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By Sudhir Daruwala ©2005 Bollyvista.com |
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Junaid Memon on the sets of 'The Film' |
Just days before Junaid Memon's movie 'The Film' releases, Bollyvista.com got a hold of the the debutant director and had a tete-a-tete with him. Here's the conversation:
Tell us something about your background? How did you come into filmmaking? How difficult or easy was the entire process?
Background... well where do I start! Totally non filmy. From Raipur. Came to Mumbai as a kid and worked my way up from scratch. Sold chocolates, ran roadside kiosks, got refused a spot boy 's card, went on to do production…then set up my own production base and produced my own television shows and ad films. And finally...made The Film.
I believe in education. I believe in formalized training that one gets from film institutes. It is something I couldn't buy. So I learnt to learn myself. And the industry has been my training ground. Tough... but very thorough. For me The Film is more than a labour of love. It is a showcase of what I have learnt over the years... from watching International cinema and working with the best of technicians from India and abroad. It reflects many a time the unsteadiness of the first footfall... but, I can firmly say, it has been an honest effort.
When and how was The Film conceptualised?
The Film is a germ which has been in my mind for quite sometime now. I remember when the Gulshan Kumar shoot out happened. I saw the entire industry thrown unawares. Fledglings...whose film careers were yet to take off got stunned in action. T-series, if you recall, at that time was the only big enterprise giving opportunity to newcomers. Strugglers might not have had careers going...but they definitely had hope. His death plunged them into depression. And often threw their lives into complete disarray. Also, investment into films took a downward slide. As a result the entire film industry saw years of depression. The Film is my memory of those years gone by. |
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