Virtual Reality

While finalising the details took her some months,in August she went online with her website sophodok.com. The documentary distribution portal has a range of international and Indian documentaries on sale. “People over 35 tend to feel that documentaries are extremely drab and the younger generation looks at documentaries as something to do with animals and features that they see on Discovery Channel — my aim is to make people realise that documentaries do much more than ‘capturing reality’. I want to make it hep and desirable to buy and watch documentaries,” says Sivaraman,who has sourced several international documentaries for the website. “Distribution rights for a documentary may cost between

Rs 5 lakh to 10 lakh,but nobody has charged me anything till now. International filmmakers want to popularise documentaries in India,” she adds. The list of 24 documentaries on the portal include few Indian names,apart from Emmy winning The Seventh Seal,Bilal,Nero’s Guests,The Bell and Love in India.

Attempts are also being made to promote the genre. The website posts the dates of documentary film festivals and guides filmmakers on the procedure to send entries and garner funds. “Young filmmakers fear that they will not get returns or funds for documentaries,” says Sivaraman,who got interested in documentaries after watching a few herself.

With Delhi-based Magic Lantern Foundation already catering to the market for Indian documentaries,Sivaraman decided to concentrate on international titles. “The Foundation is doing a great job,but my prices are much lower,at Rs 350 onwards,” adds Sivaraman.

There is a facility of gift-wrapping the documentaries as well. “It is an intellectual gift and extremely affordable. I hope it raises questions about the world and also our inner self,” says Sivaraman,whose advertising agency Sophy’s Choice was operational till three years back.