The Hindu Business Line : Why padre made a movie

He's hardly the archetypal nondescript priest. In fact having recently produced a masala Bollywood film — complete with a rain-drenched item number — Father Francis Dominic Emmanuel of Delhi Church Archdiocese seems more like a spirited entertainer. But scratch the surface and you'll encounter an enterprising Catholic priest who adroitly melds his creative instincts with dogmatic pursuits.

"A `commercial' film doesn't mean a sleazy product. We've used the mass medium of film to convey a strong message about two issues that need to be urgently addressed in Indian society — communal polarisation and HIV/AIDS," says the 54-year-old priest. In fact AIDS, as he emphasises, is a major global threat, with 5.13 million infected in India. "After South Africa India has a large number of AIDS-affected citizenry. If this isn't the time to wake up, when will it be?"

In that sense, Aisa Kyon Hota Hai (AKHH) — whose 30 prints were released in six Indian metros in February — is pathbreaking in more ways than one. Apart from being produced by a priest (which sparked off protests from a section of the Church), the film stars model Aryan Vaid, Rati Agnihotri and Father Emmanuel himself in a professor's role. It also marks the directorial debut of documentary filmmaker Ajay Kanchan, hitherto assistant to filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt. Targeting the youth, AKHH unspools a message about the threat from HIV/AIDS, the pitfalls of promiscuity and the need for secularism in a pluralistic society. Financed by UNICEF and a slew of human rights/health organisations, the film's budget was Rs 2 crore.

Father Emmanuel

"In fact, the shoestring budget was one of the main reasons for the film's lukewarm reception at the box-office, as we didn't have mega bucks to promote it well," says Father Emmanuel. Hence, despite being "well-crafted", the film delivered an egg at the box-office. However, the youth — who were its target constituency in any case — "simply loved it". So, to widen the film's pan-India reach, it was re-released in a dozen more Indian cities this month.

Perhaps the film's sizzling item number — performed by the sultry newbie Rachna Maurya — will propel audiences into theatres? "I don't know why people are stressing on the film's item number," he laughs. "The song integrates well with the storyline and helps in propelling it forward. It's not vacuous, titillating stuff."

Not that AKHH is Father Emmanuel's first creative outing. Before the film bug bit him, the priest — who is currently Director of the Communication/Information Bureau at the Catholic Archdiocese in New Delhi — had written 14 books, including Pathways To Better Living which was translated into many languages and is prescribed as a text-book in some Delhi schools. The priest has also penned Purna Setu Ki Ore (Towards Building Bridges), which deals with the theme of inter-religious harmony.

A graduate in four disciplines (theology, philosophy, english and education), he also did his Masters and Ph.D in Communication from Westminster University, London. This was followed by a successful stint as a freelance journalist for BBC World, a radio broadcaster for Radio Manila in the Philippines, the Vatican Radio in Rome and Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany.

A keen football, tennis and basketball player, he has also been a stage actor and director. Perhaps he'd like to star in a film that he directs some day? "Oh, no," he guffaws. "I'm no Amitabh Bachchan. I'm quite happy being a priest!"

Apart from the re-run of his film, what's kept the priest busy this season is his "fruitful meeting" with the US President on his recent visit to India. Part of a delegation of 35 religious heads, Father Emmanuel's meeting with George W. Bush accentuated the need for peace and harmony in an increasingly polarised world. "Peace and progress are inextricable," he stresses. "There can be no global prosperity till there's harmony between nations."

After priesthood and filmmaking, perhaps it's time now for Father Emmanuel to morph into a politician?