Abhay Kumar's short “Just That Sort of a Day” has gone a long way — small and limited only in budget, big and infinite in meaning. Since it premiered at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam in January, and won a Special Mention at the Regensburg Short Film Festival, Germany, in March, the film has been officially selected in the competition section at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, New York.
Currently in the U.S. to screen his film at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, director Abhay Kumar spoke about his acclaimed new film and the pangs of independent filmmaking. The film has also been selected for the Gulf Film Festival, Dubai, and the New York Indian Film Festival in New York.
A rare distinction
“In Tribeca, we're slotted in the animation category. It's rare for an Indian animation film to make it. But, still feels good that for two people who have absolutely no background in animation, we have come so far. Also, we're the only Indian short film in competition at Tribeca this year. As of now, the plan is to get the film screened at as many places as possible, hopefully win something, get a distribution deal. However, till now, no monetary return has come of it.”
The film uses stick figures and lyrical writing to make a statement about the meaning (or the lack of it) of life and everyday existence. Did the abstract nature of the subject dictate the form?
“We started by drawing stick figures on white paper. Our aim was to try and make a two- or three-minute film using hand-drawn stick figures. Since neither me or my associate Archana are animators, the theme of the film was in my mind. Random episodic stories that may or may not have a connection. The form kept evolving as we realised that what we were doing might just be a first of its kind. I kept making up the stories along the way, sequence by sequence. It's my take on chaos versus meaning. Since the film is pretty interpretative, I don't like to say what it is for me, as everyone makes it their own private ways.”
Shekar Kapur called it a “visual poem”, Amole Gupte described it as an “out-of-the-body experience”. How did he line up all these reviews?
“Well, I was just brazen enough to send my DVD to all these filmmakers with a note ‘if you like it, please give me a one-line review so that I may use them later on to get in audiences for the screenings'. I had not hoped for so many replies. It became bigger than we thought it would be.”
Unlike other young filmmakers, Abhay does not have a day jon. “This is what I do. I don't earn much,” he says. “The odd freelance editing job for some college fest or two. I tried assisting in Bollywood, but felt like a prostitute. Not to mention that I probably suck as an assistant director!”
Hailing from Chandigarh, Abhay did his Mass Communication from Delhi, and completed his postgraduate diploma in Film from Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai in 2008. He is a two-time winner at the Mumbai Film Festival.
His first short, “Udaan” (ripped off by the writer of “Love Sex Aur Dhokha — LSD”) won a Jury Mention in 2009, and “Mera Ghar” won the second prize in 2010.
What does he have to say about his film being copied by Dibakar Banerjee? “It's my humble request to you to not write about the whole LSD-Udaan controversy. It will seem super desperate of me to rake up the issue now. Nobody would take it up then, and I would not want to bring it up now.”
After a little prodding, the young filmmaker opens up. “I had given a DVD of my films to Kanu Behl, writer of ‘Love, Sex Aur Dhokha' mid-2009. I never met Dibakar. When ‘LSD' released, many of my friends thought I had written it or given the rights of ‘Udaan' to them. I took it as a joke until I saw the film. Dibakar denied any inspiration. I never spoke to him directly. I didn't want money or anything, but just wanted an acknowledgement if my film did play any part in shaping the treatment of ‘LSD'. The producers came up with their own PR articles branding me a liar cashing in on the film's brilliance.”
With the controversy now behind him, Abhay insists on talking about “Just That Sort of a Day” and his journey. Can he afford going around the world paying for his own tickets?
“What happens is that at big film festivals, short filmmakers are not offered much (airfare or accommodation), as the focus is on feature films. Since I made the film so cheaply, I looked at spending all this travel money as an investment in gaining perspective about where my work stands and also to see what work is being done around the world. The logistics involved after making the film is mind-numbingly crazy. If it was not for my associate Archana (associate director on Amole Gupte's upcoming film ‘Stanley Ka Dabba'), who has some gruelling film-assisting experience behind her, all this submission work would not have been possible. On a film made for about Rs. 2,000, we have nearly spent Rs. 60,000 on courier alone. Sometimes I feel, if had put in so much money in the film, I would have had a better product!”
