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