Her latest feature film is making waves globally. After premiering at Toronto International Film Festival last September, the film is now touring festivals worldwide. This has kept director, producer, cinematographer and editor Rima Das busy, so much so that even after pursuing for two weeks, she remained unreachable. Desperation led to a few terse words but they could not lessen Das’s humility. “I was not ignoring your calls. I was really busy these days and was coming back home really late,” says the filmmaker, her voice still groggy from sleep or lack of it. Her ingenuity showed in her attitude.
After a short introduction, the 37-year-old filmmaker starts talking about her father’s village, Chhayagaon, where she spent her childhood before moving to another place 2km from the village. But her attachment with Chhayagaon always remained as her grandparents live there. It was in this village that she got the idea of her second and latest feature, Village Rockstars, and it was here that she shot the film over four years. “Finance was the biggest problem. My first feature film (The Man with Binoculars, 2016) was chaotic as that was my first full length and I was depressed. But after I met the children there at a Bihu function, I got the idea for Village Rockstars. Whenever I got money I would go and shoot,” says the soft-spoken filmmaker, who is associated with the Mumbai film industry for seven years now.
Das, who is a one-woman team, says she had no film background and never got a formal training in movie making. “My father being a teacher and mother a businesswoman, there was no influence from the family. However, later when I started making films, my family always stood by me and helped me financially,” she concedes.
Das always wanted to be an actor and used to act in plays staged in school and later in college. It was her visit to Mumbai while still studying at Pune University that Das experienced the world of movie-making. “I went to Mumbai for some acting workshops but was still not sure whether to take up acting as a profession. In the meantime, I met friends there and they introduced me to world cinema. It changed my view and I thought to myself, ‘so you can make films with minimalistic budget’. That was how I came into filmmaking,” she recollects.
Her first short film Pratha, which tells the story of a young girl suddenly becoming a woman to her family and society after puberty, in 2009 won many accolades which boosted Das’s morale to plunge into filmmaking. But financial struggle continued. But Das was not to give up. So she planned a feature film, The Man with Binoculars. She says she trained three youngsters from her village in production and post-production works and with the amateur group, she shot the film.
A deeper introspection into her life reveals that Das got separated from her husband around seven years ago. “It was difficult to focus on filmmaking but now I can dedicate full time. I am married to my films and enjoying my freedom.”
Her Canon camera, which she found in 2007, is her power and voice and the medium of expression and Das uses it to the fullest. For Das, every film is like delivering a baby with the usual birth pangs and the ecstatic feeling after delivery. About the latest film, she says, “Village Rockstars is an Assamese movie but it touched hearts everywhere and established a connection.”
Talking to The Shillong Times, Das shares her experience in Mumbai, the joy of being a one-woman team and the harsh reality. Excerpts:
How difficult was it to get a foothold without any training? Which filmmakers influenced you?
When I started planning a movie I was not thinking anything about these things. My only thought was that ‘I have a camera and I can make a movie’. When I was writing my first story, I was not thinking about a producer and a distributor. I thought if I get good cinematographer then I can start. My family helped me with money. I trained a group of three from the village. It was a total chaos and equally tough. They did not know anything about movies and I did not have formal training.
Well, I was not aping anyone. I actually started on my own. Then I found canon camera and started experimenting. I am very fond of visuals.
What is your next project? What is the time frame to finish the project? Are you acting in the film?
My next film is another Assamese feature and is about teenage love. I am shooting in Assam and want to finish it fast. But I am so busy travelling with my last film. Out of the 26 festivals that it went to, I travelled to 16 of them. I am also busy with interviews. I am not getting my creative space. I thought of finishing it fast but now it seems it will take time. It is 40 per cent complete.
No I am not acting in the film. It is difficult to do everything alone and then act also. It will affect my film. There is no crew and I am working with my cousin sister who helped me during Village Rockstar.
What are the issues in the North East which you want to take up as subjects of your films in future?
I am not focusing on any particular issue. My films are more character driven. I like to create interesting characters like the little girl in Village Rockstars. But issues do creep into the film and they follow the storyline follow directly or indirectly. I am not just looking at issues. It is all like a collaboration of all and not one thing.
You have become a sort of inspiration. What are the challenges of multi-tasking (playing the roles of director/actor/producer/editor) and being a woman?
I had to go through a hard time during my first film. It is very hard being a single woman team.
What are the films that you have acted in? Are you also a stage artiste?
I did not do anything great in acting. For now I am focusing on filmmaking than acting but if someone casts me then I will act.
Do you think the North East has enough bold filmmakers who can denounce the establishment and flag pertinent issues?
Of course there are names like Jahnu Barua and Bhavendranath Saikia. The passion is always there but finance is a problem for all. There is no return and we don’t have the right platform.
How do you manage your finances? Do you have to take up any other job to finance your films?
I do corporate and wedding films. I also do photo shoots to earn money. Also, my family helps me too. My films are low-budget but the money required is not that a small amount. Village Rockstars got some grant.
Was there any special show of Village Rockstars in the village? Is there any moment during the shooting with the children in your village that you would cherish forever?
No there was no show in the village. I brought the children to the Mumbai festival. I could not take them to Toronto though. They saw it in big screen. But I am planning a countrywide release of the film because I want the villagers to watch it on big screen. The children saw it on big screen and they were happy.
There are many moments to cherish. Hard to say as shooting was organic.
Do you think children can deliver social messages better than anyone on screen?
I think so. However, it all depends on the subject. Children are powerful on screen because they are innocent. They are natural actors and do not fake.
You had talked about Iranian films and Majid Majidi. Was there any influence on the making of Village Rockstars? Would you like to use more child characters in your future projects?
No there was none. I like many directors, besides Majidi. But when I make my own movie I do not think… I like visuals and my style is very different in Village Rockstars. I was going with the flow and there was no storyboard. I think you (and the audience) will be the better judge.
There are children in all my movies. My third feature also has a child character. I cannot avoid them as they can create wonders. And I always love to work with children.
You are a self-taught filmmaker which is an achievement in itself. It must have been difficult. So how important do you think is formal training for a filmmaker?
Formal training is necessary but not mandatory. I have done it. I saw movies, read articles and watched interviews. I started shooting myself and that helped me learn the craft. I did not have the patience to go to a film school but I think it is important. But again, if you are passionate nothing can stop you.
What are your other interests besides filmmaking? Anything else you want to share?
Nothing. I always think about movies and give my 110 per cent. Apart from that I would love to work for children and women in villages. We have started a school, though small, in out village and that provides informal education to children.
Do you wish to have a crew?
I definitely would love to work with the crew. At the same time, I would love to make movies like the way I am doing. But it is too much pressure and the kind of projects I am thinking of, I need a crew.