Mumbai Academy of Moving Images (MAMI) hosts an international film festival in Mumbai, which is also known as Mumbai Film Festival. As it is the moods of festivals are taken very seriously in India...the word FILM adds a different glamour to it. However, it's a good chance for many aspiring and practicing film makers like myself to get to know the films that are made in many other countries which do not get a wide release in Indian markets. Interactions happen and also out of 10s of hundreds of entries a few are narrowed down that make it to the screening.
This post is about my some small experiences at - Jio MAMI 2016.
Its always a huge confusion to chose from 100-150 films that come in your hand in the form of schedule and movie catalogue. Most of the names seem Gibrish and the struggle to search the name of your favourite film makers begin. In the similar wave of confusion and enthusiasm, with some confusing booking process this year, I decided to go ahead with selective four films for day one. The online bookings displayed house-full shows for each of the films that I wanted to see. Same was the case with Ashutosh who too was going to attend the festival. I was almost going to lay back and put on the Malyalam film - "Ustaad Hotel" on my computer when Ashutosh called and told me that he is reaching the venue in next 15 mins. That was the motivation for me to get ready and go almost 30kms away from my house to stand in the queue of the shows that we couldn't book.
Terrible and Horrifying films made our day 1. Bizarre and unnecessary stories. One of the three at least became a little interesting just before the climax but they took too much of time to reach to that interesting point giving away nothing at all.
I had been trying to chase an actor called Alok Rajwade since a few weeks to narrate him a script. Alok was right around and I just had to pretend that he means nothing to me. I had to en-cash this opportunity. A few strings were pulled and next day I saw a film called The Little Prince - It was a big sigh of relief from the previous day's trauma. This one was superb, refreshing and hopeful. Just the feeling I wanted to carry with me when I meet Alok to get his appointment for narration. After the screening of Alok's film "Kasav", I approached him and he was ready to listen to the narration. "Let's meet after 15-20 mins from now, and in case we don't see each other around after 20 mins, lets call each other."
For the first time things moved so quickly. Otherwise it is a slow process where makers need to run behind the artists to get themselves a couple of hours from them.
The story was narrated in a heavily crowded McDonalds outlet. (Now I really worry that my script will be shot by someone else coz there were many random people who have heard my story). Result was unfortunately negative. He was too busy to give me dates that I was hoping for.
Evening was spent with some family friends in the Irish House. Yelling, shouting, singing, laughing hard and eating pastas and other weight gaining food which was way beyond our budgets. However, that was the happy moment number two. First one was - meeting someone out of reach. It was important for me. It was important for me to get him interested for a narration. At least reaching up to him and convincing him to consider me to be worthy enough to meet me and hear my story. That was my tiny moment of achievement.
Next day was the day of mix films. Four films seen by Me, Ashu and a friend of his. My Life as a Zucchini was the highlight of the day. another good part of that day was between two films I and Ashu got to catch up. Talk about what and how things are with our lives. Discussions and advice session.
Which proved to be my last day at MaMi 2016 was the best one. Rajwade & Sons, a marathi film which I had revengefully not seen when it was released same time last year coz one of the lead artists of that film was shooting for this film when I wanted him to be a part of my project. However, I loved the film. I met him after a long time and it was a refreshing small talk with him. The next one I saw was Donald Cried, a light comedy film with a simple emotional end. One of the best suspense films Ashu , me and that friend of his, saw together was an Australian film - Hounds Of Love. That film very well explains the meaning of the word "Scary". Whats more interesting is that - It is not a horror film.
It ended with the premier of a Marathi film called - Veltilator by Rajesh Mhapuskar. It was the 3rd most fulfilling film of the festival after My Life as a Zucchini & The Little Prince.
What's there to write about all this? What it has to do with you all. Nothing to be honest. What did Mami give me? A Lot. A lot of happiness, a lot of food for thought, and quite a realisation about many things that have changed in and around me.
- I found Anurag Kashyap walking beside me. Usually I would have forgotten everything and would have kept looking at him in awe. But this time apart from acknowledging his presence around me..there was nothing that moved inside me. He is not my ex-gf, but "mera usse rishta kaafi purana hai". It meant a lot for me to know that I am moving forward.
- Inside story is that, I met Alok for someone else. Alok was never my first choice for the role, but there is someone very special who would have been much happier than me if I had worked with him. For the first time I chased someone for someone else's happiness. Though it did not work, I had a sense of completion because I knew that I tried my best to get there. It is good to do something entirely for someone's else's happiness.
- For the same project the same person for whom I met Alok had suggested me a girl for the role of protagonist. "Why would she even consider?" Is what I had said. Turned out that The same "suggested girl", Ashutosh and myself were the trio who were watching films together throughout the festival. She is great to be with.
- Well, I am yet to be in the top list of film-makers...but right now when I am just a struggler, it is a big deal for me to watch a film with people like Ashutosh Gowarikar, Rajesh Mhapuskar, Nikhil Sane and Rajkumar Hirani sitting just a few feet away from you.
- I saw a lot of French Cinema.
- It was a realisation point that today I know a lot of people. A lot of people know me. I am not an actor, my face is not seen on screen and thus People cannot make a pictorial memory of who Shoneel is, and yet there were some of them who knew me someway. That's a good feeling to have.
- The ironical dilemma and fearful question that gave a way after MaMi-16 was, am I getting too comfortable in Marathi film circle? Do I need to bounce out and start a fresh and explore new horizons? Or should I stay in the puddle of this comfort zone for a little while longer? what's right, whats not!
I still don't have the answer - you can answer it if you want to - But if it was not for MaMi...this question would have taken a lot more time to make it's way inside my head.
Maa always said it - Everything happens for a reason.
A mere registration enrollment done with an intention of keeping my mind busy and away from the unnecessary thoughts, showed me an unexpected mirror to give a reality check,
"Life badi kutti cheez hai...khush karte hi aapko aapki jagah dikhati hai!"
