My father was a noted poet of his time. I shot to international fame with my very first film, and remained a Cannes favourite till my death. My films, which all have the sound of falling water in them, often got me into trouble with the Soviet regime. It is said that children understand my films better than adults do. My wife and I both died of the same type of lung cancer; conspiracy theorists say I was murdered by the KGB.
I have about 13 feature films to my credit, including arguably one of the best space movies of all time. All my feature films were adapted from novels, and most featuring a plan that goes horribly wrong. My favourite themes to explore involve the dark side of human nature, especially dehumanisation. I was infamous for my exorbitant shooting ratio and endless takes. I was born in New York, but died in England.
I started out as a painter before I went into films. I was an enormous fan of John Ford, and influenced by his films; interestingly, my own films continue to be adapted into Westerns by Hollywood. I enjoyed adapting Shakespeare’s plays into feudal Japanese settings. Even though my films are considered the archetype of samurai films, they were actually atypical in Japanese cinema.
The son of a famous writer, I am still considered one of India’s most important directors. In addition to directing credits, I am also the author of several science-fiction short stories, and have designed numerous book jackets and magazine covers. My niece married the legendary Kishore Kumar.
