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| Sanjog Udaykumar Desai , maker of Blood and Soil |
Blood and Soil
When first time I read about the theme on secularism, many ideas came to my mind but all were contemporary and very common. I had decided not to enter the festival unless I have a very different concept. Also one thing was clear that the film should be set up in the village because India's strength and culture still lies in village by many means. Obviously the rethinking on secularism should be done from grass-root level, Hindu-Muslim is a case much ahead that should be thought of. In one religion there are many castes and there are still many differences in these castes. Secondly, the rethinking would be possible either by experiences or education so such a narrative was used.
Along with being a film-maker I am also a healthcare student so I thought of having blood as an integral part that could make more impact. Therefore blood and soil both are a very unique creations of God and this creation is lived, used and felt by every human being but most of them lack a correct point of view towards it. All need blood to survive, so during an emergency they accept the available blood, they don't question about whose blood is it. Same can be applied to soil in various ways. This implies that secularism is actually present but what is lacking is the correct point of view towards it.
Along with being a film-maker I am also a healthcare student so I thought of having blood as an integral part that could make more impact. Therefore blood and soil both are a very unique creations of God and this creation is lived, used and felt by every human being but most of them lack a correct point of view towards it. All need blood to survive, so during an emergency they accept the available blood, they don't question about whose blood is it. Same can be applied to soil in various ways. This implies that secularism is actually present but what is lacking is the correct point of view towards it.
Working with the entire crew and cast was a wonderful experience. Almost everyone of us is from cities, so shooting in a village was altogether a different feeling. Village people helped us in various ways that reflected that they could become good line producers and production controllers without which the shooting doesn't run smooth. We also experienced that for a better cause and a for a good change in society people support wholeheartedly.
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| Souvik Gupta , maker of Neighbor |
NEIGHBOUR
Making NEIGHBOUR has been an extremely worthwhile experience - a journey truly fulfilling. Not only was I trying to be technically precise and dealing with human emotions like despair, hope and friendship, but it was also about portraying people as I see them -- an extremely delicate subject to handle. I owe my film to my real life Neighbour, someone who had always been extremely cordial, even letting us shoot some scenes in her home. It taught me a very important lesson -- with people moving out of their homes and settling in smaller units, Neighbours can fill up a very crucial void by being family to each other. Another major thing that NEIGHBOUR taught me was the trust factor. I met most of my unit over Facebook, including my lead actors and DOP.
I had hardly met them before the shoot and they all put in their best efforts to make the film as good as we could. They all were from different religions, cultures and backgrounds. Despite my initial hesitation about working with people I didn't know (especially because the shoot was in my home), they made me come out of the skepticism and for that, I would be perenially thankful.
I would like to make this message reach out to as many people as I can. Contrary to the popular belief, people in Mumbai are not just about money. People here support an earnest effort and passion. To conclude, I can say, making NEIGHBOUR has made me an evolved human being - someone who looks at the world with far less prejudices that he used to 6 months back.
Making NEIGHBOUR has been an extremely worthwhile experience - a journey truly fulfilling. Not only was I trying to be technically precise and dealing with human emotions like despair, hope and friendship, but it was also about portraying people as I see them -- an extremely delicate subject to handle. I owe my film to my real life Neighbour, someone who had always been extremely cordial, even letting us shoot some scenes in her home. It taught me a very important lesson -- with people moving out of their homes and settling in smaller units, Neighbours can fill up a very crucial void by being family to each other. Another major thing that NEIGHBOUR taught me was the trust factor. I met most of my unit over Facebook, including my lead actors and DOP.
I had hardly met them before the shoot and they all put in their best efforts to make the film as good as we could. They all were from different religions, cultures and backgrounds. Despite my initial hesitation about working with people I didn't know (especially because the shoot was in my home), they made me come out of the skepticism and for that, I would be perenially thankful.
I would like to make this message reach out to as many people as I can. Contrary to the popular belief, people in Mumbai are not just about money. People here support an earnest effort and passion. To conclude, I can say, making NEIGHBOUR has made me an evolved human being - someone who looks at the world with far less prejudices that he used to 6 months back.
Perfect Circle
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| Chetan Warrier co film maker of Perfect Circle |
When we come across a subject like secularism, the first thing by default comes to ones mind is the Hindu-Muslim unrest that has been goin on since ages. So when we started to plan out the movie, we needed to look at the different messages that we would probably send across to people after the execution.
We have to put across our point without taking stands or keeping in mind the sentiments.
We made this movie because we were against sterotyoping particular sect of the society, so it has been a wonderful experience to give out a message.
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| Sajnu Nair co film maker of Perfect Circle |
The story that occurred to me is a simple daily life happening. The movie is an incident that you, me or your neighbor can relate to! Precisely why the film has had its own effect on our team while making it! Such racial discrimination will only leave us with losses than any gains.
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