Film-making: A journey of craft and human sensibility

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

The 11th Ajanta-Ellora International Film Festival showcased the human side of filmmaking, with a panel on “Cinema: From Script to Screen” at INOX, Prozone Mall on Saturday afternoon, featuring Rasool Pookutty, Aarti Bajaj, Aniruddh Roy Chowdhary, Rafe Mehmood, and Urmi Juvekar, moderated by Sunil Sukhthankar.

Pookutty explained that sound, though invisible, profoundly guides audience emotions, harmonizing with the director’s vision. Juvekar emphasized authentic self-expression through dialogue and story writing. Mehmood traced his journey from journalism to photography to cinematography, noting the complementary nature of still photography and cinematography. Bajaj highlighted the emotional nuances in editing, while Chowdhary described filmmaking as fully collaborative, stressing the director’s responsibility to tell socially impactful stories. In the evening, the discussion also showcased Indian Competition films by both debut and established directors, including Bad Girl (Varsha Bharath), Chingam (Chewing Gum) (Abhay Sharma), Imbu (Shivadhwaj Shetty), Khidki Gaav (If on a Winter’s Night) (Sanju Surendran), Magazine (Shubham Sanjay Shevade), Parajya (Mahadev Hadapad), Secret of a Mountain Serpent (Nidhi Saxena), Songs of Forgotten Trees (Anuparna Roy), and Yakasik Omédé (Yakasi’s Daughter) (Dr. Jayanta Madhab Dutta).

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Reclaiming the female narrative: Varsha Bharath

Bharath shared that Bad Girl was a personal effort to reclaim female perspectives often shaped by male viewpoints, incorporating her own and her friends’ experiences.

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The authenticity of youthful storytelling: Shubham Shevade

Shevade described Magazine as a reflection of youthful energy, highlighting how personal experiences enhance storytelling.

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Festival closing

AIFF will conclude on 1 February at 5 pm at Prozone Mall, with director-producer Aanand L. Rai as the chief guest. A masterclass by Rai is scheduled at 3.30 pm.