People’s Film

Scripted and directed by Film and Television Institute of India’s alumnus Kamal KM,this film is fascinating on many fronts. At one level,the story deals with issues of identity at a time when there’s an ever-widening divide between the different strata in the society. “The idea for this film occurred to me when my friend narrated this experience where a labourer working at her house collapsed in the midst of work. This man had no form of identification on him and she didn’t know how she’d seek medical help for him. I realised that I was also one of these people,who come to the city in pursuit of a better life,” says Kamal,who then got thinking and made this film in September this year within a period of 18 months.

Since then,with its motley cast and crew (led by actor Geetanjali Thapa,who plays Charu),ID has been making waves in the festival circuit including Busan International Film Festival this year and Abu Dhabi Film Festival. Back home,it was screened on Monday (October 22) at Inox,Nariman Point as part of the Mumbai Film Festival.

But what sets this independent film — with a running time of around 80 minutes — apart from the rest is the fact that it claims to be a ‘bucket film’. Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty,who turns producer with this venture,explains the ambitious concept. “Once this film has done the rounds of cinema festivals,the commercial release will be such that people wouldn’t have to buy a ticket at a pre-decided price. The way I see it,the audience should watch the film and pay what they think the film deserves. Accordingly,the plan would be to have buckets placed out the venue to collect the money given out by the viewers,” he says,adding that the idea is to reach out to maximum people through the movie.

Not surprisingly,he’s looking at screening the film not just through the conventional distributor-driven channels but also at alternative venues. “Apart from showing it at cinema halls,we are looking at schools,colleges,halls and other public spaces. But it’s too soon to say any more as we are yet to finalise things,” says Pookutty,who co-produced it.

The project has been helmed by a bunch of filmmakers and technicians with a common thread tying them together: passion for cinema. Other producers include cinematographer Rajeev Ravi (of Gangs of Wasseypur fame),Madhu Neelakandan,Sunil Babu and B Ajithkumar. Together they form Collective Phase One,that aims at drawing from talent from the industry to make quality films,the first of which is ID. The film has been made on a shoe-string budget with the cast and crew (numbering at around 50 people,mainly friends and family of the producers) working for free.

While Pookutty is confident that strong word-of-mouth will help promote the film,Rajeev Ravi is more guarded in his answer,even as he insists that money is not the motive behind making the film. “We haven’t yet decided on when and how the screenings for the general public will take place. But whatever amount the film makes will be used to take care of outstanding payments and basic expenses. If any is left,it would be invested in future projects; at the end of the day,it’s a people’s film,” he emphasises.

Meanwhile,the film is continuing to win praise from critics at the festivals. “We want to experiment with alternative paths for the screening of the film. But the red tape gets you here as well. For instance,we have got an A certificate from the Censor Board,which means we can’t have open screenings for the film. So that’s another hurdle we have to clear,” says director Kamal.