When dreams come calling, you answer them! That’s just what this self-taught filmmaker did, when he decided to quit his IT job and chase his filmmaking dream. Not only has his dream come true, but his directorial debut short film – Tez, now finds a permanent place in the Short Film Corner Section of the Cannes International Film Festival. Introducing to you all, the very talented budding Indian film director and the founder of Eastern Green Pictures, who’s also setting high standards for the North-East Indian film industry- Bhaskar Upadhyaya.
Childhood and College at Manipal
I think, many candid memories of my childhood have provided me with the confidence of working towards making my dreams closer to reality. I was brought up by extremely optimistic parents who would always encourage me to take that extra leap of faith and this, through time, instilled confidence. After my schooling, I took up engineering at MIT Manipal. While studying at Manipal, maturity at work got a solid boost and my thought process gradually got structured.
Engineering to FilmMaking
I worked as an engineer for Honeywell Aerospace and Oracle after my college. Life was good and I was getting fat paychecks on time. But the bug of entrepreneurship is like the good bacteria that resides in our stomach. It led me to the decision of starting a production house. I think for any idea to be conveyed to the masses, audio-visual is a very strong medium.
During my schooling, sometime in 11th standard, I had visited the Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi to attend a film festival. On watching non mainstream cinema at that age, curiosity started getting the better of me. I gradually started to critically analyze films and thus began my foray into self-taught filmmaking.
The Transition – One Step at a Time
Any transition is tough, especially when your savings start to gradually exhaust. One of the most important aspects about my filmmaking is that I have learned everything the reverse engineering way. I remember sitting for hours trying to decipher certain scenes in movies, making a brain map of everything that was not captured in the camera frame.
To a layman, filmmaking might just mean a camera and actors, but there is a whole world in between. From set creation to film cinematography, light setup to action continuity, music score to recording the creak of a door, scene scheduling to waiting for the right weather; this list is endless. Challenges are hidden in each of these areas and to successfully make a film, all these need to be overcome.
As to starting a production company, it’s also a lot about finances and business strategy. I ventured into the television industry and started making television serials for the regional industry, commercial advertisements and documentaries.
Tez – Debut Short Film Goes Big!
Tez is my directorial debut in professional filmmaking. It has been a great learning experience for me; understanding the entire lifecycle of a film production right from scratch. And getting recognition for my debut work is the greatest reward for me.
Tez has found its permanent place in the ‘Short Film Catalog’ of Cannes under the Short Film Corner Section. Also, Tez has received an official selection in the 6th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival and 16 International Film Festival, Jaipur. The entire team at Eastern Green Pictures is elated because of the positive response we have been getting about our film and we plan to participate in many other film festivals around the globe.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao
I consider it’s wrong to even debate the concept of the fairer or the weaker sex. The place of women in our society is at par with men. This should be considered a fact and not left open to any debate. In Tez, I have tried to portray this message in a parallel way. Tez is the story of a father who abandons his new born girl child in the want of a boy. However, the world turns upside down for the father when he has his moment of realization.
After-Effects of a Successful Venture
Life hasn’t changed as such. In the life of any entrepreneur, recognition provides that extra push to continue to pursue their passion and same is the case for me. More than any reward, the positive reaction of family and friends means the world to me. Their response when they watch my films encourages me to think more deeply and create better cinematic products in future.
ULKA – New Feature Film Coming Up
We, at Eastern Green Pictures, are already working on our new project. It will be a full length Assamese feature film by the name of ULKA. The genre of the film can be considered as satirical comedy, wherein certain incidents deliver important realizations. We sincerely hope to create a pure content-rich entertainment feature for the Assamese film industry and thereby set a standard for cinematic quality that can be achieved at home in the North-East. We have already begun filming ULKA. Angaraag Papon Mahanta has sung the theme song. Keeping fingers crossed and expecting a warm audience for ULKA in the near future.
We, at KnowYourStar.com, wish Bhaskar Upadhyaya all the best and more success at the Cannes, and all his future endeavors.