No short cut to success, say Punjabi filmmakers

By: Anindita.Acharya
If everything goes to plan, 10 Punjabi short films will be screened at Punjab Bhawan in Surrey, Canada, at the end of this month or in the first week of February.

Pardeep Singh, one of the organizers of the Ludhiana Short Film Festival, confirmed the news and said, "We are in talks with the organizers. We screened 20 short films in Ludhiana in November and got a great response." Talks are on with an organizer in Australia too.

While it is too early to say that short filmmakers from this region are creating ripples online, there are a few independent directors who are making an impact through their shorts and surviving alongside glossy, commercial Punjabi feature films. Filmmakers like Amardeep Singh Gill, Navtej Sandhu, Rajeev Sharma (Aatu Khoji), Tarun Jain and Sahib Singh have created an audience with their fresh and thought-provoking short films.

Today, filmmakers from Punjab and Haryana are finding their own voices through short films and creatively tackling subjects like unemployment, female foeticide, drugs and farmer suicides. Sahib's Sulghadi Mitti, which revolves round NRI grooms deserting Punjabi brides, was highly praised at Ludhiana Short Film Festival. Having said so, most short filmmakers here say they will have to overcome a few obstacles to find their own ground.

GOING PLACES

Though not many filmmakers from Punjab and Haryana find a place at film festivals in India and abroad, there are a few who are going all the way to make both the states proud. Tarun Jain's Haryanvi short film Amma Meri was screened at the International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala and the IFFI. Amritsar-based Sandhu made the state proud when his three short films - Chamm, Gawachi Pagg and Nooran — were screened at the Cannes. Rupinder Inderjit's film Khoon Aali Chithi on Punjab's Khalistan movement won rave reviews when it was premiered at the Indian Film Festival in Melbourne. The film was produced by Bollywood actress Richa Chadda.

LACK OF AWARENESS

According to Sandhu and Gill, lack of awareness among the directors of this region is one of the primary reasons why few short filmmakers have managed to make the cut at various film festivals. Pardeep Singh, whose film Lori highlights the issue of female foeticide, said, "Majority of people here are ignorant about the potential of short films. To raise awareness, we are planning to conduct monthly screening of short films in Ludhiana."

Gill has a word of caution, too. "Telling a story within 10-20 minutes and holding the attention of a cell phone user for such a limited time is excruciatingly difficult. So, not every smartphone user can make short films," said Gill, whose next short stars Seema Biswas of Bandit Queen fame.

MONEY MATTERS

Delhi-based Haryanvi filmmaker Tarun Jain admits that getting producers for short films is difficult. He said a few Mumbai-based companies are financing short films for online platforms. "But short films do not have a recovery model and making huge profits is, thus, like a dream. So, it's important that funds and grants are introduced to support short filmmakers," said Jain.

Pardeep Singh wants the government to come forward in this regard. Khararbased theatre teacher Rashminder Dilawari spent his hard-earned money to make a 10-minute Hindi short film, Sammaan, on sexual harassment. "I know it's difficult but I need to tell the stories which can impact the society," he said.

OF AUTHORS AND MORE

Gill's film Sutta Naag was based on acclaimed author late Ram Sarup Ankhi's story. Singh's Lori was based on prominent Punjabi poet-professor Gurbhajan Singh Gill's work. Sandhu's Gawachi Pagg was based on Punjabi writer Jaswant Singh Kanwal's story. Time and again, Punjabi short stories have been adapted on the screen. However, Sandhu and Singh agree that a few years ago not too many scriptwriters were motivated enough to pen stories for short films.