KUJO (The Vessel)

(The Vessel)

It is a film based on some true events. It is not a movie in typical sense, as there is no straight narrative. It is neither a typical tale of a tortured woman. It is a tale much of which remains untold. The protagonist is a sex-slave. It throws light on some dark sides of human lives. It is a study of darker sides of characters of a boss, a caretaker, a customer and a victim. They are individuals representing universal greed, lust, sadism, voyeurism and despondence.

The room in the movie itself is a character in the movie. Though modern in its look and appearance, the room is unkempt, dirty and a little dark. The dirt in the room represents the dirty mind of the trader (boss), caretaker and customers. Like a real character, the room in the movie changes its mood with time.

The only respite from this over bearing dirt and darkness is a small hole on the opaque layer of newspaper that covers the windows. It is the only window for her hope, light and connection with the outer world.

Though a short film, Kujo, exposes a harsh reality of life we do not want to encounter. Young girls in hundreds, if not in thousands, suddenly go disappearing from their modest houses in mufassil town, semi-urban villages. These girls with so called earthly desires, in search of greener pastures, fall prey to man’s insatiable lust and greed and cruelty.

It is not a film, but a document of harshest reality, where a woman becomes instrument for man’s sadistic pleasure. In the process the victim becomes a mere machine meant for serving to man’s lust. Why is it titled KUJO? How come an earthen-pitcher becomes so important in the movie. One needs to wait till end to know why is titled so.

  • Sourav De
    Director
  • Sourav De
    Writer
  • Netwest Action
    Producer
  • Tuhina Das
    Key Cast
  • Prodip Banerjee
    Key Cast
  • Debabrata Maity
    Key Cast
  • Prabhanjan Banerjee
    Key Cast
  • Raju Mondal
    Key Cast
  • Arunima Ghosh
    Key Cast
  • Nilanjan Mondal
    Editor & Sound Designer
  • Mayukh & Mainak
    Music Director
  • Sujoy Kumar Mishra
    Digital Colorist
  • Malay Das
    Make-up
  • Tuhina Das (Far away...)
    Singers
  • Sourav De (Fan, fun, fun...)
    Singers
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama
  • Runtime:
    28 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Language:
    Bengali
  • Shooting Format:
    Canon 1DC
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • All Lights India International Film Festival 2016
    Cochin
    India
  • Headline International Film Festival

    United States
Director Biography - Sourav De

Apart from still photography, I have an obsessive inspiration of
reaching out to a far larger audience through movie. Thus, I embark on a ‘docu-feature’ project called 'Mohutli', based on the ancient temple village in Jharkhand. I recreated a drama using the village as the backdrop. But in course, the village becomes an important character in the film.

'Mohulti' was more of my learning process. 'Mohulti' made me aware of different department of movie-making and opened up new vista of experimentation with film-making. Thus I embarked on the short-film '1:30 AM' with completely amateur crew, inexperienced actors and improvised tools and techniques. The end product was quite exciting. It won me half-a-dozen international awards, many accolades. It ended up having been screen over two dozen film festivals across Europe and North America.

Bengali short stories give short stories written in other languages a run for their money. Why not Bengali short film? The result of these haunting question resolved my mind to make a dozen of short-films each of which would be unique in idea, inimitable in content and distinct in style. I have been fascinated by the world movies which champion the movies with sublime truth.

'1.30 AM' revolves round Nishi, a teenage girl with split personality. She unfolds the different shades of life within a unity of time, place and action. My next venture was Cactus, feature film. The film is final stage of post-production phase is on a young woman who refused to be dominated by fear that society keeps infusing on the fairer sex as an easy prey. I have experimented with the craftsmanship of the movie to great extent.

Despite being rooted in my Bengali culture, I strongly feel that short films have universal value ingrained in them. I feel that short-films as an amazing medium of communication and reaching out to the mass in general. A short film may be short in length but can be deep in thoughts as well. Moreover, my experiments proved that a short film can be made with a fraction of fund required for full length feature film. I am also experimenting with unique crowd funding of movies.

With severe time-constraint and decreasing attention span of a modern man, short film is the future of movie. Such audience must be given choice of multiple of 15-20 minutes movie. A spectator will find it easier to buy ticket with the confidence that he can exit after watching one or two movie of his or her interest.

I keep experimenting with trivial things. My am fascinated by looking at life from different angles. Not always through human-eyes, but through an eye of a commonplace things. However insignificant they appear to be in their daily existence, each subject portrays a gripping tale of a life and its cherished moments.

Still photograph was my first love. Images of life always intrigued me since my childhood. There was always an urge within me to portray myriad hues of life. To me, photography seems to be the only option to depict the many facades of life.

And movie is, perhaps, the next logical shift I can have. Being a
film-buff, I receive a great excitement and immense satisfaction in its making.

Sourav De
www.souravde.com
Kolkata, India

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