In Focus: A cine artist in the making

Gaffers, Arri Alexa, focus marks, Arkady Strugatsky, Paolo Sorrentino, 81/2, massive recruitment post Top Gun… 16-year-old Partho Gupte rattles off film jargon, movie titles from half a century ago and filmmakers from around the world with the ease of a veteran.

Well, there’s still time for him to be counted among them, but he’s already an industry insider. Born to Bollywood film editor Deepa Bhatia and director Amol Gupte, who shot to fame with Taare Zameen Par, Partho has acted in Stanley Ka Dabba and Hawaa Hawaaii. It’s no surprise then that he’s caught on to their love of movies. “Dad made me watch my first film before my first day of school — on Sunday, I saw Jungle Book and on Monday, I was in playschool,” shares Gupte Jr.

He’s gained from the cinema they’ve introduced him to, but he says it’s been a sharing process. “They show me their cinema — classics, Italian, Russian, Czech — and I introduce them to what I like to watch — Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and such others.”

At seven, Partho made a film on his cat, followed it by one on a school teacher and then a farewell film before leaving school. Pigeonhood happened during his study leave before the class X board exams in 2015. “I was studying day and night. Then one day, my attention wandered off to the balcony, where a pigeon had laid two eggs in a nest there. I took my new camera, my first DSLR, and started documenting it. When life’s happening in front of you, crows ganging up and all, math equations seem quite pointless,” says the teen. To the agony of his parents, he’d sit, watch, keep the camera on the tripod, shoot, study a bit and shoot again. After the baby broke the shell and came out, Partho got even more involved.

The film not only shows the pigeon’s life-in-the-making, but also Partho’s anxiety prior to the exams — both their journeys as they geared for their first flight into the real world. “When Gary formed wings, I started drawing parallels between us, but it wasn’t until I put it all together a year later, after my boards, that I realised how I’d been drawing strength from it.”

Paring it down

With 15–17 GB of footage that took him three months to turn into a five-minute film, editing was a beast. As a first-timer, Partho learnt how editing can make or break a film. “It must be such a headache to take on big projects that mom does, in which 10 takes are shot from 10 different angles.” He’s credited Deepa and her colleague as consulting editors for their inputs. “Frank Capra (Italian-American film director) says that in filmmaking, there are no rules, only sins. The cardinal sin is dullness.”

The scenes are accompanied by light, instrumental music strumming in the background, punctuating different moods. Partho provides a sense of time and context by talking about the ban of cuss words by the censor board, beef from Maharashtra, and BBC’s documentary on Nirbhaya. What’s enhanced his film also enriches his life. He’s passionate about music (he plays the guitar and ukulele), singing and poetry (he’s been published) and likes staying abreast of current affairs. He’s one of the few print media loyalists in his generation. “I use apps for updates, but the shift to digital is scary — often times, the entire story isn’t there; print is a great art form that’s getting lost. I consume both, 50:50.”

Wide recognition

Pigeonhood has won awards at the 2016 Wellington Student Festival, Accolade Global Film Competition and in India at SVKM’s inter-school competition. The short film has also been screened at Providence Children’s Film Festival, Rhode Island; Young Filmmakers, New York; Young Film Maker; KIDS FIRST! Film Festival; Camera ZIziano, Athens; and in India at Siffi, Culturama and Kolkata’s International Short Film Festival. He thought of entering competitions only after he’d finished editing. “Whoever I’d shown it to until then – my masi, brother, parents – were all family and genetically made to love me. I wanted to know what others thought. So I submitted it on Filmfreeway that sends it to all these places.”

Does he plan to don his mom’s hat or dad’s? “I want to be a cine artist for now, involved in every process of filmmaking, not limit myself to being a director or an actor. If one day I feel cinematography isn’t working, I’ll try composing. I just want to explore…”

For the time being, he wants to do a double major in history and either arts/language/politics. A filmmaking course is not on the cards. “It might teach one the craft, but as a filmmaker, one must have depth, and that comes from having a better world view.”