Journalism of Courage
FTII student Aadish Keluskar’s film Zero by Zero,based on a real murder incident,won a Special Jury Mention at the 4th International Digital Film Festival in Delhi.
What are the thoughts that swirl in the mind of a murderer? Why does a murderer appear remorseless and calm about his actions? Do they attain peace through this? Are they already aware of the consequences of ‘Maya’? These were some of the questions that raced in the mind of Aadish Keluskar,a second year student of the Direction course at the Film and Television Institute (FTII),when he first read about Arka Das in a newspaper. The story of the 14-year-old,who had murdered his best friends sister for an iPod,made national headlines in 2008. Keluskars film Zero by Zero,which is inspired by the real life story,won a Special Jury Mention at the 4th International Digital Film Festival in Delhi,on March 15.
Zero by Zero is the story of a boy ‘Yash Nimse’,who kills his friends sister for an iPod. The film has only one character,that of Yash. All the other characters are off screen and only their voices can be heard, he says. Shot on a modest budget of Rs 7500,on his Canon 7D camera,the film was completed in December last year.
Keluskar adds that the jury members had an intense debate before awarding him the Special Jury Mention. They debated on the moral ambiguity of the protagonist, he says,adding,The film is a symbol of the ruthless pursuit of happiness as propounded by globalisation. His act and his background do not directly talk about this conflict.
Keluskar offers an interesting explanation for the title of the film. How do you justify a 14-year-old killing an eight-year-old,for a gadget? It is like dividing zero by zero in mathematics. There is no real answer. An issue like this can have far reaching effects on society which are not only socio-cultural-political but also very personal and psychological. Hence,the title, he says.
