New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) The director of Kannada thriller ‘1888’, Sourabh Shukla has opened up on the biggest challenges he has faced as an independent filmmaker, sharing that getting the seasoned industry guys to work with them, and aligned with their vision is not easy.
Talking to IANS, Sourabh spoke about challenges faced by an indie filmmaker, his directorial style, film festivals and more.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent filmmaker, and how did you overcome them?
Sourabh said: “An Indie filmmaker’s journey is obviously not easy. I mean for any filmmaker. Even those making films within the confines of a single room with a solo actor have their own challenges, so do those making a big budget superhero film. But there are certain challenges we enjoy because they are more in the creative or the production domain. The ones pertaining to business like finding a streaming partner etc seem like a mountain that can’t be climbed because the factors there are not in our control and the learning there in my personal opinion is more of a setback and business oriented rather than creative.”
“One of the biggest challenges was shooting the movie itself. Everyone agrees that Guerrilla filmmaking is not easy and even more so when you want to shoot a mainstream action thriller. Primarily due to both budget and resource constraints. Not to mention the fact that we are outsiders with regards to the film industry and whatever little we spoke to someone from the industry we felt more like outsiders. So, getting the seasoned industry guys to work with us, aligned with our vision is not easy. There was a lot of rework that we had to do too,” he shared.
He further said: “Also, whenever the funds dried up, I had to wait for the month end for the salary to be credited before we could resume shooting. This budgetary constraint and resource constraint also meant we did a lot of begging and borrowing. Some well-known actors like Neethu Shetty were used to big unit productions and the comforts that come with it which I obviously could not provide. However, all these challenges were enjoyable and there was a certain learning.”
What inspired you to become a filmmaker, and how did you develop your unique directorial style?
Sourabh said: “Cinema has been an integral part of my life. It’s there since birth, because for the longest time I remember I have been watching films and all kinds of films – Bollywood, Hollywood, Kannada, Malayalam, European, Art-house films, Chinese kung fu films etc. I must’ve been around five or six years old and I remember being awestruck by Satyajit Ray’s ‘Pather Panchali’ and Ketan Mehta’s ‘Mirch Masala’.”
“Whenever I watch movies, it’s not just for entertainment or because they are serving as an inspiration. Even as a teenager or child when I would watch films, the hidden filmmaker in me would have a lot of questions – Like why was this shot framed in a certain way? Was this scene really necessary? Could the background score be a little more subtle? etc. and it was not necessarily critical always but also appreciative like a performance that leaves you in awe or sometimes you visualise yourself as the director and wonder if you could make the similar story as brilliantly as it came out,” he said.
“So, for someone like me who is so passionate about films and open to learning it is natural to see a lot of things from a director’s lens. When I’m telling a story it doesn’t fall under a certain category or template. I just go with my heart and because I’m also an engineer I try to optimise on resources and budget. I do a lot of jugaad and that’s also probably because I do not know how to work with a mainstream setup like units, studios etc. I prefer doing most things on my own and learning something if I don’t know it. That’s why Guerrilla filmmaking in my case was not primarily by choice but lack of choice rather,” he shared.
‘1888’ is set during India’s 2016 demonetisation period. The film has earned accolades at several international film festivals, including winning the ‘Best Director Award’ at the ‘Onyko Film Awards 2023’ in Ukraine, and the ‘Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Debut Filmmaker (Sourabh Shukla)’ at the ‘World Film Carnival 2023’ in Singapore.
How much does film festivals mean to you as a filmmaker?
Sourabh said: “It absolutely depends on the film festival/award, as in the organisation backing it. What I realised after applying to multiple film festivals and bagging awards, is that a lot of these film festivals, especially those that are online-only are not even genuine. They are basically scamming to make some quick bucks. Sending your movie entry there and winning an award is actually a waste of time and money.”
“Apart from that, winning an award at the festivals that have been around for a long time and have an esteemed jury, is definitely special. Even more if the competition is stiffer in terms of the quality of films submitted and the number of films from all parts of the world. Sometimes just being selected by a prestigious film festival feels more special than winning an award in a smaller film festival,” he added.
‘1888’ focuses on a former actress-turned-politician (Neethu Shetty), an LIC agent (Prathap Kumar) and an anonymous individual (Manju Raj) all in pursuit of a bag of cash.
–IANS
sp/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.