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Short is beautiful!
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Saurabh's "Ctr+Alt+Del" reflects the dilemma of an age
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"I wanted to convey a tone of optimism. In our techno-funky culture, one can always start afresh," says Saurabh, a 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 appropriation of advertisement lingo in our everyday life. The film captures the final hours in Kabir's life after he decides to end it. An innocuous female voice from a pizza delivery centre 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 over 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 film adds credence to the increasing popularity of the short film genre. The director thinks it is the most preferred medium of our times.
"It is compact, requires shorter attention span, and can be made on a modest budget," he says. But he has charted a different route, innovatively using colourful visuals and a fractured vision. 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".
SANJAY KUMAR
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