 Anand Alagappan is an Indian living in the US. That isn't news. What's new is that his seven-minute short film 'No Exit' has been selected for the World Cinema Festival at Naples, Florida, to be held in November 2004, along with Mani Ratnam's film, 'Kannathil Muthamittal' in the feature film category.
The shy youngster was in Chennai recently to show his film to a select few. Anand is thrilled to bits that a venture he entered into with four other Indian friends in Chicago has paid off.
The film is innovative and yet disturbing. He has touched a raw nerve, a chord in the lives of most urban people. A simple phone call to a credit card service turns into a nightmare for a girl in the US, played by Gayatri Dave, who lives in Chicago. How one is bombarded by sales talk and innumerable offers while awaiting information, and how the girl has a nightmarish experience with no exits, is the novel and realistic story line.
Anand is a qualified software professional whose passion for film-making goes back to his college days. Anand, who hails from Karaikudi, did his graduation at Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu and later his master's, MS, in computer science, University of Texas, Harlington. He took up writing as a hobby but his passion remaned the visual medium.
He made a travel show, 'We Love India', shot in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, which was telecast by Vijay TV in 2000. It had 14 episodes.
"My love for film-making grew stronger," says Anand. The idea of making the short film 'No Exit' emerged when he was booked on a flight from New York to Los Angeles but he was bombarded with a lot of sales talk when the flight got delayed.
"The entire film was shot over just one weekend - in two-and-a-half days. It cost me just $ 5,000. The film was made with a unit of just five members. We were friends. The only foreigners were the sound recordist and an assistant director. It was shot in a house in Chicago," said
Anand.
"I decided to send the film as an entry for the World Cinema Festival in the short film category. I was delighted to learn that my film was selected to be screened at the festival," Anand added.
'I am thrilled that the only other film by an Indian to be screened there will be Mani Ratnam's 'Kannathil Muthamittal', which is a regular feature film."
 The short film's cinematographer is Alphonse Roy who specialises in wildlife coverage for BBC, National Geographic, Discovery and PBS. He was awarded an Emmy for his contribution as a cinematographer for a one-hour film on Tibet. His work in the Lenin film, 'Oorukku Nooru Paer' (which won the National Award) evoked a lot of appreciation.
The response to his effort has won praise wherever he has shown it in Chennai. So much so, this has inspired Anand to make a regular feature film in Tamil and English. "Two Indian doctors, living in the US, have agreed to produce the film which will be completed by the year-end. The screenplay is ready. I hope to have established artistes too working in the film."
The story? "It will be a software industry-related love story."
A love story? Involving an American and an Indian? "No, involving two Indians."
RR
|
Anand's entry with No Exit
