“There is no formula for an award or a hit”
The Film and Television Institute (FTII) has a prestigious history as some of the biggest names of the Indian film and entertainment industry started their career as FTII graduates. The institute has been credited for churning out some exceptional actors and directors over the years, who have gone on to win national and international acclaim. Siddharth Sinha is one such student of FTII who has just raised the bar further by winning a national award for his short film, ‘Udedh Bun’. Punekar got a chance to speak with the talented director and learn some more about his award winning film.
What was it like to shoot ‘Udedh Bun’? How was the overall experience?
As it happens in our Bollywood films where a hero goes from one bad situation to another before finally striking back; my film too went through endless odd situations during its production before finally getting recognized. So for me this recognition is really precious.
How long did it take you to complete this film?
Well, it took a bit longer than the official deadline as a leading actor who was supposed to play the mother’s role backed out at the very last moment and so we had to stop shooting and look for an another actor all over again and it went on for quite some time.
Did it ever occur to you during the production of the film that it’ll go on to win the national award?
Ha,ha,ha…..never!!!
Were you sure that the audience will be able to connect with this film and its characters?
In Hollywood, writers are often asked, say in a comic scene, if they were themselves laughing while writing it and if they were then the scene will work and if they weren’t then the scene won’t work. Legendary French filmmaker, Robert Bresson used the same expression when he was asked who his audience is and he replied saying, “That’s me.” So I think I was able to connect with my film and only that kept me going.
This being your first film, how difficult was it to draft the script, get the dialogues in place and put everything together?
This story was on my mind for quite some time before I finally started writing it. And after writing my first draft I started narrating it to almost everyone in the institute and that really helped me. I found that I was rediscovering my script and also improvising a lot as the feedbacks came in.
Was it tough to choose the characters especially the adolescent boy? What attributes were you looking for when auditioning for his character?
When I asked my teacher, Mani Kaul about what to look for while casting this boy, he quickly replied saying, “A filmmaker never knows what he wants but he always knows what he doesn’t want, so keep on rejecting till you find your boy.” And this really worked for me. Then I met Alok Rajwade and felt he was the one but then it took quite some time to convince his parents as the film was also dealing with sexuality.
What was the most taxing shoot of Udedh Bun and why was it so stressful?
For my last shot I wanted Alok swimming in a lake while it rains. A pond in one of the remote areas was finalized. On the day of shoot I went there along with the entire crew and fire brigade to create artificial rain. When we reached there we had a harrowing time when we noticed that the lake was full of jal kumbhi. As the crew got down to clean the pond, we had another uninvited trouble- a man who had come there to unload his cart in the pond. My then assistant Priya Jhavar had to negotiate with him for money to hold on to his cart for a while. Finally when we were ready for the shoot, the fire brigade declared they were short of water. After taking two takes, they announced their diesel was over. Then my most dependable person, Mahesh Kand had to fetch diesel from a pump that was kilometers away. After taking the final shot, it was disappointing to see that it had not come out real and I had to redo the entire shoot at a different location and this time certainly without the fire brigade.
Your next directorial debut is based on urban women who live life on the edge with French producer and NFDC. Can you tell us something about this project?
My feature film deals with two stories of two female protagonists who are living their lives on the edge. I am collaborating with a French producer on this project and we are looking for a co-producer for 1/3rd of the funds. We are pitching this project to FILMBAAZAR, IFFI, Goa organized by NFDC. Raima Sen is playing one of the leads.
Having won a national award for your first film, you have set the bar really high for your future endeavors. How do you plan to deal with this added pressure?
There is no formula for an award or a hit. One just has to sing his own song.
What is your advice for your aspiring film makers who are keen to make a footprint in this competitive industry?
I don’t want to take that position but yes if I have to share my feelings then I would say I try to remain grateful to the people who had contributed to my film- people who make your film.
More articles by Kadambari Khaire Ghate
- The Blue Mug - Play - March 18th, 2010
- Toons – The Café Down Under - March 18th, 2010
- Pune International Dance Congress - March 11th, 2010
- Celebrate being a woman - March 8th, 2010
- Woman Power - March 4th, 2010
