Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
Change of canvas
|
Artist Sisir Sahana moves to celluloid imagery
|
DIFFERENT STROKES: Sisir Sahana makes his film debut
Painters turning film producers-cum-directors is not a novel phenomenon. The enigmatic MF Hussain for one. But here is someone on our own turf who dabbles not just in paints and canvas but into film-making with a fire in the eye.
Catch Sisir Sahana on the sets of Prithvi, "a non-commercial venture, a total art film that affords me a third dimension to bring out certain facets so close to my heart,'' he reiterates at the very outset taking a break after the shoot at Srishti Art Gallery for an exclusive tete-a-tete.
What makes you take up film making at this stage considering the volatile market of this medium? "I've been nurturing the idea for quite sometime. I wanted to establish myself as an artist and become competent enough to handle this complicated media,'' Sahana clarifies.
Scripted by the painter himself (he has essayed the central character - Prithvi, the story runs around the life and travails of a budding artist, his love, his inspiration and his art.
"Not exactly autobiographical, but to a large extent it is close to my own life with a generality that envelops a wider canvas of men and women, especially the artistic fraternity and its share of struggles, successes and failures," he is quick to point out.
Seamless saga
What makes it a painter's film? "Mostly, each frame (shot) is composed like a painting; not as thematic individual freezes hooked together but as a seamless saga which has its emotive, intellectual and artistic appeal. The story may not suit a common moviegoer since the element of commerciality is totally absent. It is for a segment of audience with an artistic bent of mind," says Sahana.
Coming to gross economics, Sahana is cool, "For most part, the shooting has been done in my village in Bengal at affordable costs. The film is shot in Bengali and Telugu as the story unfolds in two regions, of course with English sub-titles. I have made it as cost-effective as possible since I am not targeting a commercial market. It is definitely a low-budgeted film with a schedule of just 20 days. Post production work may be wrapped up in another three months.'' To a question whether he is eyeing the international art movie festivals, Sisir Sahana opines that it is too early to predict. As of now, he plans to release the film in Calcutta and Hyderabad simultaneously. To him Prithvi is an artistic catharsis, a creativity that gets transformed into live characters on screen. It is like a host of his paintings infused with life.
RANEE KUMAR
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
|
