MY GUEST ARTIST CORNER:ALLABHYA GHOSH FROM INDIA

Film is a very expensive medium for me. I tirelessly strive to make independent films without compromising on art.

I am always with the art of language, love for global unity and peace.

Allabhya Ghosh

Allabhya Ghosh’s versatility is reflected not only in his films but also in his personal life. He worked as a script writer for Bengali Television Channel and worked as an actor in many Bengali films and serials.

He now directs and produces independent Bengali feature films and documentaries.

Why did I decide to start making animated films?

In his answer to this question, we can get to know an honest and brave man who not only gives us an insight into the “secrets” of the filmmaking, but also gives us an insight into the public life and everyday life of India.

Allabhya Ghosh

Allabhya Ghosh was born on 10.6.1976 in Calcutta, India. Clay modeling and drawings are his hobbies. He does not believe in formal education. His passion is writing poems, stories, articles and novels.

He worked as a script writer for Bengali Television Channel and worked as an actor in many Bengali films and serials.

He now directs and produces independent Bengali feature films and documentaries. His poems, novels and stories have been published in domestic and international magazines. His first book of poems was “The Mirror” and was published at the age of 17.

Interview with film director Allabhya Ghosh

Why did I decide to start making animated films?

I used to draw pictures and do clay modeling since I was a child. However, I had never thought about doing animations and why did I decide to start making animated films has a long story behind it.

Engaging in writing, theatre, and filmmaking gradually led me to start creating visual narratives for others. Eventually, I felt the urge to create my own film. Taking my self-written story and turning it into a visual narrative, I crafted my first feature film ”The thief”, which spanned 108 minutes in length. This, however, was not an animated film. It was a live-action feature film. With great effort and discipline, working bit by bit over the course of two years, the film was finally completed. However, during the production of this film, I faced numerous challenging experiences. I encountered several intense obstacles and had to confront many issues head-on. I had to overcome financial difficulties. I came to realize how vulnerable I was as an individual in an organizational role. Cinema is a collaborative effort, where it’s not possible for one person to handle all tasks alone. But I had to face a lot of trouble in getting the rest together and doing all the work with them. Although I did most of the work like camera, editing, sound designing, music, etc. from the first film, it was not possible to finish the film without the help of others. Consequently, arranging funds and finding competent persons; these two tasks seemed quite challenging for me.

“In modern times all over the world; people become products. We lose the most beautiful art of our hearts. In real life we are all thieves.”

– Excerpt from the description of the film’s content –

It seems like I have a lot to say though I didn’t have money in my pocket. Is it possible to make movies without money?

I began to contemplate. Without money, it’s unlikely that someone would repeatedly work on my film. At one point I thought that making movies would not be possible for me. From 2014 to 2018, these four years passed just by thinking and contemplating; I couldn’t manage to do any work. There is itch in my mind: Itch of making movies. They want their emotions to be expressed strongly. However, I don’t have any means to bring them to light. It’s more like you’re worrying about your morning routine and you can’t do it. That’s just the way it is. But how long can you hold such a concern? No one can hold it down for long. I couldn’t manage it either. Feeling restless, I began to capture some still images through the camera. I collected some still images from various places. I wrote a script based on a self-written story and prepared for filmmaking as well. In the past four years, I had written several more screenplays as well. Those that didn’t take the form of films. Now I’m desperate to put it in Photoshop; 25 frames per second across the still image; I had to create a moving movie. I embarked on creating a full-length animation with a sense of dedication. The main character of this film is a child. My nephew was five years old at that time. I started taking his pictures from different angles. Connecting the still images seamlessly, I began working on the film titled “The Dream Ferryman.”

As I delved into this work, I realized that creating such a large film by seamlessly connecting each frame one after the other is an extremely time-consuming task. The work is simply copying and pasting the frames. Like an animator who creates images, or someone who builds models, or constructs set designs, these aspects weren’t present here. So, considering that I was creating a film by connecting still images instead of traditional animation techniques, would it be appropriate to call my film an animation film? I began to feel a lack of creativity. I started to think that a film created in this manner wouldn’t hold much significance as an animated film. I began to feel like I was wasting a lot of time on something futile. So, I ended up lagging behind much more than I had progressed with the work. So, after working on it for a few days, I decided to abandon this film.

In an experimental manner, I attempted to create a short animated film, seeking to grasp the intricacies of animation filmmaking. What is the acceptance of animation movies at film festivals? How wide is the distribution area of animation movies? I had various questions and doubts regarding all these matters as well. There was no other way to verify all of this except by creating a short animated film, without making one, I couldn’t have confirmed any of these aspects. Previously, the biggest challenges I faced in filmmaking were related to funding and assistance from others. However, in the field of animation filmmaking, those specific issues didn’t arise. I found a way to freedom from financial constraints. The necessity for assistance from others was minimized and faded away. As a result, animation filmmaking brought me artistic independence and marked the final stage of individual freedom for me when I can make a film on a zero budget, I will be able to experiment a lot more with filmmaking. The fear of financial loss won’t hold me back in this scenario. In this format, I will be able to handle all the work myself. So, creating my animation film required only my time and patience as the main resources. It reminds me of the words of the renowned Indian filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak. He said, if there is any other medium that is more powerful than cinema, he will kick cinema and leave. I began to feel that I have found that powerful medium that Hrithik Ghatak did not.

I started creating a short animated film titled “Election.” “Election” is a 4-minute 46-second political satire animated film. The film “Election” satirically portrays India’s entire democratic voting system. Political animation clips that are shown on news channels; I think they are lacking in intelligence. Because, they are ready-made. News channels have very little time for thinking. So, I started creating a short animation film primarily based on this concept. I aim to make my film enjoyable, with a touch of humor. Amidst the entertainment, the essence of thoughtfulness will be present. The fun should not be light at all. It should not be so complicated to understand what I mean so that people have to think for two days. I want my message to be easily understandable. I want it to be straightforward but not shallow. It will contain a critique of the prevailing system and challenge the establishment.

Taking these ideas into account, I started working on creating the film. I scanned the hand-drawn images into the computer and filled them with digital colours to bring the characters to life. After that, I imported the characters into Photoshop and created individual frames for each scene, arranging them according to the storyline and artistic direction. After that, I imported those individual image frames into a digital video editing software and arranged them sequentially, creating a cohesive flow of scenes. The production method was not entirely new. I created animated films using the traditional method. As a result, by using easily accessible and free software, I could create my animated films without the need for expensive software.

I haven’t attended any animation school to learn. However, I have watched a lot of animation films since childhood and continue to watch them now. I was greatly influenced by the American independent animation filmmaker Bill Plympton. His works, the characters he hand-drew, the scenes he created, and his animation filmmaking techniques have greatly inspired and motivated me. In 2018, I completed the production of the animation ”Election” and started submitting the film to various film festivals. Over time, the film “Election” gained recognition not only within the country but also internationally at various film festivals. It wasn’t just screened, but also received awards and garnered high praise.

Although before the production of this movie; A man was jailed for drawing cartoons on the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the state I live in. I don’t care about all that; I made a political short animation film about that Chief Minister. I understand how powerful such images are as a language of protest. As a tool to connect with people. Absolutely, making a film with a minimal budget can often lead to greater creative freedom and a stronger sense of independence in expressing your views through cinema. As a tool for expressing ideas of independent political expression free from financial constraints, I began to understand the significance of animation films. I have decided to work on animation films alongside live-action and documentaries.

So, in 2019, I created the animation film titled “President’s Horse. This one was also a political satire, just like the previous film. I aimed to present the story in a way that resonates with both adults and children, making them feel that this film was created for them. As a result, there is no age limit in this movie. I attempted to tell a story about values and morality. According to the prerequisites for making animation movies; here too, comical scenes are arranged throughout the movie. And undoubtedly, I have made sincere efforts to present those humorous and satirical elements in harmony with that witty intellect.

However, there were some changes in the production method and raw material of this movie. The characters and scenes of this film have been created entirely using clay by me. Clay has emerged as the primary element in creating a film here. I have understood that I have to use whatever is easily available as material to make my films. For this film, various elements like clay palace, mountains, clay people, clay horses, plants, and props were created.

President’s Horse is a metaphoric tale of moral education.

You are honoured for your work. You are respected for your service. You are powerful for your post for your position.

Never think that you are valuable from birth. Never think that you are more important than the people, more than the country, bigger than the earth, greater than God. Do not forget all your power given by the Constitution of the people of the country. You are God gifted. God means good. All the good things of this world.

So do not enjoy your power. Be careful about your duty. Delay or negligence in your work can drop you down from your situation. Without superior or spiritual power, you are very normal like others. For a little mistake, you can lose your respect, strength, comfort and so on. So take care of your every step. Which provide you internal and external existence.

It took me nearly seven months to create this film single-handedly. One distinctive feature of my filmmaking process was that it didn’t have any predetermined timeline set for it. How long it takes to complete a project depends on the nature of the project’s tasks. The more work I want to accomplish, the longer it will take to complete the project. I don’t have any pre-defined estimates for how long it will take to complete that particular task. Some projects can take a long time, while others can be completed in a very short period. I work on the project until it gives me complete satisfaction and a feeling of fulfilment. So, feelings serve as the gauge to measure the time of my work. I never compromise in any matter of work. I manifest my imagination into reality by surpassing my own capabilities. Indeed, it’s important to acknowledge that when a movie is completed, there might be instances where not everything turns out exactly as I had initially envisioned. In my view, our imagination is as powerful as it is; in reality, our ability to shape it is not that sophisticated. Because none of us are perfect. All my life I’ve just been trying to be perfect. And this effort has led me to create another movie after completing one, pushing me to make yet another film.

I consider myself a thinker. I don’t know how accomplished of an artist I am .I want to emphasize my thoughts more. Before attaining its concrete form, in reality, the art takes shape thoroughly within my mind and gradually evolves within me. Structure, content, style, and story; from all this; Statements dominate my films. What I’m trying to say becomes important to me. And to establish the statement, I incorporate elements such as structure, content, style, and narrative to engage the audience effectively

The title of my upcoming animation film is “Tears of Rain. in the year 2020 was not preplanned. I was rather prepared to create an animated film titled “Magician.” Suddenly, I was contacted by a film festival, and I was asked to create a three-minute animated film highlighting the global water crisis. They provided me with a three-month time frame for this project. I had never done this kind of order supply before. The sense of freedom has always felt essential to me in the field of art. I am not an order supplier. I express the complexities of social life, human interactions within society, politics, philosophy, and more through the medium of art; this is my sole endeavour in the realm of creativity. However, the film festival that wants to show a film on the global water crisis, I also realized that their intention is noble.

I always engage in a practice where I capture the thoughts that arise in my mind, be it ideas, speeches, or stories, by writing them down in a diary. These diaries serve as my repository of raw material. I know all those writings may never be published. Maybe not all should be published. Because, not all of them are of high significance or necessary. In the initial stages, it’s difficult to distinguish between what’s necessary and unnecessary. Therefore, it’s extremely important to keep these recorded at the primary level. I am not aware of any better alternatives than marking the graphs to identify the games happening within our minds both consciously and unconsciously. Anyway, I started searching through my diary. It felt somewhat like digging into a treasure chest to find the right gem, like excavating and uncovering a hidden treasure. I found a story in my diary for a movie about the water crisis. Long ago one afternoon my nephew wanted to hear a story from me. I told him the fairy tale I made up. I had written that interesting story in my diary later.

The story was like this: A frog was starved of water in a hot summer. His ordeal led him to the brink of death. He started digging a well for water. Gradually, the well turned into a pond as he kept digging. However, he couldn’t find even a trace of water anywhere. After that, the fox continued searching and searching for water. He made his way from the pond towards the river, and eventually, he headed towards the sea. But where is the water? There is no sign of a drop of water anywhere. The frog was tired and exhausted on the sand. He didn’t have an iota of energy to wail and cry. Tears fell from his eyes to the ground. And those tears were absorbed by the ground in an instant. Seeing the agony of the frog, the sky’s eyes welled up, and two drops of rain fell. Receiving the two drops of water, the frog turned towards the sky and mustered the last remnants of its strength, emitting a cry and breaking into tears. With sympathy towards the frog, the sky’s heart grew heavy gradually. The torrential rain began along with the electric storms. And the lowlands, ponds, rivers, and streams started to fill up with rainwater. And the frog floated down the river and fell into the well he had dug. He happily swam inside her and started playing.

The moral of the story is that if you are careful and compassionate towards every living being on Earth, if you treat them with limited, genuine consideration, then the entire universe, the cosmos itself, sits eager to show its compassion in return, waiting with open arms to shower you with empathy. Yes, that’s right. The story conveys that whatever we do will come back to us as a reward. If we treat the world with care and compassion, the universe will respond in kind and show empathy towards us. Absolutely, at the end, I will say. Use water responsibly and conserve it. Take care of water resources and practice water conservation.

Based on this idea, I created an animation image on my computer and named it ‘Tears of Rain.’ This was an unexpected addition alongside my two previous short-duration animated images. An informative voiceover was placed in the background of this film. The animation film became documentary style.

The next film “Magician” was a political movie. Again I got busy making political satires. I have created this animation film using the traditional method of hand-drawn images. I colored the dream sequences and left the rest of the film in black and white. I coloured the real scenes in black and white and the dream sequences in vibrant colors.

This was done symbolically to distinguish between reality and fantasy in the film. This film portrays the political landscape of India and its dramatic shifts with a satirical touch of humor. The film has addressed issues like using the pandemic to suppress democratic movements, stifling individual voices for freedom, and attempting to create divisions among people, akin to building divisions among human beings.

The people who do not want war, in those two countries that are caught in conflict. They want to break all boundaries and barriers and come together as one. Those whose sorrow, pain, and poverty are almost the same. In this movie, there is a call to break all those boundaries. In a scene in this movie, the fighter planes of war become the white doves of peace when struck by the flowers of love.

The current politics will not change unless it tightens its grip and corruption-riddled malpractices cease. Today, there is no place for good people in this field anymore. Today, no civilized and decent person wants to engage in politics anymore. However, without politics, nothing can happen. Arvind Ghosh, Chittaranjan Das, Subhas Chandra Bose, Masterda Surya Sen, and Khudiram Bose, their goal in entering politics was not for personal gain; they were not driven by self-interest. Nowadays, everyone is stepping into the political arena for their own gain. Thieves, thugs, robbers, anti-socials, black money traders, smugglers – they all become politicians. Political parties are their safe havens. Politics is now nothing but a game of a cunning bird called the vulture, and nothing else.

I wrote an article after a video of two women being sexually assaulted and paraded went viral in Manipur. I compared the situation where Narendra Modi was likened to the blind King Dhritarashtra from the Mahabharata, and his Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) was likened to the court of Hastinapur’s kingdom, where King Dhritarashtra remained silent while Draupadi was being disrobed.

I saw a few days back that in Parliament, Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury was standing in front of Modi and saying the same words I had written. Even though YouTube is regulated and monetization has been disabled. I know that a special branch of the government is constantly working tirelessly, spending money, and pushing people to carry out this task. Their vision extends far beyond. Their reach extends far. Still, it feels quite satisfying and worthwhile when some words reach far and become successful.

The government’s IT cell is working with such dedication, which, in the life of a trivial person like me, seems insignificant. I can infer this quite well from a simple incident.

2020, the largest independent cinema TV channel in the world, located in a country in Europe, contacted me. They said they would buy all my short films made till then. I’m very happy who doesn’t like it if he gets paid for his work? I put together my short movies and send them. The recently made ”Magician” film was not on that list. It was regularly screened every month at various film festivals in the country and abroad. I was afraid that if I sold the broadcast rights to a European TV channel a group of people who broadcast independent films around the world, my film would be removed from the film festival. I cannot mention the name of this organization. Because I am still under contract with them. They emailed me asking for my film ”Magician”.

I replied in the same email stating that the film is currently being screened at various film festivals. So, at this moment, I won’t be able to provide the film. Then, the organization offered me more money for my movie ”Magician” compared to my other films, and they assured me there wouldn’t be any issues from their side if the movie was screened at the film festival. Agreement will be reached in this way. I just can’t put the movie online. I won’t be able to sell it to any other TV channel for public screenings until 2024.

I didn’t understand the temptation it showed. I stepped into the trap. In fact, money was needed. At that time, the epidemic was going on. Words are there; in the absence of money, character is lost. That’s what happened to me. As far as I know. This company has bought the TV online rights of this movie from me till 2024 and has killed the movie. They don’t showcase this movie even though they show my other films. Although this movie is still screened at film festivals. I won’t be able to broadcast this movie online or on TV in India or Asia until 2024. I have fallen victim to a vicious circle that I later realised.

Today, I’ve realized how far their influence has spread. Their people are everywhere, in Europe, in America. And their media manipulation game is terrifying. If you don’t toe their line, they’ll chew you up and spit you out.

I stumbled a bit in the mud, but I didn’t want to stop. I started preparing myself to hit a hundred times as much as I got hurt with all my might. The screenplay I was writing at this time was called “Democracy.” Let me tell you about how the story of democracy came to mind. In Kolkata, I went to the ESIC government hospital for Ayurvedic treatment. You have to see the doctor with a huge line. When I entered the line to see the doctor, I saw a wall fan running on the wall. One wall fan but many people.

The one who is able to reach the wall fan does not want to move from there. I think it is possible to explain the entire democratic system based on this fan. I went to the doctor’s chamber and saw that there is an air conditioner for him. That’s India’s democracy. Power in a handful of hands, enjoying all the benefits. They have hoarded all their wealth and assets for themselves. And there is nothing left for the other group.

From here, the seeds of the film began to sprout. This is a black-and-white film. In the movie, the fan becomes a woman. And numerous hands come to enjoy that woman. The violated woman is abused and assaulted. The movie turns colorful for a moment. It can be seen that the woman is wearing an Indian flag. The woman transforms into a map of India, attempting to depict herself as the embodiment of Mother India. The characters and scenes in this film, created with a fusion of reality and symbolism, are quite distinct from my previous works.

My democracy-themed film depicts how oppressed people are transformed into dogs. Power or institutions throw the bone to the people after eating the meat. The people, like dogs, fight over this bone. Institutions are afraid of their own shadow.

My film ‘‘Democracy’’ is showcased at international film festivals around the world, including a Buddhist film festival in South Korea. The film will also be screened at a Malaysian government film festival this month. So, I understand that this film, like Charlie Chaplin’s silent movies, conveys deep meaning, simplicity, poetry, and attractiveness to people.

In 2021, there was a civil war going on in Afghanistan. At Kabul Airport, millions of people were stranded, trying to flee Afghanistan. Human rights in Afghanistan were violated. Afghanistan was in the headlines all over the world. Women and children were not being spared from the hands of violence. Making Afghanistan a war zone in world politics was troubling me. During this time I produced a short animation film called Taliban. This film also had no dialogue, similar to the previous one we discussed. However, it was a humorous and colourful film. On the one hand, the spoiled humanity and on the other hand, the chess game of the world leaders with the common people. All these things were highlighted in this film in a satirical manner. I wanted to convey in this game that no one wins. If humanity loses, then every person on Earth loses.

My next film is “Maksha” in 2022.In the field of filmmaking, I have focused on one thing; I don’t advance in creating cinema until I’ve experienced a blow from within. At the beginning the subject, the attitude; I don’t fix anything to make my movies. One of my statements comes to mind first. Then I work on weaving that statement into the fabric of the film to establish it.

“Maksha”means liberation. Roddur Ray, a YouTuber, was arrested by the state government for strong criticism and using harsh language. After his arrest, I started making this movie to protest against the arrest.

On one hand, social media has emerged as a powerful medium. It has provided us with the opportunity to express ourselves freely. At the same time, there are also efforts to regulate social media. Many people’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts are being banned.

I portrayed in my movie how they arrested Roddur Ray in a harsh manner. He was brutally beaten by the police and his mouth was sealed with tape. Expressing opinions; Expression of expression; the government refuses to give him any rights. At that time, Roddur Ray started breaking the wind very loudly. A person tied up, hands and mouth bound, swings in a state of helplessness. The authorities are astonished to see that the person can still make a sound, despite being restrained. They start investigating where the sound is coming from. They can understand that the sound is coming from behind Roddur Roy. To stop the noise; the Police inserted a stick into Roddur Roy’s anus. But the sound doesn’t stop. The stick came out straight from the anus, smeared with blood, towards the police. Blood started pouring out. But the noise doesn’t stop. In the final scene, I show a chair with a mask placed on it. The mask falls from the chair with the intensity of breaking the wind, landing on the ground.

As I said before, cinema is the language of protest for me; A tool of expression. The films that are currently being worked on are notable among them; I am making an animation movie called ”Equality” to strongly protest against war and destruction. I am making this film with wood. I am making another film using fabric. This movie is called Recycle. It is an environmental animation film.