Cannes glory for Delhiite
Delhi-based director Durba Sahay, 50, is wondering what she should wear to the Cannes Film Festival this year when she goes there to showcase her third short film — The Mechanic. “This will be my third visit to the festival. I had showcased my earlier two films in the short film corner,” says Durba, who turned to direction after spending many years writing books, short stories and fiction in Hindi.
Sharing the reason for putting down her pen and turning to the camera, Durba says it is passion for the art of story-telling. “Direction was a dream. I, along with my husband Sanjay who is a theatre director, decided to make our own short films and tell our stories. When people started liking them, it added to our confidence. These are self-funded projects which nevertheless are no less than a proper film as they require equal amount of effort and time,” says Durba, who showcased Patang and An Unknown Guest at the festival earlier.
Talking about The Mechanic, Durba says it is the story of a girl growing up in an atmosphere of fear generated by a man, a mechanic. “It is a 33-minute film we shot in Rohtak as we wanted a very realistic locality. It stars Veerendra Saxena, who is a famous TV actor. Then we have the rest of the cast from theatre,” she says.
She is excited about going to Cannes again. “I have always felt at home at Cannes. It is a wonderful feeling as the organisers make you feel comfortable and your work is noticed by the right people. More so, we have the Indian pavilion there which most Bollywood actors visit. It feels like family,” she says, hoping that India soon starts a festival for short stories. “We need more festivals to get our work noticed,” ends Durba.
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