A filmmaker dwells in his own madness, sometimes knowing very well that the medium he works with has the potential to re-decorate the entire world. Sadly, most filmmakers today seldom step outside the boundaries of the secluded world of mainstream film industry. They wouldn’t dare mess with the equation. But Sandeep Mohan looked at films differently. He decided to experiment with both the medium and its audience and this thought gave birth to ‘The Great Indian Travelling Cinema’. What puts Sandeep in a league of his own is that he decided to singlehandedly take his cinema to the audience. To present it to the public the way they want it. His films were not backed by the pomp and grandeur of mainstream commercial films. And so he packed up a projector and travelled across places to screen his films in alternative screening spaces. Sandeep will be coming to Kochi on Sunday to screen his film Shreelancer at Car n’ Cafe, Kakkanad.
Sandeep has his roots in Kerala, “I am from Thiruvananthapuram, but I left the place years ago,” he speaks over the phone in a Hindi-coated Malayalam. Asked about his journey towards cinema, he says, “I am 42 now; my journey with cinema began 21 years ago. I came to Mumbai first, did a few programmes for a channel and assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. By 23 I got tired of Mumbai, moved to Bengaluru and did some odd jobs, worked as a copywriter for a few years. I used to write scripts as well and by the time I was 28, the film bug bit again, so I returned to Mumbai. I started writing for a couple of people and TV shows. I went independent after that. I figured I should think independently if I needed creative control.”
He then ventured into his first film — Love, Wrinkle Free — shot in 2010 and released in 2012. “It was a crowd funded project and had a small theatrical release in India. It was made with a shoestring budget, but I learnt a lot from it.” His next project was Hola Venky released online in 2014. “That journey was all about figuring out everything on my own, including finishing the movie with a small budget and a crew of three.” Sandeep’s Love, Wrinkle Free was slapped with an A-certificate. “Maybe because of the humour, I don’t know! But with Hola Venky, I did not want to go after a certification nor film fests. So then what to do? Can I not do those things that we normally do with an independent film and still survive? That’s when the concept ‘The Great Indian Travelling Cinema’ took birth. I got projectors, found a few alternative screening space like cafes, art galleries, pubs and even homes. And people can pay as they wish, if you don’t like it you don’t have to pay, no compulsion, I just keep my bag out there,” he laughs.
Hola Venky got 92 screenings including in the US and Singapore. With Shreelancer, Sandeep is thinking of getting a CBFC certificate and have a limited theatrical release and is also planning to go online through Netflix and Amazon which is coming to India. His first two films had humour in it and Shreelancer is drama with a bit of lightheartedness to it. “It’s fun to see the reaction first hand, most of the time, I sit with different people. Moreover, I love travelling. So from a writer’s point of view, all these help me. Money wise, it’s not big but we do click. I tell them ‘you are paying for my tickets to take this to other places.” He clarifies, “I am not against any theatrical distribution system, it's just one more way to reach out the audience. Keep the buzz going till eventually it gets picked up.” Shreelancer will be screened at 7pm at Car n’ Cafe which will be followed by a Q&A session.
