Indie filmmaking opens pathway for young talents

CHENNAI: The landscape of opportunities in filmmaking has become increasingly competitive. Young talents diligently seek ways to succeed, with independent (indie) filmmaking opening several avenues within the industry. “When I sought opportunities, I went through a lot of rejections. This compelled me to build up a space for myself,” says Praveen Giri, an indie filmmaker, whose debut feature Mankhurd premiered last year at the Chennai International Film Festival.

Praveen embarked on his filmmaking journey with short films. However, being a newcomer without industry connections, the prospect of directing a feature seemed like a distant possibility. That’s when he embraced the idea of indie filmmaking. The filmmaker says, “With many film festivals on the cards, I saw this as a ray of hope, enabling me to finance my project in small numbers and also use it as a platform to address current issues.” He also went on to add, “ Unlike mainstream cinema, there are no required formats for commercial elements or duration constraints. It’s the freedom to make the films in the way we want.”

When discussing the differences between independent and mainstream filmmaking, Praveen says, “ Independent films operate on a very constrained budget. Consequently, pre-production consumes a significant amount of time. For our project, we dedicated almost nine months to pre-production and had a shooting schedule of merely seven to eight days. It demands meticulous planning, tripling our efforts to minimise any room for error.” He also initiated his own production company, Unchained Pictures, to support aspiring indie filmmakers.

Through his film Mankhurd, which is set in a small area of Mumbai, he delves into the lives of its community with potent political themes. The movie has garnered notable acclaim from celebrities. “PS Vinoth Raj, known for Koozhangal, saw the film and invited me to his office for a detailed discussion of the movie. Directors such as Pa Ranjith, Lokesh Kanagaraj, and Sudha Kongara, after viewing the trailer, appreciated the craftsmanship and rawness of the theme,” as he spoke to DTNext. Mankhurd is aiming for more festival premieres, but there’s no set plan for its public release yet.

Talking about the audience and how the tendency of viewing has changed, “People have started celebrating films transcending language barriers. In a deeply traditional city like Madurai, where people perceive films primarily as a means of entertainment, a form of escapism from their reality, there’s a significant shift occurring. The recent Malayalam film Bramayugam is making waves, breaking conventions as an experimental monochrome film devoid of songs. Surprisingly, even weekday night shows are house-full. The audience is evolving, but this is just the initial phase. It’s a process that will require time,” he concludes with a positive note.