When I received a message on my phone telling me that there was going to be a film screening on a Sunday morning at the Alliance Francaise of Pondicherry I was a bit hesitant to go. But I had heard the name of the filmmaker Pan Nalin so I was curious to see his film. It isn’t every day that you get to see a Gujarati film so this was an opportunity.
I went without any expectations but I knew that there would be an above average film. The title is also very attractive. The last film show can only be in a cinema hall which is closing down so there was sure to be some drama.
The story of the film has some resemblance to the Italian film “Cinema Paradiso” but only on one point: a young boy is passionate about films and gets to see films from the projector cabin because he knows the man who runs the projector very well. Beyond this the film is on a completely different track because the boy is obsessed with the technical aspect of films and wants to create his own projector. The lengths to which he goes is what is fascinating. He just doesn’t give up.
The young boy has four friends and they are with him in all his adventures. This group is made up of boys who are themselves very different one from the other so their ideas and reactions are very interesting.
The film is full of very well-defined characters (the parents of the boy, the projectionist, the teacher…) and each one stands out. The main protagonist lives in a village, so visually the film is very different from anything you may have seen earlier.
The filmmaker Pan Nalin (whose real name is Nalin Pandya) said that the film was autobiographical in parts and one can believe this because you can’t tell a story with such conviction if you haven’t yourself lived it.
The Q and A that followed the screening was very enjoyable because Pan Nalin told us how he made the film and how difficult it was. He said that he had told his assistants that they had to keep in mind a few Fs : Films, Family, Food and Future.
I am very happy that it is the Indian entry to the Oscars this year. It deserves that honour and even if that award doesn’t come to the film it will still have been a big step which will take the film to the world.
Don’t miss seeing it if you get a chance. It has an unusual story and an unusual cast. The question you will ask yourself is “What is the future of cinema?” and that itself will make you look around you and observe the changing world.
