In my later years in college, I was pretty clueless about what I really wanted to take up as a profession and was always flirting with different ideas. Around the same time, I was also getting introduced to what we call international cinema. Films from Italy, France, Iran, which I had erstwhile never experienced.
1. Please tell us about your background and your journey.
I was born and brought up in Kolkata. I was attracted to art, literature, and music from my childhood, and there was an environment in our home for consumption of popular culture.
However, apart from drawing I was never formally associated with any art form throughout my growing up years. I even did my undergrads in the safest discipline i.e. engineering and opted for an IT job in an MNC in Pune. However, after that, I opted out and joined the renowned Mumbai-based Media House – TVF for a brief stint.
Then I returned to my hometown to pursue a full-time career as a filmmaker. As of now, I have made about half a dozen short films, over a dozen music videos, several corporate films, and just about to complete my first full-length feature. Some of my films have been screened at international festivals and some are streaming on regional OTT platforms.
I have also published a book and recorded a song in my voice, which is available across all music platforms. I am also a trainer of filmmaking at one of the top universities of our state – Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology.
2. How and when did you realize your passion for creating films?
In my later years in college, I was pretty clueless about what I really wanted to take up as a profession and was always flirting with different ideas. Around the same time, I was also getting introduced to what we call international cinema. Films from Italy, France, Iran, which I had erstwhile never experienced.
It opened a new perspective of looking at the cinema for a person like me who was only exposed to mainstream Hindi, Bengali, and American films. For example, has it not been for the film "The Pianist", I would have never realized how bad the situation was for the Jews in Nazi Germany; like I could literally see their lives unfolding in front of me! I started believing that cinema has enough power to reshape the psychology of an individual. By the time I was leaving for Pune for my IT job, I was convinced that sooner or later I will be making films.
3. How easy is it for outsiders to enter this business?
There are several levels of difficulties. Firstly, this largely falls under the unorganized sector and therefore there is no regular pattern of recruitment. In most cases, you need to know people within this business to get an entry.
Otherwise, you will have to make use of your own resources to create a portfolio which you can later use to get work. Even after you have done some work, you need to find the avenues to get it to the desired audience-- which in itself is an everlasting challenge I'd say!
4. What roadblocks did you face when you were started out?
Since I did not have any formal training at any film school, I had to begin with very basic payments compared to my well-paying IT job. So that was a big shift in lifestyle that I had to adapt to. Secondly, as a first-time filmmaker, I had no portfolio to showcase.
So, it was difficult to convince someone to finance my first film, which eventually I ended up financing myself. But what I must mention is that that was a huge learning curve for me—it gave me an insight into every department that one has to deal with while making a film. That experience helped me in my next ventures.
5. Which film(s) do you appreciate the most for their cinematography?
It’s an endless list, to be honest. But recently I have been watching films by a Turkish filmmaker named Nuri Bilge Ceylan. I think the visuals of his last three films are absolutely path-breaking.
6. How has your business become affected after Covid19?
I would say it has had both positive and negative effects on our business. The film theatres have suffered the major brunt which in turn has affected the big production houses, who couldn’t recover the huge amounts they had spent on films meant for theatre release.
But for independent makers like us, this has acted as a boon. Since the footfall has reduced in theatres, the demand for content on streaming platforms has grown. That has helped people who are essentially focused on creating content for the OTTs in getting more work.
7. Which are your favorite movies?
- Three Colors Trilogy by Krzysztof Kieslowski.
- Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica
- The Pianist by Roman Polanski
- Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray
- Peppermint Candy by Lee Chang dong
- One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Milos Forman
- Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese
- Haider by Vishal Bhardwaj
- Once Upon A Time In Anatolia by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Close Up by Abbas Kiarostami
…and hundreds more!
Samman Roy
An independent filmmaker, YouTube influencer, and trainer of film studies for the young professionals at Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Samman Roy is starting to be a recognized name in the Bengali film industry.
His works in Bengali cinema including 'Aastha', 'Before The Rains', 'Mail' have been distributed to renowned regional OTT platforms and have been applauded by the audience and critics alike. His YouTube channel is dedicated to promoting world cinema in regional language. He's also authored the book "Memories of A Millennial", where he has tried to capture the zeitgeist of a generation that grew up in India during the 90s.
Interviewed By: Nishad Kinhikar
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