Discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary
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| “Mamaiji” (Grandmother): A Short Film By Oorvazi Irani - 6 min 55 seconds |
I distinctly remember the day I got the idea to make the
film on my maternal grandmother, and was questioned by my aunt, "Who would be
interested in seeing a film on your grandmother?" She was trying to suggest it was an
indulgence that carried very little value to people who did not know me. For a few minutes it
was a setback, but I did not give up the idea of making the film as I believed
that it was not necessary that a great film is made on an extraordinary subject, for its very commonness appealed to me and the challenge now was whether I could make
the ordinary extraordinary. My grandmother was not a celebrity but she represented the
common man, and I felt that was good enough. The appeal is that majority of the
audience is nothing but the common man and will be able to identify with this simple ordinary human
being. But the film had to go beyond being a mere home video of course and be
elevated to art. The film is as much about an archetypical grandmother as it is
about the personal story of Moti (Morvarid) Nadirshah Roowalla, my grandmother,
who was born in Iran in 1927, and now lives in India.
But, yes, what was an integral part of the film was the
character of my grandmother itself and what she represented, which was unique
and she reflected a great spirit which I
feel adds that special charm to the
film. The next question to me as an artist was how do I want to treat this
film? Of course I had the choice of it being realistic and adopting a raw
documentary style but I felt that would not do justice to this film and I went
for a very surreal treatment but keeping the core very real and documentary, in
the sense that all that is narrated in the film is real and not fiction but the
space in which the film unfolds is between the real and the unreal.
I was discovering my grandmother till the very last day and
this speaks about keeping our choices open as a filmmaker, always improvising,
which I was happy I did. One day before shooting she told me very casually that
she had desired many years ago a film to be made on her life and finally her
wish was coming true. I was moved and thought it would make a brilliant
introduction to her character in the film and included this to be shot in the
film and made it an integral part of the film.
The film is short but it did involve thought and preparation
to make it what it is. Weeks before we did the final shoot, I conducted various
test shoots for the various setups, props, camera movement, and lighting. Tushar
Tawde was my assistant and his sincerity and dedication was integral right from
small details like arranging props like the right apple for the shoot, to
getting an artist to prepare the Dali clock, camera tests and lots more. During
this time these test shoots were given
to my music director, a talented young artist Ayan De who started
subconsciously working on the music in his head and finally gave me a music score
that was perfect, as the music was critical if it went either way it would be
too spiritual or too macabre.
The role of the editor is another very important role in the
making of a film, as an important tip Thomas Koshy ensured I take close-ups of
my grandmother during shooting to make the audience identify with her which I
feel goes a long way in creating a powerful impact and I went one step forward
and took extreme close-ups which have a dramatic impact in the film. He used
reference music as a beat to edit the film, till he got the right reference. He
was frustrated being on a tight budget and his crazy schedule and we were
running out of time, but it did work out beautifully. Like all editors he was
cribbing about not having the right shot to cut the scene, but I feel that an artist's obstacles can many times become his/her creative style, and for a film of this
nature of course it worked out brilliantly. Martin Xavier, the cinematographer for
the film, worked hard to achieve my vision and even though I had conceived the
composition and camera movement of each shot in detail if it was not for him
the film would not be what it is, and it meant one full night and half a day
being on his feet continuously to complete the shooting of the film. Last but
not the least, my cousin Alzeyne Dehnugara played the role of a nurturing
mother for me and my film; I cannot stress enough how important it is for an artist to have such support at the initial
stage, as creativity needs support and stimulation to survive. Alzeyne was with me each step while the baby was being born, and I will not forget those 5 hours in
Barista where the film was taking birth. I was filled with nervousness and excitement
as I was trying to create something from thin air. I had doubts whether it will be able to see the light of the
day? It did and has touched a chord with
my audiences. “Mamaiji” (Grandmother) has been screened at Poona where I was invited with the film to FTII for a
special screening and discussion in the prestigious NFAI theatre, and recently at a special
screening in Mumbai at Prithivi @Vikalp.
A small film but a giant step for me, as this was my first
independent film as a creative artist trying to find my voice. You can read
about film, you can study and analyze film, but the best way to know about film
is to make one.
About Author -
- As a film educationalist, she currently heads the subject of film at the ‘SVKM International School’, Mumbai and has been invited by various prestigious institutions to conduct workshops on film appreciation.
- She introduced the “Michael Chekhov Acting Technique” to India with her dvd and also teaches the technique. She has been invited by Thespo at Prithvi, Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute to conduct special workshops on the acting technique and ‘acting appreciation’.
- She has been actively involved in the research and writing of the recent international textbook on Indian cinema "Aan to Lagaan". She has written articles for film magazines, journals and websites including Dear Cinema, Silhouette, Film Buff, Madaboutmoviez. Her company is also the literary agents for Farrukh Dhondy in India.
- She has been the Project Art Consultant for an international art group show “Unity in Diversity” - Cymroza Gallery, Mumbai - 2007
Film Blog: www.oorvazifilmeducation.wordpress.com
Filmography:
"The Michael Chekhov Acting Technique” presented, directed and researched by Oorvazi Irani, Produced by SBI Impresario Pvt. Ltd. - 2011. www.oorvazichekhovindia.com
Conceived, Written, Directed and Co Produced – “Mamaiji” (Grandmother) - 2011
Associate Director "Lord Ganesha – The Elephant Head God." 1997-98
Head of Research and Assistant Director for the travelogue "Ramayana: A Journey." – Commissioned by Channel Four Television, London 1995 -97
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your feedback is highly appreciated!
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Yes this is indeed very prestigious and you deserve it. 'Mamaiji' for its surrealist treatment stands out from an ordinary documentary and ceases to be a personal story. But, I have said all of this before
ReplyDeleteI too had the privilege of watching "Mamaiji"... that too only today... and I just can't agree more with what you have said about it!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteRiddhiman, Thanks for your affection for the film as always. Appreciate it
ReplyDeleteMurtaza thanks a ton for your kind words of appreciation.
ReplyDeleteWell... the pleasure is all mine :-)
ReplyDelete