Ghai asks filmmaking students to develop art of storytelling

Bollywood filmmaker Subhash Ghai on Sunday advised the film making students that they should develop the art of storytelling.

He was speaking during the concluding session of the ninth Asia livelihood documentary festival at India Habitat Center.

“Making a movie is still easy, you tell a story and put up a character and do whatever you want to do, but making a documentary, in which you come across with a statement and put your point of view, need a lot of efforts.  But the problem with documentary (filmmaking)  students is very common, whatever you make, short film, very short film or documentary you have to develop one thing the art of storytelling,” he said.

On promotion of documentaries in India, he said you create an audience first, if there is no audience there is no filmmaker. Either the filmmaker should promote the documentary, or the government should give it space on television or the media should promote documentaries.

He also committed to promote the documentaries shown during the festivals, in his film institute and in the film industry.

The three day festival named Jeevika started on Friday showcasing documentaries based on the theme livelihood. The organizers received 68 entries for the festival out of which 18 were screened during the festival.

‘I was born in Delhi’ directed by Bishnu Dev Halder, a documentary based on the story of two sisters who ran away from poverty, marriage and their impending kitchen life in the village to Delhi seeking a new life, won the first prize of Rs 60,000 whereas ‘Collectors of Gulf of Mannar’ by Rita Banerji and ‘We are Foot Soldiers’ won the 2nd and 3rd prize of Rs 40,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively in professional documentary category. In the student category, Diamond Band won the first prize of Rs 20,000.