A film director thinking..

Currently sitting at a production house in Mumbai. Serving as the third assistant director handling picture vehicles, juniors and clap-board. The guiding light in this room is motivating me towards greater things in life.  Photo by Shivendu Shukla on Unsplash हम लोग एक नामी लेखक एवं निर्माता की अगली फिल्म पर काम कर रहे हैं। इस फिल्म पर मैं पिछले एक महीने से काम कर रहा हूँ और मुझे काफी मज़ा आ रहा है। शुरुवाती दिनों मे थोड़ी दिक्कत हुई लेकिन अब सबके साथ हसी मज़ाक चलता रहता है। कभी कभी कुछ चीजों पर मेरी डांट भी पड़ती है, पर सही डांट पड़ती है। मैं कुछ न कुछ सीखता ही हूँ और कोशिश यही रहती है कि गुस्सा हमेशा नियंत्रण मे रहे, साथ ही किसी पर भी चिल्ला कर बोलना या आवाज ऊंची करना कम से कम रहे।  चिल्लाने से सभी लोगों का ध्यान उस ओर जाता है और सभी का काम रुक जाता है क्योंकि आपके मन मे कुछ खटका है। हाँ, आप अगर सही हैं और कोई आपको गलत ठहरा रहा है तो इंसान क्या करे, तब भी शांति को दीवार बना कर सामने कई लोग खड़े रहते हैं, मैं भी उन्ही लोगों की गिनती मे शामिल होने की अटूट कोशिश करता ही रहता हूँ। पर...

April 2023 Ending.. Contracts have ended, relationships with people are like rising and falling waves now. Only some friends from school have maintained a solid no-change policy in this area. Storyboarding is well underway for the first feature film. Working parallelly on one other project as well. I feel like I will have to go to Mumbai soon for a couple of weeks to work on things. Been talking to a lot of people lately. Confidence has taken a boost. A rejuvenating experience in Pulga in between the sun-kissed mountains. Perspective roller coaster. Back to freelance and open to all sorts of work again. The need to earn money has heightened to enormous proportions. Skip to 12th June 2023.. Pandit Ramakant Shukla 19th September 1940 - 12th June 2023 Baba has left us.. Pandit Ramakant Shukla is in a better place. Baba was always keen on giving individual attention to each kid in the family (as quoted by my sister Shraddha). 13 days of ceremonial Hindu rituals. All of us grieved. I cried ...

Stepping towards the ancient.. I mean not that ancient... It's just that, I think stepping away from all the digitality of things could work in my favor. I feel good about my life right now. A couple of set-backs, one major one 3 months back but all good now. Working hard. Working out. I am going to slowly move away from everything. Might even delete this blog. MIGHT. So much weight under this word, shifting to either end of your thought spectrum can happen seamlessly without the need for providing reason. Living the digital detached life = peace? I would still learn new things about the ever-changing world of technology. It will be a balanced approach - moving away while learning more about it. I am also now working on conceptualization of my films in an active manner. Next steps would be to create a deck.  बस इतनी ही बात करेंगे, अब काम करेंगे। 

 AI art arrived as what seemed like a boom in conceptualization and creation of new material. Turns out, it is a regeneration of what has already been made. Whenever you make AI art, it will almost never feel real (somewhere deep, you are aware that it is made out of what has already been made).  "Nakal ke liye bhi akal chahiye hoti hai, AI ne akal ki sabse badi dukaan kholi hai."  Tried my hands on it, it actually helped me conceptualize a lot of concepts that I had. It might even help me to pitch some of those concepts on my trip to Mumbai sometime soon. Just want to create something original. It requires robotic writing, as if you're explaining a child what to look for. A child that is growing. Making movies is going to be different in the future. I am just trying to prepare myself with the technological advancements that might hit us in the next couple of years. I have a feeling they will be very sudden. Market shift has been great. People are going back to cinemas. S...

When you tell yourself that, there is peace in it. I want to make a film. I will make a film. I have started working on making a film. The storyboard for what can be a feature film in the future has kickstarted. The work is slow because everyone involved has other things to do but the train has left the station. And it will reach its destination. Should I make a documentary first? Should I try my hands on a low budget film first? Yes, why not. I have access to a 4K digital camera now. Feeling good about starting work on a feature film that is very close to my heart. I guess this is how it is now? Working on multiple things at the same time, hoping the dots will connect somewhere in the future. Also having interesting conversations about money and breaking stereotypes about how it should not be considered the only thing you should work for. At the same time, not leaving out its importance in the matter. For the first time and at the age of 25, I will have people who will directly report...

In my many attempts to make a film that can impress the masses, I can say collectively I have failed. Yes I know downsizing my own capabilities is not something I should do. Something interesting happened a few months ago. I was left with a choice. The path was divided into two. MUMBAI Choice number 1: Go to Mumbai and start my journey as an Assistant Director and slowly move up. DELHI Choice number 2: Join the Ministry of Culture as a consultant for NCSM and work at IGNCA.  I was in touch with an influential personality. His love for everything Indian can spark joy anywhere. The level of energy he brings into the room is unparalleled. I was talking to him about a lot of opportunities and we really passed the vibe check, I suppose. He is a man of extreme will, keeps a visionary approach and wants to see a better and stronger India. He does not care about receiving credit as long as work keeps being done. And the work NEEDS TO BE GOOD. Quality over quantity but also quantity with qu...