Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films - a platform for short films, hosted an engaging panel discussion in the city on Indian cinema and what makes them powerful. Moderated by film critic Anupama Chopra, the discussion had some very insightful views and observations from actors and storytellers from the world of cinema, namely Farah Khan, Jimmy Sheirgill, Vikrant Massey, Rasika Dugal and Jai Sharma.
The discussion addressed quite a few areas including comedy in short films. After all, given the short span of time, it can be challenging to make people laugh. Jai Sharma who recently made Gadhedo said, “We don’t really try to make people laugh. We just focus on making the film. We enjoy the process. It is the characters that lend a lot to the film.” Rasika on the other hand felt that it was important that the content was on point, given the paucity of time.
Rasika’s short film Chutney that garnered a whopping hundred million views was asked about the challenges of the short film format. She explained, “The time you get to tell the story is very limited. It’s important to build the environment for the film very quickly. I had to walk in very prepared.” Jimmy felt short films were somewhere between ad films and films.
The panelists had very pertinent views on what made a film powerful. “Powerful is a word that we often associate with a dramatic film or a serious film. It rarely ever gets associated with a light-hearted film and I feel that’s wrong. Because for me, a film has to connect with me on some level - I have to feel some emotion. It should either make me laugh, cry or feel nostalgic. Or I should feel a strong connect with a character in the film. It should have that star power that even if the film is okay, the leading character is so charismatic that I am compelled to watch it. So, I think the best film according to me is the one which makes me laugh and cry and laugh again. It’s okay if the film is not educating me. But it should entertain,” Farah Khan said.
Vikrant Massey felt resonance was the key. Rasika said that the films she enjoyed the most were the ones that she could go back to and find something new and engaging every time she watched them again. “You can watch the whole film again and discover a new perspective. It’s the detailing that matters. I am a sucker for everything that’s beautifully detailed.” she said. Jai Sharma agreed. “More the detailing, greater will be the connect,” he said. He also felt that the beauty of short films is that they are not commercialised. They have not been made keeping the monetary aspect in mind. “Unn mein ek sachchayee hai (there is a certain truth in them). It’s a different medium,” he explains.
Farah said that creativity should not be censored, though there should be certificates in place. So people can decide according to rating whether they should watch a film or not.
Short films may be a new concept in India but they have been around for a very long time. They are watched and enjoyed overseas. With shortened attention spans, people get to enjoy good content on the go. Apart from entertainment, they get a chance to see something meaningful. These films give greater freedom. As Farah rightful puts it, “You don’t have to worry about first weekend collections. Nor the concern as to whether an item song needs to be added or not. In that sense, there are no such commercial pressures. You can tell whatever story you want to, without having to worry if it’s a multiplex story or whether it will work for single screens.”
Vikrant Massey concluded, “Short film festivals have been around for more than 50 years. They enjoy a humungous response. Digital medium has a greater reach.”
