Film-maker and screenwriter Gajjendra Ahirey is a keen observer of life and people. The exercise has been very bountiful for him, presenting film ideas to him in the form of epiphanies. His upcoming Marathi film Postcard, set to release on April 25, is a fitting example. The film, says Ahirey, happened almost organically. “I was working on another film, most of the background work for which had been been done. So, we set out hunting for locations and wound up at this place; its name doesn’t hold much importance. The location was charming and contained stories. I actually got the idea for this film from there. I dropped the film I was working on and embarked on a new journey,” he recalls. The creative process that went behind this film seems very convoluted. Ahirey says, “Usually, one writes a story and then begins looking for actors to play the parts. On other occasions, an actors inspires a character. Similarly, the terrain inspired my story. I could see Gulzaar (a character in Postcard) standing longingly under a tree I saw there, and the postman treading those paths on his cycle. The entire movie was happening in front of me.” About the plot, Ahirey says, “Postcard entails three stories capsuled by one — the story of a postman and his wife. The other three stories are corollary to their story. Somnath is a postman whose wife develops the habit of reading the postcards before they are delivered. She is a housewife and kills time by indulging in this activity, which Somnath considers unethical,” says Ahirey, adding, “On the other hand, Somnath believes that his job demands that he simply deliver the postcards without getting entangled in their contents. Now, whether the letter he delivers brings joy or grief to the recipient is none of his concern.” But his wife gets emotionally involved in the complexities of the lives of some of the writers and eventually convinces Somnath to help them, Ahirey says, “Such is the power of the emotions contained in the postcards that his wife, over time, becomes a writer.” So how significant are postcards to Ahirey? “Letter writing was a practice which yielded great writers. It was a habit and people used it as a tool to communicate their deepest feelings; and then waiting with bated breath for a reply was even more exciting. The entire exercise involved a great play of emotions,” says Ahirey, adding, “It also inculcated reading and writing habits in people. Also, it was the adhesive which bound relations. All of this we have lost; and it is this essence of letters I set out to capture through this film.” Goan movie to debut at Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Mortoo, a Konkani black comedy on a villager who cremates the dead, is all set for an international debut at the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) in Australia. Directed by Jitendra Shirkerkar, the film will be screened on May 5 in Beyond Bollywood section which is especially created for Indian regional films. Shot entirely in Goa, the film narrates the story of a village man who is involved in cremations and how he eventually goes through bad times. Produced by Atrey Sawant, the film stars Mumbai-based actors like Swati Rajput, Bharat Ganeshpure, besides local artists like Rajdeep Naik, Prashanti Talpankar, Sai Poi Panandikar and Prince Jacob. It is made under the banner of Arohee Creation. IFFM is being held from May 1-11 in Melbourne, Australia.
