An Interview with Bunny Reuben
A veteran of the Indian movie industry –FOLLYWOOD
- as he calls it- Bunny Reuben has been in film journalism for over
25 years. He started his career with Sunday Standard as its
film critic (1950-54), then moved on to Filmfare as chief
reporter (1955-60). He was closely associated with Star &
Style for over a decade and was the founder-editor of Cine
Blitz (1975/76).
He had a close relationship with Raj Kapoor. Shortly
after the death of the showman Bunny Reuben wrote and published
Raj Kapoor's biography-The Fabulous Showman. He also authoured
Mehboob: India’s Demille. Both the books are meticulously
researched, profusely illustrated and are considered a must read
for students of cinema.
As a result of his long relationship with the film world he is known
more as a filmwallah despite having written short stories,
which have been published in prestigious journals like the Transatlantic
Review, The Antioch Review and The New World Writing.
Apart from these he has a novel: You, I and Her and a collection
of short stories Monkeys on the Hill of God to his credit
as well.
A powerful storyteller, Bunny Reuben uses punctuation
to evoke atmosphere and experiments with words to convey a visual
image.
Known to the world at large as a jovial, hail fellow,
an extrovert and an ardent film wallah Bunny Reuben is actually
a very private person, an unusual personality. From a very early
age, he has written, painted and has finally surrendered himself
to a lifelong passion for cinema.
Indias-best brings you Bunny Reuben.....
Indias-best:
Could you give us a brief backgrounder about yourself?
Bunny Reuben: I was born in the pre-independent years.
As a student I loved books and magazines and preferred to spend
time in a bookstore rather than a toy shop. I was extremely influenced
by Perseus, Jason and Theseus, the three giants of Greek Mythology.
I was simply enchanted by cinema, as a medium, a way of telling
a story. I also loved to paint and was strongly influenced by Paul
Gaugin, the French post Impressionist painter. I lost a year in
college as I chucked everything and went to my grandmother’s farm
in Avas Village to paint. At that stage my strongest inclination
was towards becoming a painter.
Even today when I write I use a lot of visuals and
visual techniques in writing.
Indias-best: How did you start
writing?
Bunny Reuben: I used to write short stories and articles
on films.
Indias-best:
What was the first thing you ever wrote?
Bunny Reuben: A short story called The
Moving Finger. It was published in 1945, in the Bombay Chronicle.
I also wrote articles on the nature of cinema and people important
to the growth of cinema.
Indias-best:
How did your books come about?
Bunny Reuben: I was encouraged by C R Mardy, the
editor of Illustrated Weekly of India who promoted my work
and published a number of my stories in the weekly and by the editor(I
do not remember his name) of Thought India, a weekly from
Delhi. I was encouraged me to compile my work and publish them in
a book form. My books on Raj Kapoor and Mehboob Khan were a result
of my years in journalism and my close association with them.
Indias-best: What meaning do
your books have for you?
Bunny Reuben: My books are very much a part of me.
Indias-best: Could you quote
something from your book that is very close to your heart and tell
us why does it have so much meaning for you
Bunny Reuben: I can’t think of anything offhand but
the story In the Mango Season from my book Monkeys on
the Hill of God is very close to my heart.
Indias-best:
Can we expect some more books from you in the near future?
Bunny Reuben: I have two more books coming up. I
find myself being drawn towards social issues, social imbalances.
My books are now focused on people who suffer, the real people,
the ugly reality. I find myself inspired by a quote by Taslima Nasreen,
where she says, "Writing is not only to please (readers) but to
arouse anger (as well)."
Indias-best: What is your advise
to upcoming authors who are looking at publishing their own expressions
of creativity?
Bunny Reuben: Have conviction. Believe in yourself.
Don’t plan to be a writer one day. Be a writer now. For that, you
have to begin writing now, atleast 10 pages of work everyday, never
mind if you scrap everything later.
By: Faridoon Shahryar
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