This festival of short films is full of surprises. The break-throughs in cinema might be taking place away from Bollywood

By Sanjoy Roy

Feast on while they struggle. Discover the real soul of filmmakers

Ashok Purang, a friend from an eon ago and a theatre activist, threw up his exceedingly well-paid European Union job and winged his way to Bombay in 1994, searching for proverbial fortune and fame. Did he find either? Apparently not. But his involvement with theatre company Showbiz Action Players has resulted in a once- a-month Kala Ghoda Short Film festival.

Last week he brought this festival to Delhi and presented it to a mixed audience of struggling actors (a breed found exclusively around Mandi House), hopeful film professionals, assorted puppeteers, family and friends. I arrived with little expectation.

What unfolded was an evening of incredible visuals, technical excellence and evocative themes. All this in a little known or supported form — short films.

Purang says being a struggling filmmaker he realised the frustration budding writers, directors and actors face daily in finding that first break. This led to him meeting regularly with a group of film professionals, which ultimately led to the setting up of a regular festival. Each month he wades through scores of submissions from film graduates and students. He chooses 10 odd short films and screens them at the ngma, Mumbai.

In a festival, finding one or two films that stand out is always a surprise; to have a whole crop is an unusual feast. Magesh M’s cinematography in The Buddha Never Smiled, directed by A Sajeed, is outstanding. Pankaj Kumar’s black and white gritty photography for The Connection foregrounds how much filmmakers have progressed both technically and in understanding cinematic language. Exceptional performances by Neena Singh in The Connection, and the ensemble cast in One Long Night renews hope that beyond the glitz and hype of Bollywood, there is incredible talent waiting in the wings.

Long after I left the screening, two images stayed with me. A heart-stopping sequence in One Long Night, directed by Sanjeev Tiwari and produced by Vinod Nahardih. Set in a bitter cold winter night, a group of labourers gather around a dying fire, the only source of warmth that separates their barely clad bodies from bitter cold and possible death. Desperate for dawn they swap stories of joy and hope and while doing so, remove their last bits of clothing to keep the fire going for a few more minutes. A powerful statement on the homeless set amidst plush high-rises.

The second was by writer-director Rajashree, a teacher at FTII, whose black and white film The Connection is set against the backdrop of communal riots. No blood and gore here, just an outpouring of emotion when Amita (Neena Singh) is told that her brother has been killed in a riot in her hometown. Pregnant, unable to travel home, she confronts her grief alone as her husband leaves for the funeral. Fuelled by her friends, she turns out her Muslim neighbour’s young son (Ashwin Chitale), who loves watching cartoon network in her house. Struck by what she has done she begs his forgiveness and bribes him with khakra back to her house, the TV, and her heart.

It is in these short films that you feel reassured that cinema may finally be growing up. What happens to these same filmmakers when they reach Bollywood? Confront by the business, it’s back to fifteen songs, one wedding and a funeral! So feast on while they struggle, discover the soul of these short filmmakers each month. The next screening in Mumbai is on April 10 at ngma and in Delhi on May 7.