I became a slave of my own success: Fatih Akin

Panaji: Renowned filmmaker Fatih Akin, who screened his latest, `Soul Kitchen`, at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) says that he was insecure while directing the comedy because of his fame as a "serious" director and even abandoned the project mid-way.

The Turkish-German helmer is one of the most prominent voices in world cinema today with films like `Head On`, `Edge of Heaven` and `New York I Love You`. Indian filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who introduced Akin to the Indian audience here, counts himself as one of his die-hard fans. "I became broke after producing `Head On` and decided to make a film that will earn some money. I wrote the script in five days but in between I got the Golden Bear at Berlin film festival and suddenly became very famous. After that I was scared to direct `Soul Kitchen` because I started to think about my reputation as a serious filmmaker. In a sense I became a slave of my fame," Akin said. "I never trusted the film even though my producer was very confident. Finally it took me five years to make the film. `Soul Kitchen` is about life, which happens when we are busy making other plans," he added. The filmmaker, whose parents migrated to Germany from Turkey during the 60s, says that he had to overcome his insecurities to finally make the film and he is happy that it has been loved by everyone. Akin is currently working on a big budget movie called `Devil` and says that he is influenced by world cinema including films from India. "I like to take bits and pieces from everywhere. My inspiration comes from cinema of different parts. When I hear about a good film I try to watch it. So may be I may include something from Indian cinema in my next movie. Unfortunately, we don`t have much access to Indian films in Germany," he said. His first comedy revolves around a man, who struggles to run a restaurant with his jailbird brother. "It is the most personal film I have ever made because it is about my neighbourhood. I have worked as a waiter and door keeper and it is about my life before I became a filmmaker," Akin told the gathering after the screening of the movie on the sidelines of 41st edition of IFFI, with the likes of Rajkumar Hirani, Dibakar Banerjee and Kashyap in the audience. Akin says he became fascinated with cinema at the age of five while watching Bruce Lee, whom he counts as one of the biggest inspirations in life apart from Martin Scorsese. Akin`s films often revolve around the lives of German Turks and coming from a Turkish heritage, the director says he struggles to document their confusion in a cross-cultural environment. The director`s very first film brought him international fame. Written while he was still in high school, `Short Sharp Shock`, is a dark story about three immigrant children, who get involved in weapon dealing. PTI