Deepak Sasikumar released his short film Bhakti a week ago. Since then, he has been living through a roller coaster ride. The movie has already crossed over 3 lakh views, with people commenting about the jaw-dropping experience his movie has presented. Deepak laughs and says, “We launched it last weekend. The intention was not to show any right or wrongs. I have left that completely to the viewer.” Deepak used to be a techie and has been making short films since 2005. This was his first serious attempt. “I've been making short films since schooldays,” says Deepak, who has also donned the cap of assistant director for the movie Godha.
Deepak, who has also penned the screenplay for the short film, says, “Nearly a year ago, I happened to come across a news article about the growing number of women who smoke 'weed' in Kerala. But the thing is that when we observe, we do not see any woman smoking in public. So if such a news report with statistics has to come out, I was thinking how exactly they might be indulging in it. And what if it is a very pious girl? That is how I zeroed in on this idea. Bhakti is a shocker to the crowd because of its take on women who smoke. Going into the details as to why the film is a shocker and the ideology public associates with it, Deepak says, “We associate the concept of 'Bhakti' mostly with women and young girls, especially in Kerala, which is why I chose a female protagonist. If we show a boy visiting the temple, the crowd might not associate with it that much. The targeted audience is within India. When we see a person visiting a temple or indulging in any activity, we are quick to become judgemental. That is why the short film was shocking for many."
Within one week, Deepak has experienced the positive and negative sides of internet. “Within this small time span, an online media group posted this movie on their site by taking out the credits and the first scene. I was shocked when I saw that. It hurt me and the crew a lot. A lot of short film makers and music video makers experience this. These are the kind of people who do not even expect to make money out of this. What these online media do is wrong; it shows the worse scenario of today's social media culture. People are not educated enough about this."
