Teaching is my caste; cinema, my calling: Lal Jose

Busy with television shows, audition drives and journeys, hitmaker Lal Jose has hardly got any time to unwind himself. The filmmaker, who adorns the jury seat of 'Nayika Nayakan,' a popular television show on Mazhavil Manorama, has also announced his next and 25th movie 'Thattinpurath Achyuthan,' which is set for a Christmas release. After his last 'Velipadinte Pusthakam' with superstar Mohanlal, the master director took a year's break before he commenced his next, this time with actor Kunchacko Boban.

Jose is regarded as godfather by many young artists in the industry as he has so far introduced a few to Malayalam cinema. On the occasion of Teachers' Day, which falls on September 5, Onmanorama caught up with the Malayalam film director to ask Just One Question: “Whom would you like to look up to as your teacher?”

Jose responded with a bewildered smile. “I belong to a family of teachers. My grandparents were teachers. My parents were teachers too. My wife too is a teacher. Now, one of my daughters has also started her career as a teacher. It is hard to pick just one among the teachers around me,” he said.

Adding to it, the master director stated sarcastically that if caste is determined on one's inherited family occupation, his caste is teaching. “It is believed caste system is based on the inherited family occupation. In that sense, my caste is teaching. As I am the only one who chose a different profession in my family, I consider cinema my calling,” he reasoned.

On a serious note, Jose expressed his gratitude to filmmaker Kamal for being the perfect mentor, guide and teacher to him. “I have served as a directorial assistant to Kamal for almost nine years. I have assisted him for 16 movies. So in film industry, director Kamal is my teacher by all means. Not only my approach towards movies, but my mannerisms, gestures and way of speaking have also been deeply influenced by him. Many artists who have worked with both of us have told me they discovered the source of my approach towards both artists and movies. So I have great respect, adoration and gratitude to Kamal for being the perfect teacher, guide and mentor to me,” he said.

Moving on, Jose said that cinema is the supreme art form as it cinema encompasses almost all other arts and formulates an artistic beauty of its own. “Like a mother, like the ocean itself, cinema includes all the other art forms that are inculcated into it and develops a unified, unique artistic identity of its own,” he said.

Jose hinted that he is good at bringing out the best in talented artists, "I am neither an actor nor a singer nor someone well-versed with camera. If you ask me to perform a dance, I would be helpless. I just make the best out of all those who excel in each of these fields to make my cinema good. In that way, I am a student of many artists in the movie industry. I admire Sreenivasan for his fascinating way of scripting. Cinematographer S Kumar's sense of setting the perfect tone for a frame is incredible. His approach in treating a scene as a visual creation has literally amazed me. Vidyasagar is my teacher in music direction and composition," the much-respected filmmaker revealed.

Jose claimed he introduced several new talents to the Malayalam film industry through his movies considering their passion and outstanding talents. “I have introduced a row of junior artists to the film industry through my movies. I don't view them as my disciples. I gave them opportunities because they had exceptional talents in their respective fields. I have been privileged to learn from them as well. So my juniors are also my teachers,” the visionary director concluded.