We’ve seen a few anthology films in India, each strung together by a theme or a premise. X: Past isPresent, releasing this month, isn’t precisely an anthology film but has 11 filmmakers narrating 11 sub plots in different genres, all of which add to the main story that unfolds one night.
X ’s 11 is an unlikely bunch, hailing from diverse schools of thought. At one end are Rajshri Ojha ( Aisha,Chaurahein) and Anu Menon ( London, Paris, New York ) and at the other end is the non-conformist Qaushiq Mukherjee aka Q (whose Ludo premiered at MAMI). Then, there are indie filmmakers Hemant Gaba ( Shuttlecock Boys ) and Sandeep Mohan ( Hola Venky and Love, Wrinkle Free ), Tamil filmmaker Nalan Kumarasamy ( Soodhu Kavvum ), critics Sudhish Kamath ( Good Night Good Morning ) and Raja Sen among others.
The seed for the collaboration was sown in 2013 when Sudhish Kamath was moderating an event for The Goa Project. As a writer and filmmaker, he’s been privy to the disdain that certain independent/art house filmmakers have towards mainstream cinema and the dismissal of the non-conformists by the mainstream. “I wanted an experiment that would bridge the gap between the two,” he says. The experiment was intended to bring together different filmmakers to complete their portions within two days. As they discussed, the project grew bigger.
Sudhish had the larger story of a filmmaker (played by Rajat Kapoor), who meets a mysterious girl who reminds him of his first girlfriend and then of his subsequent girlfriends. Each segment of X focuses on a different time period in Rajat’s life and his relationships. “Rajat was part of the workshop and felt we shouldn’t work in isolation if we were to arrive at a cohesive film. Each subplot was strengthened and there were motifs that connected them to the larger story,” says Sudhish.
Sandeep Mohan, one of the first to come aboard, wrote and shot his sub plot starring Richa Shukla in San Francisco and says, “Initially, each portion was supposed to be a point of view story.” As the project got bigger, Sandeep fought the urge to revisit his portion, more so because he had doubled up as the cinematographer. “It was a bit embarrassing to see my credit among professional cinematographers of the other segments,” he reflects. Looking back, he is happy with the experience and the film as a whole.
Delhi-based Hemant Gaba was unsure if he’d fit in and looked at X as a project from which he could learn. He found himself in a situation where most others were ready with their sub plots. “My portion involves the teenage period and I needed a younger actor. Raja Sen had selected Anshuman Jha for the 21 years portion. I too shot with Anshuman for the 16-17 age period and Sudhish recommended Pia Bajpai, who was ideal as someone who’d look like a school girl and have the maturity to understand what’s required of the plot,” he says. Hemant shot his portion in Delhi.
The sub plots were shot at shoe string budgets. Rajshri Ojha shot her segment, a drama, at her residence with Radhika Apte and Rajat. “Radhika is the wife and I have tried to show her as a strong woman. We shot over one night at my home,” she says. Her experience in the US, before Aisha and Chaurahein , taught her to accept both independent and mainstream cinema. “In collaborations, there is room for amalgamation of visions. I met some good independent filmmakers and no one interfered with the other’s vision,” she says.
Each of the 11 filmmakers shot their segments with different female leads and technical crew. But the film needed an architect who would make the end product look seamless. Editors Sreekar Prasad and Vijay Prabhakaran were the architects.
X: Past is Present premiered at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York last year.
X’s eleven
Abhinav Shiv Tiwari, Anu Menon, Hemant Gaba, Nalan Kumarasamy, Pratim D Gupta, Qaushiq Mukherjee aka Q, Raja Sen, Rajshree Ojha, Sandeep Mohan, Sudhish Kamath and Suparn Verma.
The cast
Rajat Kapoor, Anshuman Jha, Aditi Chengappa, Bidita Bag, Gabriella Schmidt, Huma Qureshi, Radhika Apte, Swara Bhaskar, Piaa Bajpai, Rii Sen, Pooja Ruparel, Parno Mitra, Richa Shukla and Neha Mahajan among others.
Anthology films
Dus Kahaniyaan : 10 short stories.
Mumbai Cutting : 11 directors presented their take on life in Mumbai.
Bombay Talkies : Four filmmakers raised a toast to 100 years of Indian cinema.
Shorts : Five films on life in the urban jungle.
