BENGALURU: I once heard that every Indian wants to write a book, and direct a movie. I also nursed a secret ambition to make a movie one day. Of course, it wasn’t my only dream – train engine driver, opening Test batsman, and a pan-India Mithun Chakraborty were also some of my other ambitions.
Maybe I was enamoured by the directors’ intelligence, or that they were well-read. That they were telling immortal stories, that films were an amalgamation of different art forms. Directors were artistes leaving their footprints on the sands of time. That is till I became a film critic myself, and found that most directors helm projects with an aim to mint money from the audiences.
Feature films have always been an obsession, but I was also in awe of documentary filmmakers. Most Indian documentaries are about depressing topics – murders, murderers, and families killing each other. I often wondered why nobody saw the beauty in our country. As a standup comedian, I craved a funny documentary. And then, my friend decided to contest the Assembly elections as an independent candidate. And I decided to document the entire process.
I have always had the highest regard for the Election Commission of India. We don’t give our country enough credit for staying a democracy for all these decades. Isn’t it amazing that with all our differences, our diverse cultures and origins – we managed to remain one nation? Indian politicians have been given a terrible name due to our movies. Can you name a single movie where the politician is a good person – and doesn’t die by the interval? The documentary would be my attempt to change the perception of documentaries, of Indian politics. It would give Indians something to be proud of.
Of course, my producers didn’t seem to agree. For weeks, I tried to convince them about my intentions. But they wanted to know the profitability of the product. We began to discuss strategies, target audiences, and Returns on Investment. Before I knew it, it felt like I was creating a campaign for a soap brand – and not a heartfelt tribute to the Indian electoral system. I pulled out of the contract – and like Bheeshma in Mahabharata – vowed to make it by myself.
Which would make for a dramatic scene in a movie. But reality is a hard-hitting hand pump straight out of Gadar. As things stand, I am now producing and directing a lighthearted documentary on the Indian elections – told through the eyes of an independent candidate with zero budget or political connections. I am raising funds from my school friends, and crowdfunding the project by myself. We are a team of first-timers on an impossible dream.
My dream of becoming a director involved having a large crew taking orders. We are now eight people waiting for each other to finish using the bathroom. I dreamt of piping hot coffee served in a thermos flask. I now serve chai to my crew. I dreamt of a plush caravan, and me screaming ‘Action!’ and ‘Cut!’. I now aim to shoot on the sly, before we lose sunlight. I dreamt of people whistling and cheering when my movie played. But now, I am doing it for myself. For the joy of seeing the word ‘Directed by Hriday Ranjan’ on the screen for the first time. I am sorry, Dear Reader – for the first time in five years, I have no finishing joke in my column. But I know that there must be a desire smouldering inside you. Swallow it so it burns like fire in your belly – and go make it happen!
(The writers’ view are their own)