bollywood dreams

Maneej Premnath

Hi
I'm an independent film maker trying to make my first feature film. A film buff who wants to make the kind of films i love to watch. Presently in Mumbai, the hub of Indian cinema. It has been a long 6 years I have been assisting, writing and making short films.

Till now I have made three short films.

My first was in 2003 on 16mm and a silent film with 7.5minutes duration. The experience was really great as I started the film with really "0" money. It was my continuous round of Kodak and Movilabs that enabled me to start my project. My friend and cameraman Ashu Solanki,an FTII passout who was with me from the first visit to Kodak and really supported me whole through the making of the film. Later on all my friends,actors and technicians,family helped me with the project.
As i had planned the film to be silent,and the visuals to tell the story.Since it was a disturbing story of a young street girl who becomes a mother and she doesn't know the changes in her life .I don't know how much I had succeded with the film. But it's an experience of my life that will be always in my memory.

I was planning another one in 2004 after my bad experiences of working as an assistant director. I had taken the rights for a short story from a famous writer in hindi. But as much as I planned about the practicalities and funds, I was losing the courage to make the film as already I had experienced there is no income in short films and only expenditures. But my urge to make another short was really growing and finally I couldn't do it, but I worked on another story of mine,which was more feasible. And I wanted to show the industry folks even I can be in the reckoning of making a 'technically good film'. So I tried to take a "Chance.....", that is the name of my second short film. An 18minute short film on DV, with 2characters and one location,and 2 passing characters. The film was about a live in couple and how their relationship goes berserk one day. I don't know wether I was succesful to please the intellectuals and entertainment people. One thing I understood you can't satisfy everyone with a certain film. Some like,it some not!

By the time my second film finished I was ready with my feature script and I felt making feature is far easier than a short as I had to do take favours from people for making a short.

Then the whole 'struggle' ( a common term used in film industry who are not getting a break) convincing others about your vision and a small change from their point of view could lose you a film. A whole lot of experience and trying to do things their way, but then the demand increases as it starts to grow into a vision of different people ensembled to make a film. So finally I give up, but is there any other way. There are only two ways, either be rich and make your own things waiting for funds from organisations or stick to the rules and work with someone for a certain period.
But I couldn't do that, so I am trying to make my own ways.

I planned to do a personnel documentry, which will keep my creative urges restricted. I went to my home town in Kerala and tried to make a documentry on my grandmother's village and life, where I had grown up. Meanwhile a question was running in my mind for a long time as I didn't beleived in certain customs related to caste,community, creed or social conditions; Which turned out to be a short film "who am i?...". A 7minute film with a poem and visuals shot in Kerala. So finally I end up doing the third one.

Now back to square one, I want to make a feature film. I am ready with my second script and a third screenplay.....

posted by AJ @ 16.8.06