Little Something

Two years after filming and post-production,Das has chosen Children’s Day,today,for the first public screening of the movie at the India Habitat Centre,New Delhi. “The film’s completion was delayed due to several reasons including rain and technical snags. Moreover,the money trickled in slowly since various corporates were involved with funding the project,” says Das,who screened the film at Munich in June and Leeds Film Festival in April.

While the narrative comprises seven stories,it essentially revolves around a boy who sets out to make a film with a budget of Rs 101,with members of his neighbourhood as its star cast. “It’ll take the viewer through a journey of mystique,fantasy,mischief,adventure and emotional upheavals. The seven stories are symbolic of the seven slums in Mumbai from where the children were chosen,” says Das,who shot the film in digital format — using a hand held Sony HD V ZI camera — in real locations,including old buildings,parade ground,Dharavi,Cuff Parade,Grant Road,Wadala and Kumbharwada.

Completed with an approximate budget of Rs 20 lakh,this is Das’s second feature project,made after Formula 69 (2006),which was a witty and humourous take on how IIT Delhi students and faculty viewed Osama Bin Laden and George W Bush. “I wanted to screen Jadui Pankh at the International Film Festival of India,Goa,but till now they did not accept films in digital format. The rules will change from next year,” says Das,a former marketing executive,who has also experimented with short films on environment and dabbled in theatre and street plays as part of the group Four Play which was disbanded a few years ago.

While Jadui Pankh required him to shift base from Gurgaon to Mumbai,he is now back in the NCR. On the anvil is yet another children’s fantasy film that deals with fables and folktales. He will also soon get cracking on marketing Jadui Pankh through online distribution on his website http://www.filmkaar.com.