In a quiet corner of the otherwise bustling Banashankari II Stage, the media activist organisation, Pedestrian Pictures, works out of a small creative space. Established 10 years ago, this film house has made many thought-provoking movies on social issues, whether inspired in-house or externally. Eleven talented individuals from diverse backgrounds make up Pedestrian Pictures.
Founder Deepu (who goes only by this name and desists from using his real name) says that while making a movie, there are two important questions a film-maker must ask him or herself. “Do you want to make a film, or do you want to be a film maker? Because there is a difference,” he explains. “You can't become fascinated with the technology involved in filmmaking, because it is the filmmaker who shoots a movie, not his camera.” Since establishing Pedestrian Pictures back in 2001, his team, in collaboration with other filmmakers on occasion, have made films on a number of topics including homosexuality, the NICE project, Dr. Binayak Sen, and Devdasis.
Pedestrian Pictures is probably the longest surviving film house that has functioned without stable external funding, says Deepu. “We make movies on topics of individual interest and on demand. For instance, we made a movie on domestic workers, and that was to cater to a social necessity,” he says. However, it does not stop there.
Every month, Pedestrian Pictures holds movie screenings at over 70 educational institutions in the city, to widen the parameters of social discussion. The organisation also writes, edits, translates and publishes books, in association with other organisations on social, political and economic issues.
As with any venture, it has its fair share of hurdles. Deepu and Govind Menon, another member, talked about an incident where the screening of Rakesh Sharma's film Final Solution on the Gujarat riots was stopped by right wing activists in the city, almost turning into a physical confrontation between the two groups. Unrelenting, they decided to screen the movie.
Today, the organisation has branches at three locations — Bangalore, Delhi and Kerala. Ongoing projects at Pedestrian Pictures include movies on girls from the northeast working in city parlours; trafficking of domestic child labourers; democracy in States such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu; and garment factory workers. The current team comprises Blossom Abraham, Roshan Silvester, Govind Menon, Johnson R., N. Ravindran, Akash S., Sonali Udaybabu, Ayesha Devraj, Anthony Kiran, Uvraj M., Robin, and Deepu.
