Satyajit Ray

If someone were to ask me why I make films, I wouldn't find it easy to answer. Not because there aren't any good and right reasons for my making them, but because there are so many.

I think the truest answer would be that I make films for the love of it. I enjoy every moment of the filmmaking process. I write my own scenario and my own dialogue. And, I find it fascinating to do so.

I select my own actors - sometimes from among the professionals, sometimes right from the street, and when I do that, it seems to me that casting is great fun, because you're actually looking for flesh-and-blood incarnations of the characters you've dreamt up in the process of writing.

Sometimes, you have to work hard with your actors. Sometimes, even an amateur, in his very first appearance before the camera, will do just the thing you want him to do in the very first take.

Shooting, of course, is the great occasion for the marshalling of forces. You as the director must plan and execute the strategy, whereby man and machine will work in harmony to complement each other. This is hard work and needs any amount of patience. But the exhilaration of a shot well taken makes it all seem worthwhile.

Editing is exciting too, but the excitement is on an intellectual level, and it is controlled and subdued by the need for precision and tenderness in the handling of what -- by the mere process of joining -- begins to show signs of an independent life.

Apart from the actual creative work, filmmaking is exciting because it brings me closer to my country and my people. Each film contributes to a process of self-education, making me conscious of the enormous diversity of life around me. I find myself trying, through my films, to trace the underlying pattern that binds this life together. It is the true stuff of the cinema -- this dizzying contrast of sight and sound and milieu. And, it's a challenge for any filmmaker to try and shape its various conflicting elements into a work of art.

Before I made my first film, Pather Panchali, I had only a superficial knowledge of what life in a Bengali village was like. Now I know a good deal about it. I know its soil, its seasons, its trees and forests and flowers, I know how the man in field works and how the women at the well gossip, and I know the children out in the sun and the rain, behaving as all children in all parts of the world do.

My own city of Calcutta, too, I know much better now that I've made a film about it. It isn't quite like any other city in the world to look at. Yet, people are born here and live and make love and earn bread as they do in London and New York and Tokyo.

And, this is what amazes you most and makes you feel indebted to the cinema: this discovery that although you have roots here --in Bengal, in India -- you are at the same time part of a large plan, a universal pattern. This uniqueness and this universality, and the co-existence of the two, is what I mainly try to convey through my films.

Mayur & Sachin

Now days I am listening ‘DOSTANA’ song

………Jo din mein tare vaare de jaga bas tu hi hai, jo rote rote de hasa who tuhi hai………

There should be some friends who can make you laugh when you are depressed, who can show you stars in a day with there wicked sense of humor.

Today, I will write about two of them. Mayur Khaire & Sachin Kale.

I remember when I first met Mayur. Tevha mala normal vatla hota. But I think he changed now. When I think about him, two things come to my mind. Confusion & Poetry. He is very confused about everything. He writes really good poems (even though I didn’t understand them). Sometimes I really hate him for??????, actually I don’t know why I hate him. I always feel jealous about him. He always creates his space in every relation. His every relation is different.
I don’t know why I am writing jealousy & hate stuff on his birthday. We are best friends. I want him with me till the end of my life. Mayurya, keep telling me about good films, novels & dramas. I need you always for inspiration. Don’t forget our favorite dialogue
Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies…

I really don’t remember when I & Sachin became good friends. I can’t write about him. I don’t have anything to write about him. He is not a person to define; he is a person to enjoy with. You will never get bore with him. Please don’t think that I am writing here for the sake of writing. You will understand when you will meet him. His business sense is awesome. You can surely take his advice but I need him for the small part of my life called happiness.

Many many happy returns of the day to both of you…………..

With the blessings of SHRI SAIBABA……

Jaane kyun dil janta hai, tu hai to I LL B ALRGHT

Asian Film Festival

I was in Pune from 16th to 23rd October for 6th Asian Film Festival. It held in City Pride, Kothrud. I saw many foreign & Indian language films. Nearly 35 to 40 films were shown in Festival but I managed only 20 of them. The films I saw in the festival are listed below.

16/10/2008

Tied Hands
Director: Don Wolman(Israel)

17/10/2008

A Record of Youth
Director: Keisuke Kinoshita(Japan)

Foreign Sister
Director: Don Wolman(Israel)

Gulabi Talkies
Director: Girish Kasaravalli(India)

Brutus
(Philipines)

Dus Kahaniya
(India/Hindi)

Wednesday
Director: Neeraj Pandey(India/Hindi)

Men at Work
Director: Mani Haghighi(Iran)

18/10/2008

Those Three
Director: Naghi Nemati(Iran)

Welcome to Sajjanpur
Director: Shyam Benegal(India/Hindi)

Ben’s Biography
Director: Don Wolman(Israel)

Rammi
Director: Babak Shirisefat(Iran)

19/10/2008

Checkmate
Director: Sanjay Jadhav(India/Marathi)

20/10/2008

Crocodile
Director: Kim Ki Duck(South Korea)

R(evolution)
Director: Mustafa Zaveri(India/English)


Father
Director: Hou Kun(China)

21/10/2008

On the wings of Birds
Director: A.N.Prasanna(India)

Achanak
Director: Yogesh Soman(India/Marathi)

22/10/2008

Nishant
Director: Shyam Benegal(India/Hindi)

23/10/2008

Mahek
Director: Kranti Kanade(India/Hindi)

Festival started with ‘Tied Hands’ by Don Wolmar. It was beautiful film. It was about an ill dying son who wants to smoke & his mother whose journey to bring smoke for him. Don Wolmar himself was present for the inauguration ceremony.
Before this film, there was an award ceremony. The 6th Zenith Asian Award is given to Nasiruddin Shah. It was dream come true to listen him live. He said that people should not differentiate films like ‘Commercial’ & ‘Parallel’ or ‘Art Films’. We should make only one differentiation ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’. He is hopeful about new directors who are making realistic films(the films which deal about our daily life). He said “There should be some mad people to make this kind of films & some mad people to see them”
I saw ‘Foreign Sisters’ & ‘Ben’s Biography’ from the same director. ‘Ben’s Biography’ was hilarious. It was about one psycho person Ben. ‘Foreign Sister’ was very emotional film. It was about friendship between two ladies who are from totally different social background. I like Don Wolmar & his work.
There were some very fabulous foreign language movies like ‘Father’. The story was about man who collects garbage for living found one baby on the street. He takes that baby to his home & takes care of him. After some years mom of that baby returns & claim child’s custody. It was like ordinary bollywood film but it was very well scripted & beautifully directed.
Some movies like ‘Those Three’ & ‘Brutus’ had shown the great camera work & very very beautiful locations.
‘The Record of youth’ was boring. I slept while watching ‘Rammi’. I can’t comment on ‘Men at Work’ as I saw only the last 15 mins. ‘Crocodile’ was nice. I can’t belive that it was director’s first film. It was about gangster who falls in love.
Now something about Indian movies. I saw some hindi commercial movies like ‘Wednesday’,’Dus Kahaniya’ & ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’ for change. I saw ‘Wednesday’ & ‘Dus Kahaniya’ earlier also. They both are really good. ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’ is very very nice film. Shyam Benegal proved that he can make good commercial film as well. I saw ‘Nishant’ which is first film of Shyam Benegal. You can really notice the transition in his work.
From India ‘R(evolution)’ & ‘Mahek’ was nice. R(evolution) was entirely shot in Goa whereas ‘Mahek’ was shot in Pune. These films proved that budget is not at all matters. You can make good films in small budget. ‘On the wings of bird’ & ‘Gulabi Talkies’ were good but was bit lengthy so boring.
From Marathi ‘Checkmate’ was complicated to understand & ‘Achanak’ was bad. I was expecting some good work from Yogesh Soman but I disappointed.
Many of this are shot on handycam. it encouraged me. Now I decided that on next asian film festival, my film will be there.

Ratnagiri

from 30th sep to 12nd oct i was in Ratnagiri, shooting for film 'HawaMahal'. Film is directed by Nikhil Mahajan. I assisted him for continuity. It was great experience for a fresher like me. I learned a lot there.
I will write about it in details in upcoming blogs........

Maddy

Today I will write about person whose personality is having great impact on my life.
Madhura Raut. I like to call her maddy.
She is maddy because she is mad about everything she does. You can easily find her madness while performing any Sunidhi song or while practicing for drama or simply while eating her favorite ice-cream.
One of the most beautiful woman, I ever saw in my life. She is having a different glory to her personality that you can see in her every gesture. She kept everything her control. Her chats, her smile, her posture, and her walk everything is very controlled & limited that your mind will automatically generate respect for THE LADY. I consider myself nowhere in front of her persona. I never found beauty & sensibility at one place, She is Exception.
After long thinking I found a word to describe her perfectly. REFLECTION. She is REFLECTION of you. If you want to talk with her about fun, movies, fashion (happy things); she will return you the same. You can talk with her about career, friendship, love, spirituality (serious thing) or just any anything she will always reply you the same. If you will look at her as caring family person or small child friend; you will exactly find it.
Today is her Birthday. Today I like to pray to baba that she should get all she wants & words like sad or sorrow should get vanish from her life.
Happy Birthday Dear!!!

-Sagar Sarvottam Kulkarni
29th August 2008.

Maddy

Today I will write about person whose personality is having great impact on my life.
Madhura Raut. I like to call her maddy.
She is maddy because she is mad about everything she does. You can easily find her madness while performing any Sunidhi song or while practicing for drama or simply while eating her favorite ice-cream.
One of the most beautiful woman, I ever saw in my life. She is having a different glory to her personality that you can see in her every gesture. She kept everything her control. Her chats, her smile, her posture, and her walk everything is very controlled & limited that your mind will automatically generate respect for THE LADY. I consider myself nowhere in front of her persona. I never found beauty & sensibility at one place, She is Exception.
After long thinking I found a word to describe her perfectly. REFLECTION. She is REFLECTION of you. If you want to talk with her about fun, movies, fashion (happy things); she will return you the same. You can talk with her about career, friendship, love, spirituality (serious thing) or just any anything she will always reply you the same. If you will look at her as caring family person or small child friend; you will exactly find it.
Today is her Birthday. Today I like to pray to baba that she should get all she wants & words like sad or sorrow should get vanish from her life.
Happy Birthday Dear!!!

-Sagar Sarvottam Kulkarni
29th August 2008.

PINTYA

Today is AMRUTA's Birthday or PINTYA what we used to call her.

AMRUTA is very very best friend of mine & very very sweet person. You can't really define her in a very specific term. You can't say she is 1 or 0, TRUE or FALSE, HEAD or TALES. She has both sides of coin. You can't say when a fun loving girl will be turn into very serious poet. You can't even predict when a perfect philosopher will turn into your rule breaking partner. You will never realize when yesterday's boyish girl PINTYA turned into beautiful, gorgerous girl AMRUTA.

When you will meet her, you will again wish for her company & will do anything to have a walk with her. There is only word made to define her is a SWEET.

On this very special day, what I can pray is GOD should not give any any type of pain to her because she don't deserve it. She can & will never thought bad about anyone.

One more thing, I always believe that PINTYA will never had a boyfriend but Oh GOD !! Help her to find a perfect & caring match.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR !!!!!!!!!!

-Sagar Sarvottam Kulkarni

07th AUGUST 2008

Its 07th AUGUST,

Today is AMRUTA's