A Passage to India: 100 years since the book, an actor recounts its film adaptation

When HS Krishnamurthy hopped on to his rickety bicycle to reach West End Hotel in 1984, he did not know he would be part of a historic venture. Krishnamurthy was an active member of the Kannada theatre culture and received a message from a friend that an English lady wanted to meet him at the hotel.

Popularly known in Kannada cultural spectrum as HaSaKru, Krishnamurthy had no friend who could afford to stay at the luxurious West End Hotel, but went to the hotel driven by his instinct.

Forty years later, HaSaKru thanks his instinct that landed him a role in the iconic film A Passage to India (1984), directed by David Lean. The film was based on the historic book by the same name, written by EM Forster, which was published in 1924.

“I never dreamt of becoming a part of a film like A Passage to India. Even after a month of the cast and crew reaching Bengaluru and staying at the West End Hotel, I didn’t have an inkling about David Lean shooting the film, which came to be the last film of his career,” HaSaKru, who played the role of Hassan, a servant to Dr Azeez, essayed by renowned actor Victor Banerjee, told The Federal.

A still from the 1984 movie A Passage to India.

“One day, I got a message from my friend that some English-speaking woman enquired about me from the West End Hotel wanting to meet me in a certain room. I was surprised, as I didn’t have friends who could afford to stay there. I thought it must be a case of mistaken identity. However, my inner instinct forced me to go. I climbed my creaking old bicycle and pedaled in the direction of West End Hotel,” he recounted in a year which marks 100 years of Forster’s book and 40 years of Lean’s film.

Though Forster died 54 years ago, his novel, which tells the story of the delicate balance between the English and Indians during British Raj, still remains an enduring literary monument of the Raj. It unravels the relationship between the ruler and the ruled over the 200-year British Raj, showcasing human feelings, and attitudes from that fraught period.

So near to playing a part in documenting that relationship, the octogenarian says he developed cold feet when he reached the room where the lady had called him.

“The environment was unfamiliar. No one took notice of my presence. Finally, mustering courage and introducing myself as HS Krishnamurthy, I asked an English-speaking woman (I later learnt that she was Priscilla John of the casting department) whether she had sent a message for me. She got up from her chair, shook my hand and asked whether I was ready to do a small role in A Passage to India? Before I responded, she took out her Polaroid camera and took my picture,” he said.

A Passage to India tells the story of the delicate balance between the English and Indians during British Raj.

“John asked me if I had read Forster’s A Passage to India? I replied in affirmative. Priscilla said I was expected to play the role of Hassan, servant of Dr Aziz in the film. ‘Though, it is a small character, David Lean will make best use of your talent. Is it OK with you,” she asked. I asked for three-days’ time. But she insisted that I let her know in a day so that she could get Lean’s approval,” recounted HaSaKru.

When HaSaKru met Lean

When HaSaKru confirmed to John that he was interested in the role, she asked him to meet them the next day.

“Priscilla told me to say ‘hello’ to the director. I was a bit irritated by the way she underestimated native talents. I just said ‘yes’. Lean was chatting with his friends on the lawns of the hotel. On sighting John, he got up and greeted us with a broad smile and shook my hand. I didn’t say hello, but said, ‘I am pleased to meet you, sir’.”

“Looking at my fully grown beard and presuming I didn’t know English, Lean asked John to instruct me against trimming my beard. I used the opportunity to show that I knew English too and before John could respond, I told Lean that his instruction would be followed,” he said reminiscing about the day.

“John was relieved. She told me she was glad it all worked out so easily. I later learnt that Lean had earlier rejected three actors for the same role. Lean had his own image about Hassan’s character,” he said.

Actor’s equity

“I was offered Rs 10,000 for essaying Hassan’s character. It works out to be Rs 600 per day, which was unbelievable for a local actor like me at that time,” said HaSaKru, bursting out in a throaty laugh.

But hiring Indian actors wasn’t easy for David Lean because of the regulations of Actors’ Equity.

“Actors’ Equity founded in 1913 was the US labour union that represented professional actors and technicians. It was difficult for filmmakers like Lean to break the rules and regulations of Actors’ Equity Association. Lean was not free to opt for actors of his choice, unless they were a member of the association. Lean wanted a certain percentage of actors to be chosen from India, Actors’ Equity opposed it. Lean had to fight hard to convince the association to be lenient in opting for Indian actors for a film that was based on India and Indians. Lean finally succeeded in convincing the association citing the challenge of attaining ‘authenticity to characters and artistic excellence’ without Indians in the film.”

“Finally, Actors’ Equity offered ‘a threadbare’ margin to Lean and that was how I became a part of the production. I have to admit one thing, the production house did not differentiate between Indian and foreign actors in terms of extending the facilities and wages,” said HaSaKru underlining the need for a similar mechanism in Indian cinema.

A Passage to India, a sort of ethnography or an examination of the customs of different cultures, remains a much talked-about film even after 40 years of its release. The film marked Lean’s return to direction after a 14-year hiatus, when critics criticised Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Prior to A Passage to India, David Lean, widely considered as one of the most important figures of British cinema, had directed the large-scale epics — The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965).

The Bengaluru connection to Chandrapore

The novel-based film that mercilessly attacked orientalist racism and argued against imperialism was shot for the most part in and around Bangalore, including the hills of Savandurga, and Ramadevarabetta of Ramanagara. Kannada theatre and cinema personalities including Ashok Mandanna, HS Krishnamurthy and Arundhati Nag were part of this ambitious international film production.

Ernest Day, who was nominated for an Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Lean’s final film A Passage to India, and was often referred as Lean’s eyes, shared his experience of shooting A Passage to India in an article published in American Cinematographer in the February 1985 issue.

He wrote,

“The office and accommodation for A Passage to India were located at the West End Hotel in Bangalore in the state of Mysore. Bangalore had been chosen as the principle location for Forster’s fictitious Chandrapore. The Maharajah’s palace in Bangalore about a 10 minutes ride from our hotel has extensive grounds that production was able to use as a kind of back lot on which to construct sets. Economically, of course, this arrangement was near perfect-minimum unit travelling time plus 100% crowd control in a country renowned for inquisitive citizens appearing in thousands.”

Recalling sets that were constructed, Ernest Day notes, “Numerous sets were constructed on the palace grounds, including a whole complex of bungalows covering what must have been 5 or 6 acres and a complete street for Bazar, which I defy any viewers to recognise as a set, rather than a real thing.”

“David was very excited about this quasi studio lot, and his enthusiasm was infectious, as he walked around partially built sets and pegged out grass covered spaces, where other sets were to be built. In addition to the sets constructed on the palace grounds, there was also a set built in the grounds of the hotel, which included a lily pond and we were able to take advantage of some marvellous trees, similar to banyan trees, which cast lovely shadows over things. One of the bungalows in the palace grounds was to be used for interiors as well. It was revamped so that it could serve for different interiors and it was built in such a way shooting in it like shooting in a real Indian house.”

HS Krishnamurthy popularly known as HaSaKru in the movie A Passage to India.

Similarly, Chetan Shah, one of 12 Indian assistant directors of A Passage to India recalls his experience in his piece published in The Hindu on June 7, 2014:

“Most of the shoot was to be in Bangalore so that’s where the production was based. The main location was the Bangalore Palace, the grounds of which served as a studio lot for vast outdoor sets such as Bombay docks including a couple of ships, a London street, a busy local marketplace, and various other smaller scale building exteriors. In addition, parts of the Palace were dressed up and used for both outdoor and indoor locations.”

The Savandurga caves controversy

HaSaKru has an interesting anecdote on shooting of the film cave scene in Savandurga, which is just 60 km from Bengaluru. According to Ernest Day, the panoramic landscape shot in India lacked the epic quality and magic of Lawrence of Arabia and Dr Zhivago.

One of the main problems was that the Savandurga cave sequence is the crux of the film. The exterior had to be scaled down. But, responding to the press and public protest, the Karnataka government withdrew permission to blast holes in the hillside location.

“Lean knew that he was going to shoot the interior of the cave in a studio. But he had to have at least the entrance of the cave. What happened next caused some controversy in India. The reports in papers that said that the rock was blasted to make the caves were not true and that created a lot of problems for Lean to shoot, despite the art director using highly skilled temple carvers to make the cave artificial. When I thought of writing a piece to Prajavani, a Kannada newspaper, it created flutters in the production section. However, on learning that I wrote about the film, Lean and others heaved a sigh of relief,” said HaSakru, reminiscing about the 42-year-old incident.

A tired elephant, an exhausted crew

Ask HaSaKru about Lean’s working style, and he pulls out multiple anecdotes from has cotton sling bag. “One sequence that made me understand that Lean was very particular about details and getting the right visuals and expression was the scene in which Dr Aziz is with young Adela mounting an elephant. The scene was supposed to capture the panoramic beauty of the location. Ernest Day wanted bright sunlight for the scene, but the day was cloudy, with the sun playing hide-and-seek. The art direction team was exhausted tying and trimming the chambers of Aziz and Adela every time the elephant returned to the location, without Lean announcing ‘roll camera’ and ‘action’. Even the elephant got tired climbing up and down. This happened for the best part of two days.”

HaSaKru, who worked with giants of Indian cinema, Girish Karnad and BV Karanth is all praise for David Lean, who according to him, brought an enduring masterful vision to the screen that was unique in its craftsmanship. “I appreciate him for his ability to craft epic movies with impeccable attention to detail and unique visual style. His grand-scale productions were characterized by their breath-taking visuals, meticulous attention to detail, and complex narratives. He had a fascination for light and preferred to shoot in ‘day-break’ light. I was fortunate to get, though a small, but significant character in A Passage to India, said HaSaKru, an avid connoisseur of films.

Before signing off the protracted conversation with The Federal, HaSaKru didn’t forget to mention about Ishaq Bux, Victor Banerjee and James Fox, whom he befriended during the few days of shooting.

“Ishaq Bux also played the role of a servant like me in the film. I used to take him to mosques during the shoot in Ooty. He profusely thanked me for this simple gesture. Visiting India had been his life-time desire. During the Ooty schedule, Victor Banerjee invited me to his room and offered wine and spoke to me about a lot of things during our brief interaction. I was introduced to Richard Fielding during the shoot in Bangalore. Our friendship grew during the shooting in Srinagar. Before leaving for London, Fielding invited me to his room for tea. Before leaving, he presented me with a camera and a copy of the Bible along with stamped covers to express my honest opinion on the Bible. I used that camera for a long time. But I kept the Bible in my bookshelf,” said Hasakru, beaming with his signature smile.