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Short is indeed beautiful!
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Ad filmmaker Saurabh's short film, "Ctr+Alt+Del" reflects the dilemma of an age where success is a defining value
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STARTING AFRESH A poster of the film, "Ctr+Alt+Del"
`I wanted to convey a tone of optimism. In our techno-funky culture, one can always start afresh', says Saurabh, the young ad filmmaker justifying the title of his debut short film, "Ctr+Alt+Del". An enchanting short film, produced by his advertising production house, Ethics, the film has Rahul Bose as an angst-ridden young man, Kabir, the eponymous figure of the present-day Indian consumerist society.
Saurabh was inspired by the tremendous appropriation of the advertisement lingo in our everyday life. The film captures the final hours in the life of Kabir as he decides to give up his life. His fatal act is delayed by an innocuous female voice from a pizza delivery centre who prods him to defer his decision. The director presents the all-pervasive call centre voice as the defining motif of a dehumanised age.
"There is a very thin line separating copywriting and life. Very often one has to live a life without espousing one's own lines," Saurabh elaborates his film's theme. Kabir's desperation in his inability to identify the telephonic voice from the call centre sets the tempo of the film.
This 25-minute narrative has been selected for screening at the Palm Beach and Atlanta Film festivals. Rahul Bose etches the character with his usual finesse. "He was our ideal choice. In Bollywood, he tries to live out of the box and does not endorse any brand in real life," remarks the filmmaker about the choice of his solo cast. This film reflects the dilemma of an age where success is a defining value.
"The line, `Just do it' seems to have replaced the era of the pursuit of one's dreams. We have plenty of rejects in every walk of life," adds Saurabh.
Increasing popularity
The films adds credence to the increasing popularity of the short film genre. The director sees it to be the most preferred medium of our times.
"It is compact, requires shorter attention span, and can be made on a modest budget," is how he describes it. But he has indeed charted a different line with innovative use of colourful visuals and a fractured vision. In the interplay of the off-screen female voice and the protagonist, the viewer oscillates between a broken human self and a `reject' of the society. The all-pervasive call centres seem to have granted a special anonymity even to a personal act of death.
Saurabh has many promising projects in the offing. He wishes to revolutionise the reception of mass entertainment.
"We have developed a proprietary software, `Mungle', which can be downloaded on mobile phones. It is user-friendly and therefore makes circulation of short films easier," assures this techno-savvy filmmaker.
His next venture is a longer film, "Kamo Malishwali", based on a Hindi novel. He is also producing an animation film, "Acronym".
"This film was a long wait. It was like being pregnant, and yet unable to deliver," recalls this promising filmmaker. SANJAY KUMAR
SANJAY KUMAR
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