film on a low budget, shooting in locations like Syriam plum plantations (usual location for most Burmese low budget films) with one or two rifles like most of our low budget Burmese films are produced. According to our script, there will be scenes in England, Amoi for military training scenes and to China too and the battle scenes in Burma. We must do it on a grand scale. Bogyoke's movements and actions are much more than Gandhi, it was armed struggle, battle scenes in rural areas and forests. We cannot produce such a film with our own resources and financial strength, without proper weapons, adequate manpower and elephants, horses among others. It can be produced only, I think, with the collaboration of Hollywood and European 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 not a problem for me. If this film is successfully completed in our time, I will be very proud. That's all. Q: Yes, we see a positive prospect about this film now. And we heard a lot of enthusiastic encouragement about the project. Did you receive any negative response to your project? A: Yes, some gave negative responses. Their responses were both direct and indirect. Some are worried about the film becoming a comedy because the script writer is a comedian. Let it be. But I know well which one should be a comedy and what should be realism. Though there will be some humourous 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, where just before his departure from Burma, he snaps a baby from the lap of a Chinese lady when he saw the military police and then the baby urinated on him. These are the natural humour that is in the script. Some said we are doing a big project, and it's a tall order for us. They said it's almost impossible to reconstruct the battle scenes in Sittang Bridge. If we talk about only the impossibilities, there will be nothing produced. So I requested them to do something first before saying it's impossible and hopeless. The Japanese director prepared for nine 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. 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 as the Japanese director? So I told them to try something with concerted effort. Anyway I thank all who gave suggestions. Q: And next from the historical viewpoint. Do you get any response 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 of over 1,500 pages with rare photographs. There are some discrepancies in my script compared to 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 wrote the biography and I wrote the script. I did not include some facts and points in my script. In the 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, where he picked up and ate 'bayargyaw' (fried grams) at a 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 of it to avoid being lengthy. I could not include another interesting fact like using the face towel of Sayar Thein Pe Myint when he got out of the toilet. There are three main parts in the first half of my script. First his student life, another is his political life and the third part his return to Burma after military training in Japan. So we must conclude his student union life in six seven scenes as quickly as possible. Q: Why do you use the same scene for the beginning and the end at Martyrs' Mausoleum? A: I want to show that the image of Bogyoke will never be diminished in the mind of 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 six parts of the script on your blog. Will you post more? A: They requested me not to post on the blog for the time being. Yes, they are right. If someone downloads my script and translates it and then sends it to someone, we will be in trouble. They requested me to suspend posting on my blog during the discussion with them. So I stopped posting further parts. After this evening's discussion, there will be much more progress. Q: 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 about this film today morning. The news has leaked. When the news was passed on to Auntie Swe Zin Htike, who is also coming to this evening's meeting on selecting actors and actresses by foreign producers, many contacted us and said that they are interested to act in this and that character. But I'm not interested in existing actors and actresses. Q: Will they shoot in Burma? A: Yes, they must shoot in Burma. I'll insist on it. If they don't shoot it in Burma, where will they shoot the film? Q: Can it create a problem? A: Certainly, there will be. I guessed it before, a very long time ago. Q: 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 will 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 martyr's 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 < Prev   Next >