Aneek Chaudhuri, a film theorist and filmmaker, is presenting his next film “White” at Marché du Film, one of the largest film markets in the world, organised on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival. The film based in West Bengal, tells the stories of three rape survivors who fight back to lead a stronger life. Aneek talks about the film, importance of film markets and independent cinema in India.
Excerpts
What made you direct “White”, a silent film?
Newspapers. The funny fact is that I cannot unsubscribe to the newspapers, and ironical is that ‘rape’ is always in the headlines these days. I realised that being a filmmaker, I had the most powerful medium to project my thoughts, most importantly in a positive way. And, so “White” was born. It focuses more on the power of women to fight back rape and see a ray of hope even in the darkest of situations. I believe being a silent film, it will make it more approachable to audiences throughout the globe. I condemn any language barrier in this important film.
Aneek Chaudhuri
How difficult was to deal with the issue of rape survivors?
I was in a mental trauma when I began the research as for the first time in life I was acting to be responsible. I should have chosen this topic much earlier, I believe, and I am late to do so. The events taking place around me are not new, it has taken a new route actually. I was too young earlier to realise what was actually wrong with the society and now I believe the society has failed to acknowledge the power of women. “White” portrays the power of womanhood which is never destroyed and is not brittle either.
How important is the film market at the Cannes?
Cannes is a carnival where there are people in disguise who can fetch you high benefits; you just need to spot them. From Amazon Prime to Netflix, you are exposed to a number of organisations to approach for your film. Cannes Film Market is like a bridge that connects people with similar interests and you will not return empty handed, most of the times.
How important is the global recognition for such smaller films to grab Indian audience’s attention?
Global recognition is important as we belong to a group of filmmakers who depend on acclaim at film festivals in order to be taken seriously in our country. See, we do not make conventional masala movies, and hence, to entertain audiences in India, we need much more than tickling them or pinching them. We need a verified certification! If a film gets applauded globally and returns to India, it almost becomes a certified good product.
What do you think is missing in Indian independent cinema?
Well, cinema can never be independent! Firstly, young people should stop differentiating parallel cinema from mainstream cinema. The purpose of both the genres are quite different and you surely need to have enough commercial arts on the table to be able to do fine arts. People often confuse low budget cinema with independent cinema, which is untrue. However, the term ‘independent cinema’ can come up as a term that works against the monopoly of theatrical releases and conventional box-office products; but people should not take away the importance of money.
