The Hindu Business Line : ‘Summer breeze’ in Bollywood?

Meltem Cumbul is an attractive and talented Turkish actress, who was a member of the IFFI 2007 jury. Meltem, 37, whose name means ‘summer breeze’ in Turkish, graduated from a drama school in Istanbul and began her acting career with the Shakespeare Company in London at age 21. On returning home, she worked as a radio host and music director for the Turkish national radio. She hosted 150 episodes of a game show called Card Sharks (1993-94). La ter she moderated a reality show called This Is Your Life (1994-95).

The slender-framed and chain-smoking Meltem also did a lot of work on the Turkish stage and has acted in 15 films so far.

In 1997, she began hosting her own Meltem Cumbul Show, which showcased her acting skills. She also starred in Yilan Hikayesi, an extremely popular TV series.

Her performance in the movie Abdulhamif Duserken won her the Golden Orange Prize at the Antalya Film Festival.

She has also acted in the award-winning and critically-acclaimed movies Gegen die Wand and Gonul Yarasy (Lovelorn); the latter was screened at IFFI Goa.

The film won many hearts in Goa because it’s an affectionately told tale of a platonic relationship between a young woman (played by Meltem) who flees with her child from a violent husband and a retired teacher, who takes to driving a taxi in Istanbul. He gives her shelter in his home to protect her from her husband, who wants to take the child away. His adult son and daughter think he is having an affair with the young woman and protest.Undaunted, the old man continues to look after the young woman and her little daughter.

The story takes many strange twists and turns and ends in a tragedy. This was Meltem’s first visit to India, but she didn’t stay long as she had to rush back home. She hopes to return soon to see the Taj Mahal. She loves Raj Kapoor’s films and says she is a friend of director Shekhar Kapur of Elizabeth fame.

Part of the five-member jury, which included noted Malayalam filmmaker Shaji N Karun, Meltem had a hectic schedule at IFFI, viewing a slew of films.

Chatting to this writer at Panaji’s Kala Akademy during a lunch-break, she said that the film industry in her country was rather small. “We make only 30 films a year. Compared to India, where you make about a thousand films a year, we have a small film industry, and not a single film studio.

All our films are shot outdoors. If and when we need to shoot indoors, we hire a TV studio! But it is getting better every year because our people are more involved in films these days, and they want to see more films made in Turkey. I have worked in 15 films so far. These days, I act in one film a year.”

Her popularity in Turkish films and TV serials has attracted attention in Hollywood, where she has acted in two films and even maintains a home in Los Angeles in addition to one in her native Istanbul. Would she work in Bollywood if given an opportunity? Meltem is clearly thrilled at the question. “I would love to,” she exclaims joyfully.

“I like the way Bollywood makes films. I saw quite a few Indian films at a recent film festival in my country. When I was a child, we used to get to see lots of Indian films. These days, it’s hard to see Indian films in Turkey. I don’t know why. Maybe I should speak to some distributors in my country about Indian films.”

Her favourite Indian actor is Raj Kapoor. She says, “I know he is dead. But I grew up watching his films as a child. My mom was in love with him! She would take us to see his films. I still remember the song ‘Awara hoon’ from his film Awara. I love humming that song whenever I am in a good mood even though my pronunciation of Hindi words is hopeless. And I recently saw Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth, which was screened in my country. He is a great director. I met him in Turkey and was delighted to meet him here in Goa too. We are good friends. He saw my film Lovelorn and confessed to weeping a lot while watching it.”

Has she seen Mani Ratnam’s blockbuster Guru, in which the song ‘Maiya maiya’ was picturised on Mallika Sherawat in Istanbul? “Unfortunately not,” she replies. She is enthusiastic about possible collaborations between India and Turkey in filmmaking. “We can have more interaction between our film industries. We can exchange views through films. Films are a great way of strengthening cultural relations between people of different countries.”

She says she enjoyed every minute of her visit to India, “meeting with interesting people and spending time watching films in the competition as a member of the jury.” Her idea of a good film is one that tells a story well.

“You cannot make a good film without a good story,” she declares.