Ek Mulakat: A Film Documentation

COPYRIGHT © Vaibhavi Kodnani 2020 Written and Designed by Vaibhavi Kodnani vaibhavikodnani@gmail.com Document size: A4 (210mm × 297mm) Typefaces in use: Headline - IBM Plex Mono designed by Mike Abbink (Bold Monday) Body - Open Sans designed by Steve Matteson Film Titles & Credits - Playfair Display designed by Claus Eggers Sørensen Misc. - IBM Plex Serif designed by Mike Abbink (Bold Monday) Student Diploma Project Document Communication Design (2016 - 2020) DJ Academy of Design, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Ek Mulakat a film by Vaibhavi Kodnani

produced by Anil Kodnani

Contents • Director’s Note

001

• About the institute

003

• Acknowledgements

005

• The Crew

008

• The Actors

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• Mentors & Guides

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01. Development

013

a. The Idea 02. Pre - Production

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b. Research

023

c. Story

057

d. Character Development

071

e. Screenplay

083

f. Referencing

115

g. Casting

131

h. Shot Breakdown

145

i. Budgeting

155

j. Crew & their Roles

159

k. Location Scouting

175

l. Equipment

185

m. Scheduling

189

03. Production

193

n. Shoot Day 1 (01.03.2020)

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o. Shoot Day 2 (06.03.2020)

205

04. Post - Production

211

p. Editing

213

q. Colour Correction, Colour Grading

217

r. Audiography

223

s. Title and End Credits

229

t. Subtitling

237

u. Promotions

243

05. Distribution

247

v. Film Premiere

249

• Concluding Note

253

• References

255

Director’s Note

I

My heart races My heart races every time I go onto the stage. Not because I am scared, not because I am worried about people judging me. But because I am happy. Happy that I chose to follow my dreams. Happy that I did not give up. Happy that I worked hard, every minute, every second of my life to reach where I am today. So, my heart races cutting through the arteries and shouts out loudly YOU DID IT. - Vaibhavi A little motivational poem I wrote when I was preparing for my design entrance exams. I did it then, I did it now and I feel we all can if we keep trying! ;)

am Vaibhavi, although people who are close to me hardly call me by that name. I loved colouring books as a kid and therefore was sent to a drawing class for 10 long years. I grew up thinking I want to take up a career in Fine arts and aspired to join JJ School of Arts. I went to St.Xavier’s College and one fine day, a friend of mine introduced me to designing. I changed my mind instantly and decided to take up designing instead and thus, landed up in DJ Academy of Design in Coimbatore. Never had I or my family thought my life would take a turn towards the South direction. I joined with the intention of doing Animation or Graphic Design. Well, life had other plans for me once again! It keeps surprising me and I love surprises! I joined the film club in my college. Ajooni was the film club head at that time. For the first time in my life, I was saying words other than, ‘Oh the movie was awesome’ or ‘Oh what a stupid movie’. I was using words beyond amazing, superb, fantastic, great, boring, etc. I was analysing the film, watching it with the intention of appreciating the film and understanding the reason behind that appreciation. And I was taken by the idea of understanding films in depth and discussing them. We saw a wide range of world films. After showing keen interest in films, I was also made the film club head along with Rayna and Arohi. Being a film club head, we had a lot of responsibility and I learnt a lot during this. This is one of the reasons I got interested in films. The other reason being my camera. A Canon 1300D. My first DSLR Camera. I named him ‘Hoot’. My dad bought me a

camera because it was a requirement from college for the photography course. I don’t remember being very enthusiastic during the photography course. It hit me that I should be practising more only in my second year. After that day, I haven’t turned back, I still keep photographing on a regular basis. My camera made me realise that I like creating images and telling stories through those images. We also had a few film related courses and I enjoyed those more than the other design courses. By third year, I was sure that I wanted to make films. Films are essentially stories told through moving images. It is more than just moving images, every treatment given to the image adds that much depth to the film. It is art, and we can go on talking about it. The whole experience of watching a film is so fulfilling. I love how we are instantly taken into a different world through films. Films also help in bringing people together and that is something I love. The more you know about something, the more you respect it. The process of filmmaking fascinates me and somehow my gut told me, “This is what you should do for the rest of your life.” And I feel it was right. I want to make films for the rest of my life. Yes, the path is tricky and full of unseen obstacles but I want to keep trying. I worked really hard and somehow got into an ad film production house for my internship. And oh boy, I got to be on a real set! That was the day I was waiting for! You know, I reached late on my first shoot and was scolded by Anay, the Assistant Director and my mentor. A friendly but firm scolding. The first thing he asked me, “Have you been on a set before?”

I feebly replied, “No”. He gave me certain instructions and my brain was working faster than usual to grasp everything. I was really confused on the set and did not know what I was doing but I kept following Anay and did all that he asked me to do. When we went back to the office after the shoot, Anay looked at me and said, “Vaibhavi, you did a great job.” I thought I didn’t hear it right and so I went like, “Huh, what?” He repeated himself, “You did a great job on the set.” My heart was bursting with joy. I was so happy to hear that, although I still don’t know what great work I did. In this way, I learnt everything about filmmaking and most of what I have applied in making my film, ‘Ek Mulakat’ is attributed to my internship at QED Films. I loved being on set, doing my duty lawfully. I was really enthusiastic and jumpy and wanted everything to be perfect. So, I knew I had to make a film for my diploma project. I had to, I had to, I had to and I did it! I am happy to share this documentation of my film ‘Ek Mulakat’ with you. It is a detailed documentation of all the process and effort gone into making this film. I can keep on writing but I would like to end this note here with a quote that I and Dad came up with, ‘Cinema is a reflection of our thoughts.’ Thank you!

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The view from the ‘Pier’ of our college is one of my favourite views. The first timelapse video I created was of the clouds seen from this place and therefore these clouds and mountains hold a lot of importance in my life. Every evening I would run to this spot with my camera and tripod; for every evening, nature created a new painting for me to capture. Thank you, nature! Thank you, DJAD!

About the institute

DJ

Academy of Design commenced in 2004 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.It belongs to the illustrious GKD Charity Trust, set up in 1983 by the industrialist par excellence, (Late) Cavalier Dr. G K Devarajulu. The idea to start a Design institute under the GKD Charity Trust was born under the aegis of Mr. Sanjay Jayavarthanavelu and PAR Kumar who visited NID, Ahmedabad. The institute was previously headed by former Chairman of Education at the National Institute of Design (NID), Prof. S Balaram. It is now led by Mr. Atul Kedia, Ex- Director at Symbiosis Institute of Design in Pune. This institute is situated in Othakkalmandapam, outside the city limits. It is environmentally lush and green. DJAD’s campus is full of natural elements, green trees, a variety of different birds, cute dogs to pet and various insects. It is the perfect environment for creative minds to flourish. The weather is pleasant in the evenings, a time when most students go outside campus for a tea and snacks break. Maggi shop, Bhajji shop, Kaalan shop, Juice shop, Arun ice cream, Dosa akka, Alags, NR Bakery, Aman mess are few of the many options to choose from. The people in Coimbatore are down to earth, lovely human beings. We slowly learn Tamil with the help of our Tamilian friends and communicate with the local people in broken Tamil, which they don’t mind at all! Instead they make fun of us and are ever smiling. DJAD has a foundation year followed by 3 years of specialization in either Communication Design or Industrial Design. Even then, there are combined courses which allow us to use each other’s strengths.

Within the CD or ID batch as well there are individual and group courses which result in an overall development within ourselves. Since the college strength is around 120 students at the most, we end up interacting with most of them. We become a close knit community, sharing meals together, playing sports together, celebrating festivals together and of course partying together. It is an amalgamation of the northern and the southern culture and we get to learn so much from each other due to the diversity! It is definitely hard to shift to a new city for 4 years. There were highs and lows but mostly highs! I can proudly say that these 4 years are the most memorable years in my life, something I will cherish for this whole lifetime. In DJAD we get to study design under India’s top design experts. Living in a hostel, away from the comforts and luxuries that we get at home, teaches one more than just design. We learn to live, we learn to accept, we learn to adjust and we learn to adapt. Living with a person is different than just being friends with a person. Thus living and learning together, we become one big family! DJAD really transformed me as a person. I learnt so much from the faculties, the place, the local people, my college mates. I think each and every one of them taught me something and I am truly grateful for the 4 years I spent in college. Of course I acquired education, something my parents sent me there for but these 4 years have also equipped me to live in any part of the world with ease.

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Acknowledgements

I

t has been my dream to make a film for my graduation project and there have been various people who have helped me in turning this dream into a reality! I have a massive list of people that I want to thank and this is the best way to express my gratitude towards them. As I am writing this, I am thinking about them, thus sending my positive vibes to them. I first would like to thank my father, Anil, who has supported me in this project from the beginning. He not only gave financial support but also took active part in the production of this film. He was my guide and mentor and I must say, he was a great first time producer! Next, I thank my mother, Meera who heard my story and script innumerable times, validating me whenever I was doubting myself. She was a great help during shoots and took up the role of a costume designer and set decorator along with me. She kept our tummies happy during shoot breaks. Mummy helped me stay sane and complete the film. I also thank my brother, Gaurav. Spending time with him was a refreshing break for me. He was preparing for his SSC board examination while I was preparing for my shoots. We both had important performances to deliver and we helped each other out in achieving that. I have an extended family whom I regularly meet. They have supported me from the very beginning. I thank my grandmother (paternal), Anita. Benefit of talking to my grandmother is that she has her own collection of stories to narrate. When I told her about my story, she told me about her experiences with the Hijra community, which kept adding to my insights. Then she told me

about a group of Hijras she meets almost everyday in the market. This made me very excited and I asked her to take me to them. This group of Hijras even agreed to act in my film. I have elaborated upon this incident in the research and casting section. Without my grandmother, none of this would’ve been possible. I thank my Chachi (aunt), Manjiri, for acting in my film, she played the role of the mother. Chachi, a non-actor, acted incredibly well for the role that she was given. Besides, she gave me suggestions and helped me in choosing the costumes. I thank my Chachu (uncle), Sanjeev, for attending the shoots and helping around with the logistics. Parth, my cousin brother helped me document behind the scene photographs which I will be using in this book. He also drove us to the locations for the shoot and stood there the entire time, helping me with whatever I needed. My other family members, Sonu Papa (uncle), Kunal and Darsh, my cousin brothers were always there for moral support. The indoor shoot was held in Baba’s house (Chachi’s father). He had passed away around two months before the shoot took place and I feel his blessings were always there with me. I am grateful to Mandar mama (Chachi’s brother) who allowed me to conduct my first ever shoot in Baba’s house. I also thank my masi, Shakuntala, who gave me feedback and supported me in this project. I am grateful to all my mentors for without their guidance, this film would’ve been an unfinished project. Thanks to Vinita Chopra ma’am for listening to me and encouraging me at every stage in the project. Thanks to Anay who took time out of his busy schedule, met me and reviewed my script,

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gave me tips for the shoot, helped me with contacts and reviewed my film. I was constantly in touch with him and he clarified all my doubts, however silly they were. He showed confidence in me and encouraged me when I felt low. Thanks to Simran, who helped me with the budgeting and logistics of the film, something I had very less experience about. She gave me a detailed breakdown for the budget within my limits. I also thank Bhaskar who reviewed every process that I shared with him. His tips helped in polishing the script and thus resulting in a better outcome. I also thank my other faculties who taught me the crux of filmmaking - Aastha Gohil, Priyankar Gupta, A Bhaskar Rao, Ranjan De, Tridib Poddar. I thank DJAD and all the faculties who have built me over these 4 years. 4 years of learning from Balram Sir, Kanaka Ma’am, Menon Sir, Mohan Sir, Sudhakar Sir, Prosenjit (PJ) Sir, Vaibhav Sir, Prabhjot, Jogi and many more who’ve impacted the way we think and deliver things. A thank you is the least that we can do for them. I would like to thank many of my friends who’ve contributed directly or indirectly in this film. First off, Vinita, she is the first one I ring up when I have doubts or if I am feeling low and she’s always there to provide me all the love and support that I need. She’s encouraged me from the initiation of the project till the documentation process. She also helped me in making beautiful posters, which you will get to see in this book as well. Next I thank Skandha, who has been a great support in this project. He constantly heard my rants and helped me overcome every

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self-doubt session I had. He also viewed my story, script, film and gave me feedback at every stage. He contributed considerably in sound design, something I was struggling with. I thank Shreshth Vyas for providing me with really good feedback, his feedback helped me enhance the film further. The phone calls with Shreshth and Sahil were a good break from work. I also thank Shanmathy, my roommate in fourth year, who listened to me and was always there for any help I needed. Ajooni is the one who introduced me to the film club in college, one of the reasons why I got interested in films. She is good at giving critical feedback and her feedback helped in defining the nuances in the film. Ajooni involved her brother, Nirbhay in this who is equally good. I am grateful to the both of them. A few others who helped me in the story, script stage are Sathwika and Aishwarya. I also thank Sahil, Naomi and Daanishya with whom I was constantly in touch with and talking to each other was a good relief. I also thank my friends from my junior college days (St. Xavier’s College), namely, Tanisha, Divya, Isha, Silvi, Supriya, Shivani and Aradhana. Tanisha was also present for both the shoots, on the first day making a special appearance in the film and on the second day she was there for moral support. A few other names I would like to mention are Akanksha, Mrunal, Palak G, Ananya, Ramya, Rayna, Uthira, Rajshree, Swathy, Devika. I also thank every other person from DJAD, juniors, my batchmates and the seniors. I thank all the faculties, staff members and the Akkas and Annas of DJAD. I am also grateful to the

conversations I had with Punit Gor, Jagjot Singh, Gautham Manoj and Sreekanth Raj, our DJAD seniors who are filmmakers themselves. I cannot forget Shimona, someone who I have never met, who helped me get an internship at QED, an ad production house in Mumbai. The wholesome experience I had at QED gave me the confidence to make this film. I got to be on actual sets which helped me understand the filmmaking process in depth. I am grateful to Arindham Sir, Anthony Sir, Dadu, Anay, Sreya, Simran and Hammad, the core team at QED, from whom I learnt a lot!

(Little Mitali), Manjiri Kodnani (Mitali’s mother), Anil Rajput (Swapna), Padma and her friends (Hijras). Lastly, a big thank you to myself, it is important to pat one’s own back and utter a few positive words for yourself. “Well done, Vaibhavi! You worked on the story, the script, direction, editing, sound design, posters, sent the film to festivals and documented the whole experience! You have come a long way. Thank you for making this film and cheers to working on many more films!”, said Vaibhavi to her‘self’.

Of course I need to thank the day I met the Hijra who asked me to capture her in my camera! If not for her, this film wouldn’t have been made at all. Also, I am grateful to the Hijra community, which is a strong, close knit community in itself. They are really nice human beings and I wish people watching my film could experience that as well. I’d consider my film a success if any one person thinks about changing their perception towards the community and give them the love and respect they yearn for. This film would not have been possible without the crew and the actors. Thank you Prateek for being the cinematographer and DI colorist for the film. You helped me translate my film from script to screen. Thank you Ranice Goveas and Vijay Dada - you both really transformed my actors into the characters I had imagined. Thank you Ravi and Manoj for recording dialogues on the set. Thank you to all the actors Shraddha Singh (Mitali), Ridhima Taneja

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The Crew Vaibhavi Kodnani Role: Story writer, Screenplay writer, Director, Editor, Sound Designer, Title and End credits Designer

Anil Kodnani Role: Producer, Line Producer

Prateek Srivastava Role: Cinematographer, DI Colourist

Ranice Goveas, Vijay Role: Hair and Makeup artist

Ravi, Manoj Role: Sound Recordists

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The Actors Manjiri Kodnani Role: Mitali’s mother

Ridhima Taneja Role: Little Mitali

Shraddha Singh Role: Mitali

Ipshita Ghosh Role: Vinita

Anil Rajput Role: Swapna

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The Actors Padma & Friends

Anita Kodnani

Role: Hijras

Role: Special Appearance (Crowd)

Tanisha Kamat Role: Special Appearance (Crowd)

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Mentors & Guides Vinita Chopra Vinita ma’am is the sweetest guide I could get. She was just a call away whenever I was in doubt. She is a really good listener and heard all my presentations with all ears, helped me with contacts and encouraged me throughout the project!

Anay Baldua Anay is an Assistant Director at QED Films, Mumbai. I interened here during the summers and that’s how I approached him to guide me for this project too. Anay, a very busy person, took time out for me and reviewed my work. His valuable inputs helped me in making this project better.

Simran Bakshi I met Simran at QED Films too. She is an Associate Producer there. Simran helped me in budgeting, a very important aspect of filmmaking. Her help was indeed really useful and I truly appreciate it.

A Bhaskar Rao Bhaskar is a sound practitioner, writer and academician. He took our sound course in college. He is a great mentor, he was just a text or call away and gave me feedback for my story, script and of course the final film.

Lastly, my parents were present with me throughout the journey of this project, and were and always will be my very first guides.

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01 Development Contents a. The Idea . . . . . . . 015

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a. Idea Everything always starts with an idea

Contents The Idea Initial brief

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The Hijra I photographed at the Ukkadam Bus Stand, Coimbatore. This beautiful encounter which was etched in my memory came back to me when I decided to make a short film. I wrote a story taking this incident and made a short film on it. The above photo art indicates reliving the encounter and bringing it to life for everyone to experience.

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The Idea It is a very common sight to encounter people from the Hijra community in the Mumbai local trains. During my summer internship, I used to travel to my office at Vile Parle in the local train every day. While travelling, I would encounter the same Hijra every single day to whom I would give money and receive her blessings. It became a routine and that is when I thought, “What if she became my friend?” This reminded me of another interesting Hijra I had met in Coimbatore. It was a beautiful experience and I documented it in my photo book ‘Gaze’, which I made during my publication course. Excerpt from my photo book ‘Gaze’: ‘I was too tired of standing in the scorching heat and sat on the divider to do my photography. It provided me with a different angle too, which was interesting. My eyes were navigating their way in search of an interesting subject to capture. At that moment, a Hijra came in front of me and asked me to capture her. I was a bit startled but I readily agreed and clicked a few images. Then she asked me to wait and called out a name looking in her right direction. It was her sister but she was too shy to get photographed. I showed her the photos that I clicked. Then she removed a one rupee coin from her bag, chanted some mantra and gave it to me. It was surprising for me because usually the Hijras ask money from us but what happened with me was the exact opposite. She asked me my native and I told her, Mumbai. Then she asked me which currency I used there and I told her that it is the same as it is here. She held the loose end of her sari, said some prayers and blessed me with her right hand on my head. It was a very different experience, a story to be cherished.’ (Photograph on the left page.) Realisation: These incidents made me realise that Hijras are no different, in fact they are really nice human beings. I actually felt good whenever I interacted with one. Thinking of these incidents and various observations about the Hijras in my life, I felt that they deserve more respect in the society. I want everyone to be comfortable with the Hijras around and not see them as any different from the other people around us. Therefore, I decided to make a fictional short film on this topic. Motive of the film: Through the film, I want to induce a thought in the people’s mind and give them a chance to see the Hijras with a new perspective. I want to help them reconsider the preconceived notions in their head about the Hijras, just like I want it to happen to my character in the film.

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Initial Brief

Ek Mulakat ‘After a brief encounter with a transgender, a college girl from a well to do family, changes her prejudices about the transgender community and develops respect for them.’

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02 Pre-Production Contents b. Research . . . . . . . 023

c. Story . . . . . . . 057

d. Character Development . . . . . . 071

e. Screenplay . . . . . . . 083

f. Referencing . . . . . . . 115

g. Casting . . . . . . . 131

h. Shot breakdown . . . . . . . 145

i. Budgeting . . . . . . . 155

j. Crew & Roles . . . . . . . 159

k. Location Scouting . . . . . . . 175

l. Equipment . . . . . . . 185

m. Scheduling . . . . . . . 189

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b. Research Research is the systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

Contents How did I begin? Secondary Research • Documentaries • Books • Movies Primary Research • A talk with few people from the • Hijra community • Survey among the general public Conclusion Redefined Brief

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How did I begin? Research is extremely important when dealing with a subject that one has no or very little information about. I was instigated to make this film because of a personal good experience. However, knowing about my subject was equally important as that helped me empathise with people from the Hijra community as well as made me understand people’s perceptions and prejudices about this community and the reasons behind it all. Understanding both the perspectives was crucial before starting my story. I did not want my personal opinions towards the community to dominate, rather I wanted to get a general point of view and then move ahead. Initially, I was researching transgenders, but later I shifted my focus from that to solely the Hijra community. I did not want to deviate my attention as my focus was the Hijra community and not transgenders in general. There were two main objectives of my research. 1. Understanding the Hijra community 2. Understanding the perception of the Hijra community amongst people

Secondary Research 1 Watching documentaries

The Hijra community is widely explored topic by not only the Indian public but also foreigners! I started my research by watching many documentaries made by national and international people about the Hijra community. Most are made with an attempt to bring this community into light and educate people about the problems they face, the way they live, how they earn, etc. with a view to help erase the stigma associated with this community. I learnt many unknown facts about this community through the documentaries I watched. Dekho Hijra Hai (2019) Director: Tejodipto Panda A short documentary about the Hijras of Kolkata. The director, Tejodipto Panda shows us the life of 3 Hijras. They are really interested in dressing up, doing makeup and they even visit a parlour to groom themselves. Interestingly, the owner of the parlour is very

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accepting of them and does not mind attending them unlike the other public who fret over giving them 2 or 5 rupees. They do not consider asking for money as ‘begging’, it is their pride, because they receive money and bless the people around them. All of the 3 did not get acceptance and love from their families which compelled them to leave their homes and join the Hijra community. An Intimate Conversation with Hijras: Inside India’s Third Gender (2019) Director: Sahil Shah This documentary is an interview with Hijras from Gujarat. The first Hijra, Chandrika explains the emasculation process in detail. When asked how she is treated by the society, she says, with respect. Some Indians staying in America even video call her when a child is born in their house and ask her to offer her blessings. The second Hijra, Paru, explains that she knew from the age of 8-10 that she was a Hijra. Paru tells that the government has not taken any steps in their favour and the public also creates problems for them, some look at them with bad intentions and talk ill about them. Paru also explain a story from the epic Ramayana. In some versions of the Ramayana, when Rama leaves Ayodhya for his 14-year exile, a crowd of his subjects follow him into the forest because of their devotion to him. Soon Rama notices this, and gathers them to tell them not to mourn, and that all the “men and women” of his kingdom should return to their places in Ayodhya. Rama then leaves and has adventures for 14 years. When he returns to Ayodhya, he finds that the hijras, being neither men nor women, have not moved from the place where he gave his speech. Impressed with their devotion, Rama grants hijras the boon to confer blessings on people during auspicious inaugural occasions like childbirth and weddings. This boon is the origin of badhai in which hijras sing, dance, and give blessings. India’s Third Gender Movement | The Zainab Salbi Project Ep. 2 (2016) Zainab Salbi, an American writer, came to India after the NALSA judgement was passed by the Supreme Court of India on April 15, 2014, recognising the fundamental and civil rights of transgender persons. A third gender category was introduced. She wanted to learn how this judgement has changed India’s perception. She

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met two people - Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, a transgender activist and Madhu Bai Kinnar, India’s first Transgender Mayor (Raigarh). We learn that not everything has changed since the law was made but it is a work in progress. Madhu Bai Kinnar explained that her family tried to stop her from being a candidate because a few years ago when a kinnar had tried to stand for the elections, she was murdered by the opposition. Still, Madhubai stood for it and won the elections, yet for about a year and a half she faced difficulties in running her department because of discrimination done by the other government officials. Although later, she tactfully tackled it. Rudrani Chettri | Meet the Founder of India’s First Transgender Modelling Agency (2018) Rudrani Chettri talks about the discrimination she’s faced in the society. She once was stopped by the security of a mall and when she questioned him, he said, “There is nothing available for people like you here.” She says that the transgenders wear the same clothes, breathe the same air, eat the same food as everyone else then why is there so much discrimination and stigma around them. She questions the point of educated people because they never welcome the transgenders to do a job. Her message for the people is, “We are also human beings, citizens of this country and have Aadhar.” Pavaiya - Sexless devoutees of Goddess Bahuchara Mata (2019) Pavaiya’s are Hindu transgender community residing in Western Indian state of Gujarat. This film explores the connections between the Pavaiya and their undaunting belief in the worship of their Mother Goddess Bhauchara in a small town located about 120 Kms from Ahmedabad. This film captures the significance of their beliefs on the Mother Goddess and its impact on the members of Pavaiya community members in their everyday day. This film was made in 1993 as a NID student project. Being Laxmi: ‘I belong to the hijra, the oldest transgender community’ (2015) The transgender rights activist and Hindi actor Laxmi Narayan Tripathi speaks about the challenges facing members of India’s hijra community, many of whom have been victimised or forced into begging or sex work. Laxmi’s fame has provided a useful platform in the battle to achieve

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equality, dignity and inclusion for India’s third gender. She is the founder of the sexual minorities rights organisation Astitva, and in 2008 became the first transgender person to represent Asia-Pacific at the UN. These are some more documentaries that I watched: • Demigods: Inside India’s Transgender Community (2019) • HIJRA | Documentary on Transgenders (2018) • Eunuchs | National Geographic (2008) • Documentary : MAIN HIJRA HOON (2012) • Transgender women in India: ‘This is how we survive’ - BBC News (2018) • Children of God- A Social Documentary (2016) • India Untouched Final Project (2014) • BLESSED BY INDIA’S THIRD GENDER (2018) • Indiatimes | A Day In The Life Of: Episode 04 | The Ladyboys In India (2017) • Koovagam: Episode 1: The Hotel | 101 All The Way In | Unique Stories From India (2017) • Koovagam: Episode 2: The Wedding Of Lord Aravan | 101 All The Way In | Unique Stories From India • India’s Transgender Community: The Hijra | Style Out There | Refinery29 (2014) • 24 Hours with the eunuchs of Mumbai (Aired: January 2006) Conclusion Hijra is a culture. It is a tradition and a community that has its roots in ancient times, while transgender is more like an identity. It is a close knit community and the world is hardly aware of the way they live and the problems they face. I was really shocked to watch their stories. Most are abandoned by their families and the Hijra community itself becomes their family. They have a Guru and the Guru had chellas. These chellas earn money by seeking for alms and giving badhaai at weddings and birth ceremonies and give this money to the Guru. From this money, the Guru runs the family. Many Hijras have to indulge in sex work too. They take injections to enlarge their breasts and hips as they feel uncomfortable in their male bodies. They also have to go through an emasculation procedure, after which they are declared as a Hijra. They have their own rules and their own ways of living their lives.

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2 Reading Books

I read two biographies, one of Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, a Hijra and the second of Manobi Bandopadhyay, India’s first Transgender Principal. I wanted to read biographies mainly for character study. Before making a film on this subject, I wanted to make sure I knew enough about Hijras. Me Hijra, Me Laxmi The autobiography is a narrative of her ordeal of becoming a hijra by choice, and her subsequent journey of fighting against tremendous odds for the recognition of her community. She started off as a dancer, dance teacher and later turned to activism to make a difference for the Hijra

A gift of goddess Laxmi With unflinching honesty and deep understanding, Manobi Bandopadhyay tells the moving story of her transformation from a man into a woman, about how she continued to pursue her academics despite many upheavals and went on to become the first transgender principal of a women’s college. And in doing so, she not only defined her own identity but also inspired an entire community.

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Neither man, nor woman Neither man nor woman, an ethnographic research on the hijras of India, provides a detailed insight into their lives.

Hijras - the labelled deviants Hijras the Labelled Deviants studies the third gender in areas of their deviants, role, identity formation and the institutionalization of the non-normal role.

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3 Watching movies

Sadak (1991) Director: Mahesh Bhatt Maharani’s character played by ‘Sadashiv Amrapurkar’.

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anjay Dutt, a taxi driver who is suffering from mental trauma due to his beloved sister’s death, falls in love with Pooja Bhatt, a girl who is being tortured into doing sex work at a brothel run by Maharani, a transwoman played by Sadashiv Amrapurkar. Sanjay Dutt wants to save this girl from the dirty hands of Maharani. Maharani’s character is brutal, one who can fall to the extent of killing anyone who hurts her ego. Dressed in a red or black

robe with a big red bindi, hair extensions, bangles and necklaces, she is neither man, nor woman but a transwoman who is afraid of none. Even the police is under her control. She’s a cold-blooded, ruthless character who does not spare anyone who even slightly tries to interfere in her brothel business. Sanjay Dutt loves Pooja and wants to save her from the clutches of Maharani who treats her in an inhuman fashion. Maharani cannot celebrate anyone’s happiness, especially not of the young girls who she

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sells in her brothel. She tries every possible way to take revenge to quench her ego’s thirst, thus playing the most violent and horrific role. Sangharsh (1999) Director: Tanuja Chandra Lajja Panday’s character played by ‘Ashutosh Rana’.

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eet, a CBI officer, learns about a religious fanatic, Lajja Shankar Pandey, who abducts children and sacrifices them in the name of Goddess Kali. She then takes help of a prisoner in order to punish Pandey. The introduction to Lajja Shankar Pandey’s character is through photographs and newspaper articles suggesting what a dangerous person he is. His sinister look with incredibly big, dual colored eyes and a deep scar on his face can leave a deep impression of his character on one’s mind. This is accompanied with horrifying background score which intensifies our fear for this character whom we haven’t seen in the story yet. We get to see Lajja Shankar Pandey for the first time when he’s come to buy a child afrom Rama Kutty. He comes dressed up in a red saree, with a big red bindi and a gold nose ring, suggesting that he is a transwoman. He is skillfully covering his scar with the saree, thus hiding his identity and claiming to be Lajja Shankar Pandey’s sister. We can see the rage building up inside him when Rama Kutty refuses to give him the child. He starts screaming and pulling the

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child towards him in desperation. The most horrific image that is deeply embedded into my mind is the eccentric scream of Lajja Shankar Pandey. His shrill scream is enough to send chills down anyone’s spine. It will shake you up from top to bottom and render you stunned and speechless – just like it did to the other characters in the film. Lajja shankar pandey is a religious fanatic who believes that Goddess Kali talks to him. He has no family, no friends, only looks up in the sky to talk to Goddess Kali from time to time. He believes she gives him instructions to abduct children and sacrifice them. He thinks doing so on a Solar Eclipse will make him immortal, his one and only aim in life. He does not stop his hunt to acquire a child even though he fails to buy the child from Rama Kutty. He successfully kidnaps another child from a children’s fair and takes him to a different town.

anyone who comes in his way. He sharpens the blade and you know the child’s end is near. We see Lajja Shankar Pandey bald in the last scene, he shaves off his and the child’s hair, now ready to sacrifice the child and conquer the world by becoming immortal. The setting in the last scene is eerie, Lajja Shankar Pandey is playing the dholak loudly, chanting some mantras loudly and encircling the crying child. His desperation keeps progressing as the Solar Eclipse is happening. Once the sun is covered by the moon, Lajja Shankar Pandey picks up his axe and is about to kill the child when Professor Aman Varma and Reet Oberoi stop him from doing so. This is followed by a long fight sequence resulting in the death of Lajja Shankar Pandey. The child is successfully saved and taken back home.

Tamanna (1998) Director: Mahesh Bhatt Tikku, a Hijra, decides to raise Tamanna, an abandoned girl, at her home.

T Lajja Shankar Pandey is so insensitive and selfish that even the child’s unstoppable cries do not affect him at all. He tortures the child by keeping his hands and feet tied up so that he cannot run away. Lajja Shankar only cares about his immortality and can go to any extent to achieve success. Lajja Shankar is also a cannibal. He bites and kills

iku, a person from the Hijra community, saves an abandoned baby girl and raises her like his own. When Tamanna grows up, she decides to go in search of her real family to find out the reason for her abandonment. In the beginning of the film, we learn that Tiku is a transwoman or Hijra and has lost his mother, his one and only family. He loved his mother a lot and is very upset upon her loss. He cannot stop his tears. Even though God took away his family, He gave him a new one that night itself. Tiku found an abandoned girl in the garbage bin. He took her with him and decided to raise her in his home. Even

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though his friend ‘Salim’ suggested that he take her to the police station, he refused to do so. He said that the girl is his ‘jeene ki Tamanna’, which translates to ‘She gives him the desire to continue living’. Thus he named the girl, ‘Tamanna’. Tiku takes utmost care of Tamanna. He loves her a lot and cannot see her cry. He always keeps her happy and is ever proud of her. Tiku never revealed his identity to her, he was never a Hijra when with his daughter. Tiku made sure she never comes to know that she was abandoned by her real parents. When someone once told her this, Tiku beat that man black and blue. Tiku was a very sensitive person, he could not see anyone hurting Tamanna. When people suggested Tiku to send her to boarding school, he could not come to terms with it. He still sent her to the boarding school with a heavy heart for her benefit. Tiku is a very nice human being. His own brother humiliates him in front of his friend, yet he did not feel bad, even if he did, he did not allow his friend to feel that way. Salim, a mentally strong character in the film, cried for the first time after that incident. His tears gave motivation to Tiku and he decided to start earning by dancing in functions again. The first house he danced in was the house

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who had discarded the girl in the dustbin upon her birth. Upon learning that, Tiku ran away from that house without even collecting his money. Tamanna was not able to cope up with school anymore and returned home. When she arrived, she saw her father as a Hijra for the first time. When Tiku saw his daughter, he was embarrassed, started screaming and ran away from there. They found Tiku later. Tamanna was upset that her Abbu was not her actual father but in fact a Hijra. She blurted out very mean things about the person who took care of her all this while. Even after this, Tiku stood there crying, accepting the humiliation and instead of scolding her, apologizing for lying to her. Salim slapped Tamanna and explained how her actual family had discarded her in the bin when she was born and how Tiku saved her. Tamanna felt ashamed and ran away. Tiku did not sleep all night and waited for her return. When she came back in the morning, he scolded her. I love that Tiku had the qualities of a mother and a father. After finding out that her actual parents had abandoned her, she went in search of them - to ask them why they did that to her. Tiku supported her. In the end, her real father who was behind her abandonment is caught and put behind bars. Tamanna’s real mother and brother come to take her with them. Tiku, a kindhearted person, tells her to go with them even though he is extremely sad to part from her. She meets her brother and mother but chooses to live with Tiku and others, for now, they are her family. She walks back in Tiku’s direction and they both hug and cry in each other’s arms. Thus Tiku, a good human being, got what he deserved.

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Darmiyaan: In Between (1997) Director: Kalpana Lajmi Emmi’s character played by ‘Arif Zakaria’.

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mmi is born a eunuch to Zeenat Begum, the one who ruled the film industry. Emmi never got the privilege to call his own mother - mother. Emmi addresses her as his sister upon Zeenat’s demand. Emmi is a confused and troubled child. He does not understand why the kids laugh at him when he sits and pees instead of standing. Champa, a hijra, knows that Emmi is a eunuch and therefore forcefully tries to take him into the world of Hijras. Zeenat denies that Emmi is a eunuch and does not allow Champa to take him away from him. That day’s incident embedded fear against the Hijras in the mind of little Emmi. Emmi grows up listening to taunts from the people around him. He is feminine and is often termed a hijra by many. He is considered weak and ill-treated by the ones around him.

Zeenat only cares about her fame, her respect, her life. Emmi is only her personal manager, giving her validation and getting work for her. Emmi’s father who does not stay with them also does not refer to him as his son. Emmi feels bad that his own parents do not accept him as their son. Meanwhile, Zeenat continues to be arrogant, never reaching the set on time. One day she loses

to another upcoming artist, Chitra who takes her place due to her unpunctuality and attitude. Champa, the Hijra visits her after years. Emmi immediately remembers that day and gets nervous upon seeing her. When Champa sees Emmi, she belittles him regarding his masculinity. He gets angry and tells her to go away. Throughout the film, Emmi only gets hate from everyone. Zeenat loses her role beside Inder Kumar, the one she loves. The role is given to Chitra and Inder Kumar falls in love with the new actress. Zeenat refuses to work beside anyone but Inder Kumar. Slowly, she loses her fame in the film industry, she stops getting roles for the lead heroine. She takes up drinking and gambling to subside her pain. Emmi amidst all of this, goes to directors begging for work, goes to Inder Kumar begging for money. Zeenat slowly loses everything in gambling. When her precious possessions are taken away from her house, the one thing she clings onto is her mirror, in which she looks and talks to herself daily. Emmi, who loved his mother so much, gives away his gold chain and requests them to leave the mirror behind. Zeenat lost everything but did not lose her arrogance. She lived in her fantasy world and refused to do the role of an ‘old mother’ when it was offered to her. Due to lack of money, Emmi was forced to dance with the Hijras and earn money. At this point, we witness the lives of the Hijras. They complain about the society ostracising them and denying them basic human rights. Emmi feels weird amongst all of them, for he cannot connect with nor understand their lives. He gets tricked and ill-treated by some men when he’s gone to serve them. He

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which he cannot give him. When he does not do it, Chitra, the actress, accepts the child. Emmi realises - he is in between neither fit for the society nor for the hijra community.

Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008) Director: Shyam Benegal Munnibai Mukhanni’s character played by ‘Ravi Jhankal’. decides to leave the Hijras and never return, for he cannot adjust into their lives. He cannot live the life they live. On his way back, he finds an abandoned baby which gives him a ray of hope and happiness. He decides to take him home and refers to him as his son. Zeenat, when she realises that the baby is a boy, cries out, “My Emmi is a boy.” She has gone into depression and cannot fathom the reality. The Hijras reach Emmi’s house when they come to know about the child. They make fun of him and degrade him for calling the child his son. Champa’s leader fuels the fire by telling her that she will not be respected if Emmi does not return. She will be shamed by the other Hijras because Emmi left the community. Champa steals the baby in Emmi’s absence. When Emmi learns that, he becomes furious and runs to search his child. He saves the baby from Champa’s hands who was going to castrate him to turn him into a Hijra and curses her. Emmi realises that he does not deserve being a father, he cannot risk the life of the little child. He goes begging to his brother and asks him to accept the child. He accepts the fact that he is a hijra but he wants the child to live in a good family, something

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he film is a simple story of an unemployed Arts graduate Mahadev who lives with his mother in Sajjanpur village. In order to earn money, he writes letters for the uneducated people of his village. His ambition is to be a novel writer but when he sees that his powerful words are helping people change their lives, it gives him motivation to continue writing for them. Elections were going to take place in the village. Landlord Ram Singh’s wife was a candidate for the village Sarpanch. Ram Singh is a dominating, brutal man who wanted his wife to win. One fine morning, a person from the Hijra community, Munni Bai approaches Mahadev with her friends. Initially, Mahadev believes they have come to ask for money and therefore ignores them. But Munni Bai tells him that she is standing as one of the candidates in the elections. She asks him to write a campaign song for her, something which is meaningful, entertaining and convincing for the villagers. Mahadev is shocked when he hears this from her. He asks her that which community would support her to which she confidently replies – everyone will. The song that Mahadev writes for her-

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Haay Haay Are Sun Lo Re Bachche Budho Jawaano, Hukum Ke Gulaamo Are Dukh Ki Ghadiya Bitengi, Aur Munni Bai Jitegi Are Mardo Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Are Aurat Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Aji Dono Ne Khub Kiya Raaj, Ki (Aayi Abb Munni Ki Baari -2) Are Mandir Ne Khub Kiya, Haay Masjid Ne Khub Kiya Aji Mandir Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Are Masjid Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Churcho Ne Khub Kiya Raaj, Ki (Aayi Abb Munni Ki Baari -2) Are Tantri Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Haay Dhantri Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Are Matri Ne Khub Kiya Raaj, Ki (Aayi Abb Munni Ki Baari -2) Are Sunday Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Aji Monday Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Are Dande Ne Khub Kiya Raaj, Ki (Aayi Abb Munni Ki Baari -2) Are Tikhe Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Are Chaube Ne Khub Kiya, Haan Ji Are Panje Ne Khub Kiya Raaj, Ki (Aayi Abb Munni Ki Baari -6) Aa Gai Hai Munni Bai, Mohar Lagaao Munni Bai Dham Dolak Baajegi, (Munni Bai Jitegi -3) Dukh Ki Ghadiya Bitengi, Aur (Munni Bai Jitegi -2) The song is addressed to one and

all, of all ages and all religions. Munnibai ensures that the sad times will pass away once she wins the elections. She tells that men, women have all ruled for the longest time and now it is Munni’s turn. She tells the people that everyone has got a chance in their lives and now it is Munni’s turn to get her chance and bring changes for her people. Munni tells her people that she will bring happiness once she wins. Thus it is a catchy, witty song for winning the trust of her people. She used her skills of singing and dancing to campaign in the village. When the landlord comes to know that Munnibai is standing for the elections, he asks Madhav to write a letter to the collector asking him to stop the Hijra from being a candidate. The landlord belittles the community and even threatens them to stop campaigning in the village. Madhav, who now believes that Munnibai deserves the post, writes the letter but uses filthy language. The collector reads it and instead of agreeing to Ram Singh’s demands, asks his assistant to tell Ram Singh to be in his limits and mind his language. Ram Singh, a stone-hearted, selfish being, destroys Munnibai’s house in rage. A troubled Munnibai approaches Madhav and asks him to write a letter to the collector. The letter: It is high time that India changes its thinking. Hijras are humans too, not an anomaly. Read our puranas – we hijras have worked hard to earn a name in the society. And today? Today, under your supervision, we are being tortured from all sides. You very well know that I am standing for the elections from Sajjanpur. But Ram Singh and his relatives are threatening me – as if I am Ravana. He said, “You are a Hijra! You have

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no right to stand for the elections!” What is this Sir? Do our hearts don’t beat? Do we not have any problems? Do we not cry? Why do people hate us so much? We are also God’s children, like everyone else is. Please immediately give me police protection, so that the elections can easily happen. Yours and everyone’s Munnibai Mukherjee This letter by Munnibai is the truth about how Hijra’s feel in our society who ostracizes them. It is well put in simple yet effective words and should make us think – do we really have the rights to shun a community like that? Why are we so inhuman to our fellow humans? Just because they are a minority, should we be misusing our powers to supress them? After Munnibai’s emotional outburst and Madhav’s effective writing, she was given police protection until elections. Munnibai is respectful of the opposition despite the ill treatment and greets Ram Singh’s wife on the day of election. Ram Singh spits on her and dismisses her. Munnibai won the elections and was declared the Sarpanch. However, the celebration and happiness did not last long. Munnibai was murdered in the village and the powerless people could do nothing but mourn in shock and dismay. This shows how this community is unsafe in our nation – if they speak up, they are silenced by the dominant and the powerful.

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Conclusion It was really insightful to watch these films and study their characters. Few films like Sadak and Sangharsh have shown them in a negative light, anyone who watches those films without prior knowledge about the Hijra community will get a really bad impression about them. They are horrifying! Welcome to Sajjanpur throws light on the discrimination faced by Hijras, how they are not allowed to take up any job and if they even try, they are immediately suppressed by the so called powerful beings. Darmiyaan was a very emotional film and depicts how exclusion from the society emotionally impacts a person. It is a film about pain and suffering. You can feel it when you watch it. Tammana was a sensitive film too. Tammana accepting the transwoman who adopted her was a brave depiction considering the year it has been made in. Few other films that have portrayed trans characters are: • Kunwara baap song (1974) • Daayraa (1996) • Appu (2000) • Shabnam Mausi (2005) • Kanchana (2011) • Queens: A destiny of dance (2011) • Tamasha (2015) • Super Deluxe (2019)

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Primary Research 1 A talk with few people from the Hijra community

I had been talking to a lot of people asking them to narrate their experiences with the hijra community. One evening, I was at my grandmother’s house and decided to interview her as well. She is open-minded in general and to my surprise, she was the same regarding this subject as well. She spoke to me for around an hour and described various instances where she had interacted with them. The very first personal interaction was when her brother was getting married in Delhi and the kinnars had come at their house for ‘badhaai’. In Hindi, usually the hijras are referred to as kinnars. They were asking for a lot of money and my grandma refused to pay the impractical amount. The enraged kinnars lifted up their skirts to flash their castrated genitals. In the end, my grandmother paid them the whole amount of money they had asked for and they left satisfied. Then she told me about the time when I and my cousins were born in Mumbai. About 4-5 kinnars had come to celebrate our birth and offer their blessings. At that point, my grandmother welcomed them willingly but requested them not to sing and dance which is their usual ritual. They readily complied and offered us the blessings without a loud display of their emotions. They even held us in their hands to admire us and blessed us for a happy and healthy future. My grandmother sent them off happily with a good amount of money, sarees, grains - whatever they had asked for without any arguments or bargains. She claims that she became open-minded after she started enjoying spirituality daily. My grandma then told me that those

same kinnars still greet her ‘hari om’ whenever they meet her in the neighbourhood market and she gives them money whenever she can even though they never ask her for money. I was surprised to hear that the same kinnars still remember her and meet her even after 21 years! After hearing this, I got even more excited as now, I had a chance of meeting them. I asked my grandma to take me to them and she agreed to do so. I made a questionnaire that night itself for the interview with the kinnars. Next day it was a Sunday morning, I got ready in Indian clothes and waited at our society entrance for my grandmother to return from her ‘Satsang’. I was too excited to meet these kinnars. Once she came, I walked with her to the market where they usually sit. We reached there but they were not sitting in their everyday spot outside the tea stall. My grandma was surprised because that is where she meets them everyday. We thought it must have been connected to it being a Sunday. We went back home and decided to go again on Monday. Monday morning, I got up late and rushed to get ready to meet my grandma. I reached the same spot where the kinnars sit but again did not find them there. Even my grandma had not reached there yet. My grandmother does not carry her phone and therefore I do not have many options other than waiting for her until she arrives. She arrived at 10:30 am and I informed her that they were not present. She was also confused and did not understand the reason for their absence. We went to the market and even asked the ‘palakwala’ if he had seen

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them. He replied saying they come in the morning at 7:15 am and stay until 11 am. However, since the past few days they have not been coming. It was strange. I returned empty handed again metaphorically. Although literally, I was carrying bags full of vegetables in my hand for my grandmother. It was a Tuesday morning and I had not lost hope. I really wanted to meet them and talk to them. I got ready, got down with much hope and determination. We went there and lo! They were not there once again. My grandmother could not believe it. We even hung around in the market for a while waiting for them. But no, not a sight of them. My grandmother started buying potatoes and onions and asked the shopkeeper if he had seen the kinnars who usually sit on the footpath outside the tea stall. He had seen them and told us that they left early by 9 am. We could not meet them but atleast got a lead about their timings. My grandma decided to take me on Thursday at 8:30 am. I am not used to waking up early and got up very late, did not bathe and eat anything. I did not want to miss the meeting with the kinnars today! I reached downstairs to find my grandmother waiting for me. We went

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to the same spot together and finally found two kinnars sitting there. Upon seeing my grandmother one of them joined her hands and greeted her ‘hariom’. Another one said ‘waheguru’. Grandma introduced me to one of them as her granddaughter and told her about my film. I took the lead after that and asked her if she could answer a few of my questions. She was hesitant but my grandmother requested her to comply. She asked me to wait for the third kinnar to arrive as she would be able to answer better. I sat beside her on the footpath and waited. She kept telling me that all she does is dance and sing for marriages and childbirth, so there is nothing much that she can help me with. I smiled at her and just waited for the third kinnar to come. She came in no time and my grandmother crossed the street to buy a few vegetables. I made space for her to sit and asked if I could audio record her answers. She was not comfortable with that and I decided to take notes instead. They did not look too happy with my presence and the fact that I wanted to question them but assumptions aside, here is the full interview I did with them. The interview was in Hindi which I have translated in English.

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All three kinnars stay in Sion - Koliwada, which has majority of Sindhis and Punjabis living. Anita, 42 - She was the one who was answering my questions. She was tall and lean, dressed in a bright red saree and had worn bangles, earrings and a bindi on the forehead. Her long hair was tied in a braid. Padma, 85 - She was sitting beside Anita and was the one who was talking to me and my grandma in the beginning. She was plump, dressed in a green and blue colour saree with gold colour jewellery and her hair was tied up in a bun. Both Anita and Padma were chewing tobacco as they were interacting with me. Their teeth were stained because of regular tobacco use. I could also see some stubble on their faces. Their voices were deep. Chandana, 40 - She was sitting on an empty cart a few meters away from us and was using her phone. She looked short and thin and had worn a plain green saree. Anita was answering these questions on behalf of Padma and Chandana. Padma also spoke in between to answer a few questions. Q: Where do you stay? A: Here only in the vicinity. Near the Shiv Mandir. Q: What is your native? A: Bombay Q: Who all stays in your neighbourhood? A: All Sanskari (Cultural) people Q: Education? A: We have not studied. We don’t even know how to sign, we give our thumb impression. Studied only till fourth standard. Q: What work do you do on a daily basis? A: We go for giving dua (blessings) when there is a marriage happening or a child is born.

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Q: Do you earn enough for a living? A: Yes, enough for filling our stomachs. Q: Do you have any hobbies? A: No, we only know to sing and dance. That is what we do for a living. The sindhis and punjabis in this locality call us to their houses to perform. Q: Would you like to work anywhere else? A: No, we are following what our community has taught us. We are continuing the traditions which were formed ages ago and are being followed since then. Someone who is literate can think of doing a job. We can’t. “Agar hum kaam pe jaayenge toh aapko kaun dega naukri?” which translates to, “If we work, then who will give you all jobs?” Q: Is there anyone in your community working or doing any business? A: No, everyone is following the tradition of our community. Q: Do you have any complaints with society? A: No. Everyone here in Koliwada talks to us. Q: What are the problems that you face? A: We do not have any problems in Koliwada. Q: Where is your biological family situated? Do you still meet your family or talk to them? A: Everyone is dead. Q: Now there are many NGOs working for the LGBT community, has there been any development in your opinion? A: We do not go to NGOs. We go to work and then straight home. Q: Do you follow any religion? (At this point, Padma also started answering) A: All religions are the same. We follow all religions. ‘Samarthan Dharam’. Q: You follow Bahuchara mata right? In Mumbai where’s Bahuchara mata’s temple found?

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A: Yes we do follow because our entire community gathers there. There is only one temple near Gujarat. Q: Do you celebrate any festivals? A: Yes we celebrate all festivals - Holi, Diwali, Christmas, Eid. On all festivals we ask for money and offer blessings. Q: What do you think about the people in Mumbai? A: Yeah we have no complaints. They do not have a problem with us, so why should we complain. After finishing my work, I took their leave and they blessed me once more. I did not ask them for photographs because by their body language, I understood that they would not want me to take a picture of them. Thus ended my very first meeting with the kinnars in Mumbai.

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2 Survey among the general public

•

Age

12-17 years old

18-24 years old

25-34 years old

35-44 years old

45-54 years old

55-64 years old

0

•

10

20

30

40

50

Gender Other 1.6%

Male 35.9%

1

23

40

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Female 62.5%

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•

State of residence

Punjab Delhi Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh Odisha West Bengal Maharashtra Goa Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu Kerala Karnataka Telangana UAE 0

5

10

15

20

25

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•

Have you heard about the Hijra community (also known as Kinnar, Aravani, Aruvani, Jagappa or Chhakka)?

No 9.4%

6

58

•

Yes 90.6%

What do you know about them?

Few people said that they do not know anything about this community. Many said they are transgenders, a marginalised group who face a lot of discrimination in life. Some replied saying they are humans, just like any of us. Only one person mentioned about the NALSA Judgement which was passed in 2014, officially recognising the third gender. In conclusion, majority of the public was well aware of this community and the problems they face in the society.

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•

Have you heard about the Transgender?

64 (100.0%)

•

What do you understand by the term Transgender?

Almost all the participants knew what Transgender means. Very few described it wrongly.

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•

Do you know that Hijra community comes under Transgender?

No 21.9%

14

50

•

Yes 78.1%

Which are the places where you have seen Hijras?

Pride parade 0.5% Private functions (weddings, 12.9%

26

Temples 5.0%

Other public places 8.9%

Markets 12.4%

60

10

18

25 60

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Public Transport 29.7%

Road (Traffic Signals) 29.7%

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•

Do you know where can you find Hijras in your locality?

15

No 76.6%

•

Yes 23.4%

49

Have you ever encountered a Hijra?

No 18.8%

12

52

Yes 81.3%

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•

Can you narrate your experiences of your encounter with the Hijras?

Most of the people said that they have encountered Hijras in either trains or at traffic signals when they come and ask for money and offer their blessings. Many claimed that they did not want to give them money and were forced to do so. Some also had Hijras coming at their homes after marriages. There were few interesting experiences shared by people. “Once I was travelling in the Mumbai local train on the way home after class and that day I happened to be chatting to my friend after a very long time, and despite being a person who made sure to pay any Hijra that comes my way, that day I decided to let it be and not pay the Hijra who came asking for money. That one Hijra stopped at the end of compartment and turned to us and started talking. She said, “Shame on all of you who didn’t pay me today. I know more than 6 languages including German and yet I’m not able to get any job. I got the opportunity to choose the gender I want to be unlike you and I choose being a woman because she’s a life giver, and she’s compassionate and you all being women don’t fulfill it and that is sad.” After that whoever tried paying her, she didn’t take the money no matter how much anyone insisted. She just told them that she’ll receive the money from them the next time they pay her but not after what she just said. It changed my complete outlook on them and their life and situations.” “Growing up I was told to not interact with them, but as I stepped into college and travelled more by myself, I realised they are very ordinary people, forced to live at the mercy of the cisgendered people. I’ve see a trans woman having a very passionate discussion about economics with a fellow passenger on the train, while begging. I got the opportunity to meet the first trans priest in India, also the only trans news reader.” “I guess the least of what I remember was when I was travelling in a train once and they started to speak to us in Tamil asking for money and when my friend and I spoke to each other in Marathi, she immediately started to talk to us in fluent Marathi. They probably seem very well versed in speaking different languages when they go around asking for money and sing.”

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RESEARCH

1. What is the source of your knowledge about the Hijras?

Textbooks Media Internet Parents Friends Awareness campaign Mythology Personal experiences College project 0

10

20

30

40

1. Have you ever given alms to a Hijra?

No 23.4%

15

49

Yes 76.6%

049

RESEARCH

•

What was the reason for giving them alms?

Empathy 1.9% They are beggars 3.8% Forced 5.8% Ritual 1.9%

Botheration 23.1%

3

2

1

20

12

12

•

Sympathy 38.5%

Fear 23.1%

What was the reason of not giving them alms?

Most of people who do not give them any alms believe that they are capable of working and earning money and think they should do that instead of begging. Few also mentioned that their family asked them to not give them any money and to keep a distance.

050

RESEARCH

•

What are the feelings that evoke in you in the presence of Hijras?

No feelings 32.9%

Fear 29.3%

24

27

6

Sympathy 30.5%

•

Repulsive 7.3%

25

Do you have any specific reasons for having the above feelings towards Hijras?

Some of the reasons expressed by people: Fear - because Hijras harass, force to give money, they are unknown, rude, arrogant, past experiences, they are different from us. Sympathy - because they should be respected and Govt. should come up with schemes for them, they are kind and have special powers, they are ostracised by the society, feel guilty and ashamed seeing how they are treated, read about their sufferings. No feelings - because they are just like any of us, used to being around them, they are normal, don’t know much about them. Repulsive - because of the way they dress up, the words they use, invade personal space and are very loud and intrusive, curse and disturb, it is a myth that what they say becomes true.

051

RESEARCH

•

Do you know about any famous Hijras? If yes, name them.

Laxmi Narayan Tripathi and Gauri Sawant are the most known hijra personalities. The other people mentioned by the participants are Transgender people but not hijras. Many did not really know any

•

Can you recall any Transgender characters portrayed in films?

Super Deluxe, Jules in Euphoria , Lilly in the Danish Girl, Kanchana 2, one of the characters in orange is the new black, stevonie in the Cartoon Network show Steven universe, Cuckoo in Sacred Games, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Teena Brandon in Boys Don’t Cry played by Hilary Swank, Aruvi, Tamasha, Transamerica, Her story, Sadak, Kunwara Baap, Murder 2, Njan Marykutty, Nomi Marks in the series Sense8, played by Jamie Clayton, Tammana, Daayraa, Sangharsh. Super Deluxe, Kanchana, Sangharsh were the most mentioned films.

052

Redefined Brief

Ek Mulakat ‘A college girl, during a chance meeting with a hijra, erases her unpleasant childhood memories.’

055

056

c. Story A story is basically a narrating of real or imaginary events, involving real or imaginary people. A story needs to be represented in words necessarily.

Contents How did I begin? Ek Mulakat Story • Draft 1 • Draft 2 Why the title ‘Ek Mulakat’? Synopsis

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STORY

How did I begin? 1 Personal experiences I already had a resolution in mind even before writing the story. I believe that our life itself is like a film, there are conflicts in our lives and we ultimately fight our way through to reach the resolutions. If we think carefully, no one’s life is without drama. It is necessary to have these conflicts in life or it will be too boring! Therefore, our experiences are valuable because they are real stories. I decided to use my personal experiences too, to make my first film. I wanted everyone to experience what I did using film as my medium.

2 Building conflict I knew what I had to share with the people, but to make it more impactful and engaging, it was important to convert it into a ‘story’ where a character experiences a conflict before arriving at the resolution. Therefore, for me it was reverse story building. I had the solution before the problem was born. For my film, there were 2 major conflicts that I could think of - the protagonist’s mother being prejudiced against the community and advising her daughter to maintain a distance from them which got embedded in the daughter’s mind (children learn by observing the adults around them), second, the protagonist herself being scared of the Hijras.

3 Portraying reality The conflicts that I came up with, were fiction of course, but not fantasy. They were still based on people’s perceptions and experiences with the Hijra community that I came

058

across during my extensive research done before writing the story. It is important to be careful when dealing with sensitive subjects and knowing about them in and out to avoid making mistakes and hurting anyone’s sentiments out of ignorance.

4 Freewriting For a long time, I was just sitting in front of my laptop with a blank Google Docs page open. I didn’t know how to start. So, I decided to just start pouring out my thoughts without restricting myself. I later discovered that there’s a term for this technique - freewriting. Here’s a definition I found on the internet - ‘Freewriting means what its name suggests: writing without constraint. Too often, writers get self-conscious about writing and want everything to be perfect the first time. The practice of freewriting eliminates these obstacles and allows a writer to generate creativity.’

5 Writing in first person I wrote in first person to get into my character’s shoes and write from her point of view, what she witnessed, felt and experienced. It made me empathise with her character and be true to her feelings and emotions.

6 Authentic story Lastly, I wanted my story to be believable and authentic, a unique story with a message for the viewers to take back.

STORY

Ek Mulakat Draft 1

T

oday morning I got up past noon. With the juries coming up in a few weeks, I have rejoined the late nighters club. The current course being taught in college is ‘Typography’, something which I neither enjoy nor want to pursue in the future. These courses are way too boring for me. I want to pursue filmmaking and photography and currently in college, there is nothing related to these subjects. I was in no mood to go to college. However, I cannot stay in the hostel room doing nothing at all. I am someone who cannot while away my time and am always looking for opportunities to practice photography and film. So I decided to go for a photography walk, something I had not done in ages. I quickly got out of bed and got ready to embark on my solo journey for a photography adventure in the city. I often like travelling alone, especially when I am with my camera. That does not mean that I am anti-social and that I do not enjoy the company of people. But when I travel alone, it gives me time to work at my own pace without any constraints. It also gives me a chance to be with myself, make various observations around me and meet new people whenever possible. It’s funny how time changes us. When I was much younger, I used to hate travelling alone, I always sought for some company. However, after getting used to the hostel life, staying away from home in a new city, time has encouraged me to travel alone, in my own company. Today was one of those days and I was excited to be with myself. I wore ethnic clothes, grabbed my Canon DSLR, locked my room and embarked on my mission to click photographs. Photographs

for me are more than just some visuals captured in the frame. Each photograph tells a story and has a certain emotion to it. One of my favourite kinds of photography is street photography. The people, stray animals, markets, street vendors trying to attract customers by shouting out prices, road side stalls, balloon sellers, it is a plethora of subjects out there. There is so much to observe and capture. I am always overwhelmed by the number of people on this planet! Imagine the number of stories everyone must be having to share with others! In Coimbatore, one of the most crowded places is the Ukkadam Bus Stand. It is the junction of various kinds of people. I decided to go to Ukkadam bus stand for photography. So my college is strict about going out of campus before college gets over, i.e. before half past four. Now I am one of those people who believe in the philosophy of ‘Rules are meant to be broken’. I walked towards my college gate and as expected, I was stopped by the security. I used my tactics and told him that I urgently need to withdraw money from the ATM and will be back right after that. Poor soul, believed me and opened the gates of freedom for me. I quickly rushed to the bus stop. It was half past one and I had not eaten anything. I did not go to the mess also because I did not want to meet anyone from college for that might mean that someone else may also join me. I was excited for my solo trip and decided to just go without telling my friends. I only informed Vini, my roommate as she understood me the most among others. A bus arrived in no time and I got in without hesitation or second thoughts. It was the month of February with fairly pleasant weather. I liked the warmth of the Sun on my

059

STORY

skin. It takes less than an hour to reach the bus stand. I thought of just starting off in the bus itself but then I did not want to waste my camera battery as I had only one. The bus was anyway empty, I got myself a window seat and sat there looking out of the window the whole time until I reached. It was around three in the afternoon when I got off the bus. I decided to eat before beginning. I went to the famous restaurant ‘Annapoorna’. It was fully packed with people. I saw a table with one seat empty and another occupied by a girl who looked like she was in her mid twenties. I sat on the empty seat after confirming with her that it was not occupied. I guessed that she must have arrived not long ago as she was also waiting for her food. I like talking to strangers and wanted to talk to the girl sitting opposite me as well. Usually, I wish the other person to start the conversation, this makes it easier for me to converse. We exchanged smiles at first. And as I had wished, she broke the ice. We spoke until we finished our food, paid the bills and exited together. It was a nice meal of masala dosa ended with a cup of filter coffee. I was out in the sun again which was not so harsh. It was exactly 4o’clock with good natural lighting. I went back to the Ukkadam bus stand, a two minute walk from the restaurant. There are various buses that arrive at the Ukkadam bus stand - inter-city and inter-state buses. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people present there. Each one had unique facial features, body structure, dressing style, colourful clothes, different accessories, different facial expressions, different poses and of course different purposes, journeys and destinations. I removed my camera and started capturing different people around me. Some were sitting, some

were standing, some were eagerly awaiting the bus, some were sleeping on the benches, some were eating and drinking tea, juices, coffee. The diversity was making me mad! I had no order, no pre decided ideas in mind. I kept capturing whatever intrigued me and my camera. No one was spared by my camera, the garland makers, street beggars waiting for alms, travellers in a hurry, school children, street children playing amongst each other, mothers with their children, old couples in a hurry to catch interstate buses, romantic couples coo cooing, friends engrossed in an animated conversation , bus conductors chatting over tea break, naughty kids, office going uncles, old tired men, stray dogs and birds flying high up in the blue sky. Then I started capturing people peeping out of the

060 I captured these photos at Ukkadam Bus Stand, Coimbatore.

STORY

windows while waiting for the bus to get full. It was wonderful to see these people noticing me and staring into the camera for me. Some of them even started smiling when they saw the camera pointing towards them. There was a very cute little mischievous girl who started making funny faces looking at me. I was elated to be around so many people who were enjoying being captured. There was no person objecting my presence or questioning my actions. Many of them in fact were trying to talk to me as they were interested in knowing about me and my whereabouts. I simply replied to them saying that I was doing my college project. It felt nice talking to so many people, exchanging smiles with them and celebrating happiness with them. I was looking through my viewfinder for a new subject to capture in the crowd and that is when I noticed some people. There were two hijras dancing in the crowd and asking for money. Upon noticing them, I broke out in a cold sweat. I froze out of fear. My face fell when I saw them. I did not know what to do. Since I had come alone, I had no one who could calm me down. Their presence suddenly reminded me of my childhood. My tenth state board exams had just gotten over and I had gone to Delhi to attend my father’s cousin sister’s wedding. I loved dancing and was practicing vigorously with my cousins for the sangeet which was in two days. Suddenly we heard really loud claps and dholak music playing. All of my cousins rushed out of the room to see what was happening. I looked from the window first and saw hijras dancing and singing outside our house entrance. I had never seen them up close personally. I had only seen them in movies.

They were dressed in sarees, had adorned themselves with plenty of make-up and artificial jewellery. They were dancing really well with some pretty good moves. They were about a group of four, with two of them dancing, one playing the dholak and one singing and clapping. My cousins and other relatives had also reached outside to see them dance. I too rushed outside to see their dance. The dholak music was wild and their singing was bold and loud. The hijras wearing bright coloured sarees were dancing with utmost enthusiasm and dynamic moves. Everyone stood around them to watch them perform. Few of my cousins were laughing at them. But I was simply enjoying this new set of people performing in front of me. I felt like dancing with them but was too shy to start. I nudged one of my cousins beside me and asked her to dance with me. But like me, she was also shy. Right at that moment, one of the dancers called a few of us to join them. I took this as an opportunity to dance to my heart’s content. I completely got lost in dancing along with them. I was spinning along the exciting beats and the loud singing. Even though I had never heard those songs before, it was an unusual experience to dance with those flamboyant people. I was trying to imitate their steps which were quite effeminate. Even though they were men, they were dancing better than most of the women in my house. They were very expressive. Then the hijdas who were dancing started performing fugdi. I got excited and wanted to do the same with them. I offered my hands to them in that posture and we three started spinning. We spun around too many times until our heads started spinning. I had a wide smile on my face as I was going in circles with them. While I was spinning, I saw my

061

STORY

mother appear from the back door. I saw her eyes burning with fury and slowed down to stop. Seeing my mother’s angry face, my face fell as I approached her. She dragged me inside the room. “Ye kya kar rahi ho tum?” “Kya hua mummy? Mein toh sirf dance kar rahi thi!” “Kisne kaha tumhe inn hijdon ke saath naachne ko? Tere cousins apne mein dance kar rahe the na, toh tum kyu alag se naach rahi thi? “Par mummy kya ho jayega?” “Tu kuch galat karti aur tujhe baddua de dete toh? Abhi chal, apne cousins ke saath hi rehna.” Saying so, she took me outside. I started dancing with my cousins and did not go near the hijras again. My mother’s words

had been embedded in my head and the image of the hijras had been transformed for me.*** I think I zoned out thinking about this incident. Through my viewfinder, I saw one of the hijras that I had spotted walking towards me. My heart skipped a beat as I had not expected them to come to me. “Didi, mera ek photo lo na”, she said to me with a big smile on her face. She smiled and posed with her hands clasped in front of her with her black purse. Her sweet and friendly voice instantly made me feel at ease. Her smile was beautiful. She had worn an offwhite saree with a golden motifs border, a medium yellow blouse, gold necklace, gold earrings with studded artificial diamonds. Her nose was pierced too with a stick, looked like a recent piercing as it was not fully

062 *** In this draft, the conflict is created by Mitali’s mother who is prejudiced against the Hijra community and advises her to maintain a distance from them which got embedded in the Mitali’s mind when she was a child.

STORY

healed. She had applied a big maroon colour bindi and had made a smaller yellow colour one below it. She had also worn vermillion powder along the part of her hair. Her face was clean shaven but minuscule stubble could be spotted. Her hair was neatly tied into a bun, which was secured with a big hair clip. I could not say no to her, she was posing in front of me with a pretty smile on her face. I forgot about my past incident and started clicking her photographs. She then looked to her left and called out to her sister. “Jamuna, aaja photo kichaate hai.” Her sister was extremely shy. She laughed and ran far behind me, away from the camera. “Voh sharmili hai bohot. Aap mera hi photo khicho.” I continued clicking her pictures. She seemed like a really nice person. I had been hesitant to talk, but now I started guiding her while clicking her photos. She made me feel like a professional photographer. Her sister stood far away from us, but observed us and waved at us with a cheerful face. Through hand gestures she said that her sister looked beautiful! Indeed, she did look beautiful. I showed her the photographs after we were done clicking a couple of them. She became really happy upon seeing her photographs. She called her sister who was standing further away from us and showed her the photographs as well. Looking at her so happy, made me happy as well. She removed a one-rupee coin from her bag, chanted a mantra while revolving the coin over my head and gave it to me. I was taken aback by this gesture. “Kidhar rehte ho aap?” “Mein Mumbai mein rehti hu.” “Udhar kaunsa currency chalta hai?” “Yehi, jo aapne mujhe diya hai.” She held the loose end of her saree and

said some prayers. Then she kept her right hand over my head and gave me her blessings. “Mujhe ye photos email karna please.”saying this, she removed a visiting card from her bag and gave it to me. It had her name, her phone number and email id written on it. She left with her sister after this. I kept staring at her as she walked far away from me. She turned back to look at me once again and waved goodbye, I waved back at her with a smile on my face. I took my mobile and called my mom immediately, “Hello Mummy, aapko pata hai aaj mai kis se mili…”

063

STORY

Ek Mulakat Draft 2

T

oday morning I got up past noon. With the juries coming up in a few weeks, I have rejoined the late nighters club. The current course being taught in college is ‘Typography’, something which I neither enjoy nor want to pursue in the future. These courses are way too boring for me. I want to pursue filmmaking and photography and currently in college, there is nothing related to these subjects. I was in no mood to go to college. However, I cannot stay in the hostel room doing nothing at all. I am someone who cannot while away my time and am always looking for opportunities to practice photography and film. So I decided to go for a photography walk, something I had not done in ages. I quickly got out of bed and got ready to embark on my solo journey for a photography adventure in the city. I often like travelling alone, especially when I am with my camera. That does not mean that I am anti-social and that I do not enjoy the company of people. But when I travel alone, it gives me time to work at my own pace without any constraints. It also gives me a chance to be with myself, make various observations around me and meet new people whenever possible. It’s funny how time changes us. When I was much younger, I used to hate travelling alone, I always sought for some company. However, after getting used to the hostel life, staying away from home in a new city, time has encouraged me to travel alone, in my own company. Today was one of those days and I was excited to be with myself. I wore ethnic clothes, grabbed my Canon DSLR, locked my room and embarked on my mission to click photographs. Photographs

064

for me are more than just some visuals captured in the frame. Each photograph tells a story and has a certain emotion to it. One of my favourite kinds of photography is street photography. The people, stray animals, markets, street vendors trying to attract customers by shouting out prices, road side stalls, balloon sellers, it is a plethora of subjects out there. There is so much to observe and capture. I am always overwhelmed by the number of people on this planet! Imagine the number of stories everyone must be having to share with others! In Coimbatore, one of the most crowded places is the Ukkadam Bus Stand. It is the junction of various kinds of people. I decided to go to Ukkadam bus stand for photography. So my college is strict about going out of campus before college gets over, i.e. before half past four. Now I am one of those people who believe in the philosophy of ‘Rules are meant to be broken’. I walked towards my college gate and as expected, I was stopped by the security. I used my tactics and told him that I urgently need to withdraw money from the ATM and will be back right after that. Poor soul, believed me and opened the gates of freedom for me. I quickly rushed to the bus stop. It was half past one and I had not eaten anything. I did not go to the mess also because I did not want to meet anyone from college for that might mean that someone else may also join me. I was excited for my solo trip and decided to just go without telling my friends. I only informed Vini, my roommate as she understood me the most among others. A bus arrived in no time and I got in without hesitation or second thoughts. It was the month of February with fairly pleasant weather. I liked the warmth of the Sun on

STORY

my skin. It takes less than an hour to reach the bus stand. I thought of just starting off in the bus itself but then I did not want to waste my camera battery as I had only one. The bus was anyway empty, I got myself a window seat and sat there looking out of the window the whole time until I reached. It was around three in the afternoon when I got off the bus. I decided to eat before beginning. I went to the famous restaurant ‘Annapoorna’. It was fully packed with people. I saw a table with one seat empty and another occupied by a girl who looked like she was in her mid twenties. I sat on the empty seat after confirming with her that it was not occupied. I guessed that she must have arrived not long ago as she was also waiting for her food. I like talking to strangers and wanted to talk to the girl sitting opposite me as well. Usually, I wish the other person to start the conversation, this makes it easier for me to converse. We exchanged smiles at first. And as I had wished, she broke the ice. We spoke until we finished our food, paid the bills and exited together. It was a nice meal of masala dosa ended with a cup of filter coffee. I was out in the sun again which was not so harsh. It was exactly 4o’clock with good natural lighting. I went back to the Ukkadam bus stand, a two minute walk from the restaurant. There are various buses that arrive at the Ukkadam bus stand - inter-city and inter-state buses. I was overwhelmed by the amount of people present there. Each one having unique facial features, body structure, dressing style, colourful clothes, different accessories, different facial expressions, different poses and of course different purposes, journeys and destinations. I removed my camera and started capturing different people around me. Some were sitting, some

were standing, some were eagerly awaiting the bus, some were sleeping on the benches, some were eating and drinking tea, juices, coffee. The diversity was making me mad! I had no order, no pre decided ideas in mind. I kept capturing whatever intrigued me and my camera. No one was spared by my camera, the garland makers, street beggars waiting for alms, travellers in a hurry, school children, street children playing amongst each other, mothers with their children, old couples in a hurry to catch interstate buses, romantic couples cooing, friends engrossed in an animated conversation, bus conductors chatting over tea break, naughty kids, office going uncles, old tired men, stray dogs and birds flying high up in the blue sky. Then I started capturing people peeping out of the windows while waiting for the bus to get full. It was wonderful to see these people noticing me and staring into the camera for me. Some of them even started smiling when they saw the camera pointing towards them. There was a very cute little mischievous girl who started making funny faces looking at me. I was elated to be around so many people who were enjoying being captured. There was no person objecting my presence or questioning my actions. Many of them in fact were trying to talk to me as they were interested in knowing about me and my whereabouts. I simply replied to them saying that I was doing my college project. It felt nice talking to so many people, exchanging smiles with them and celebrating happiness with them. I was looking through my viewfinder for a new subject to capture in the crowd and that is when I noticed some people. There were two hijras dancing in the crowd and asking for money. Upon noticing them, I broke out

065

STORY

in a cold sweat. I froze out of fear. My face fell when I saw them. I did not know what to do. Since I had come alone, I had no one who could calm me down. Their presence suddenly reminded me of my childhood. I had finished my sixth standard examinations and had gone to Delhi to attend my father’s cousin brother’s wedding. The wedding had gotten over two days ago and all of us cousins were cherishing the beautiful memories of the wedding. We were watching our sangeet videos and rejoicing in the celebratory times. Suddenly we heard really loud claps and dholak music playing. We peeked out of the room to see who had come. That is when my Chachi came and asked us to come outside in the hall. We all excitedly ran out of the room into the big hall, thinking that we can dance to the dholak music being played. As we entered the hall, I observed a group of four huge men dressed in bright sarees loudly clapping their hands in an unnatural fashion. Looking at their strange and overly loud appearance, my heart skipped a beat. They joined their hands to greet my grandmother as she entered the room. Slowly, as all my relatives gathered together, a cacophony of voices filled the silent hall. My grandmother asked if everyone was present. I searched for my mother into the huge crowd of relatives and went to stand beside her. The newly wed couple entered the room wearing ethnic clothes. Dadi introduced the newlyweds to the men in sarees. After this the couple bowed down to the men who blessed them. They were made to sit on the chairs arranged in the centre of the hall for them. The oldest looking man wearing the saree started saying some mantras and blessed the couple. After this, they were given money by my Dadi. Dadi introduced

everyone in the family individually followed by the men in sarees touching their heads to give them blessings. Everyone kept giving them money also. We were standing in a big circle and I kept pulling my mother away. I was getting scared as they were approaching me. My mother scolded me and asked me to behave. Soon it was going to be our turn. My chachi was standing before us and when they reached near her, I tried leaving my hand from my mother’s strong grip. But my mother was not letting me go. Next was our turn, they came nearer and Dadi introduced us. “Yeh meri badi bahu hai aur yeh meri poti hai.” before they could touch me, I left my mother’s hand and ran inside towards the kitchen. “Arey beta, kahan jaa rahi hai?”, my mother tried to call me back. My heart was beating fast, their loud voices and loud claps were still ringing in my head. I stood behind the kitchen door and peeped out to see those fearsome men. They had big eyes decorated with kohl. They had worn gaudy make-up and showy artificial jewellery - long earrings, necklaces, rings in their fingers and toenails. They had really long hair which was tied into a plait. After blessing everyone, they started performing. Two of them were dancing vigorously, one was playing loud dholak while the other was singing and clapping loudly. Their voice was deafening. One of the dancers opened the long hair and started rotating her head. That image is still embedded in my head. I was so scared to see that sight. I think I zoned out thinking about this incident. Through my viewfinder, I saw one of the hijras that I had spotted walking towards me.*** My heart skipped a beat as I had not

066 *** In this draft, only the flashback scene was changed, keeping rest of the story the same. Here, Mitali herself gets scared of the Hijras when she sees them for the first time at an event. We decided to choose this conflict instead of the previous one.

STORY

expected them to come to me. “Didi, mera ek photo lo na”, she said to me with a big smile on her face. She smiled and posed with her hands clasped in front of her with her black purse. Her sweet and friendly voice made me feel at slight ease. Her smile was beautiful. She had worn an offwhite saree with a golden motifs border, a medium yellow blouse, gold necklace, gold earrings with studded artificial diamonds. Her nose was pierced too with a stick, looked like a recent piercing as it was not fully healed. She had applied a big maroon colour bindi and had made a smaller yellow colour one below it. She had also worn vermillion powder along the part of her hair. Her face was clean shaven but minuscule stubble could be spotted. Her hair was neatly tied into a bun, which was secured with a big hair clip. I could not say no to her, she was posing in front of me with a pretty smile on her face. I forgot about my past incident and started clicking her photographs. She then looked to her left and called out to her sister. “Jamuna, aaja photo kichaate hai.” Her sister was extremely shy. She laughed and ran far behind me, away from the camera. “Voh sharmili hai bohot. Aap mera hi photo khicho.” I continued clicking her pictures. She seemed like a really nice person. I had been hesitant to talk, but now I started guiding her while clicking her photos. She made me feel like a professional photographer. Her sister stood far away from us, but observed us and waved at us with a cheerful face. Through hand gestures she said that her sister looked beautiful! Indeed, she did look beautiful. I showed her the photographs after we were done clicking a couple of them. She became really happy upon seeing her photographs. She called her sister who was standing

further away from us and showed her the photographs as well. Looking at her so happy, made me happy as well. She removed a one-rupee coin from her bag, chanted a mantra while revolving the coin over my head and gave it to me. I was taken aback by this gesture. “Kidhar rehte ho aap?”, she asked me. “Mein Mumbai mein rehti hu.”, I replied. “Udhar kaunsa currency chalta hai?” “Yehi, jo aapne mujhe diya hai.” She held the loose end of her saree and said some prayers. Then she kept her right hand over my head and gave me her blessings. “Mujhe ye photos email karna please.”saying this, she removed a visiting card from her bag and gave it to me. It had her name, her phone number and email id written on it. She left with her sister after this. I kept staring at her as she walked far away from me. She turned back to look at me once again and waved goodbye, I waved back at her with a smile on my face. I took my mobile and called my mom immediately, “Hello Mummy, aapko pata hai aaj mai kis se mili...”

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Why the title ‘Ek Mulakat’? Ek Mulakat actually was coined by my father when he read my idea for the first time. This was before I even started working on the project. But, since it was perfect for the film, we decided to stick to it. Ek Mulakat translates to ‘An Encounter’. It is in reference to the encounter between Mitali and Swapna. That one encounter with Swapna helped Mitali in erasing her unpleasant childhood memories. It made her realise that she in fact does not need to be scared of Hijras and thus the childhood incident that she held onto was deemed irrational in her eyes. Therefore, the words, ‘Ek Mulakat’ hold a lot of importance in this film’s context.

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Synopsis

M

itali is out for a street photo walk, capturing moments around her and enjoying herself. That is when she notices something and her face falls. The story goes into flashback depicting her childhood incident when she got scared of Hijras (Eunuchs). When we come back into the present, a Hijra (Eunuch) is standing in front of her. The Hijra has a request – she wants Mitali to click her photos. Mitali, although uncomfortable, exceeds to the request and in the process, gets relaxed. She thus overcomes her childhood fear towards the Hijra community. (In the Indian subcontinent, Hijras are a community consisting of eunuchs/intersex people/transgender people who make their living by asking for alms and the money received by performing at family functions such as wedding and child birth.)

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d. Character Development In fiction writing, character development is the process of building a unique, three-dimensional character with depth, personality, and clear motivations.

Contents How did I begin? Ek Mulakat Character Development • Mitali’s Character • Swapna’s Character

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How did I begin? I wrote character developments of the 2 main characters in my film. I wrote them in first person so that I get into the character’s shoes to write their stories. I wrote their past and present life. Writing about characters helps in understanding the actions and reactions they would have at different situations in the film. My film was a short film, therefore not much scope to use the many details that I had written, even then it was a fun exercise to do as I learnt a lot. It did help me in many aspects, for example the costumes, their overall appearance and provided me with reasons for every action by them in the film. Mitali’s character sketch explains her close relationship with her mother, her love for photography and how ‘Time changes everything.’ Swapna’s character explains her journey of becoming a Hijra, her love for dressing up in pink clothes, doing makeup, wearing a bindi and getting her photos clicked.

Ek Mulakat Mitali’s Character I am Mitali***. I was born in a middle class Maharashtrian family in Mumbai. My father has two siblings. One elder sister and one younger sister. He is the second child and the only son in the family. His elder sister got divorced and has been staying with us for many years. No sooner did my father get married than his father passed away. My aunt crossed her marriageable age and remained unmarried after that. Since my aunts did not have kids of their own and since I was the only child in the house, everyone was really fond of me. My grandmother also loved me immensely. I had not one but four mothers. Each one of them gave me unconditional love. Being the only girl in the house, I was protected and pampered at the same time. My mother

was working in a bank and my father was working for the government. One of my aunts was working at an NGO for tribal women. I never experienced any lack of love because there was always someone taking care of me. When my mother and father were not there, I had my aunt and my grandmother looking after me. We lived in a chawl in Dadar. The chawl was big with around 50 families staying together. We were occupants of two flats in the chawl. The people there were very easy-going. Our doors were always kept open and our neighbours would keep coming, sometimes to give us food, sometimes to talk, sometimes to help cook food, sometimes to learn a new recipe from my aunt. The only time we closed the main door was when we would go to sleep at night.

072 *** The name Mitali means ‘a friend’. I chose this name because she friendly in nature. Also, after the encounter, she becomes friends with Swapna.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

I had many options to choose from to sleep at night. I would sleep with my Aaji (grandmother) if I wanted to hear moral stories, with Badi Tai (eldest aunt) if I wanted to stories, with Badi Tai (eldest aunt) if I wanted to listen to lori (lullaby), with Chotti Tai if I wanted loving pats until I fell asleep in their arms. On Saturdays, I would sleep with my mother and father because they did not have the tension of waking up early for office. Since my mother was working, I would get less time to spend with her. Even then, I was really close to her and preferred sharing all my secrets with her. My mom was also very open-minded and sweet. Due to her open-mindedness, I never hid anything from her and updated her about my life daily. My friends, my fears, my crushes, she knew about everything! She never scolded me and explained me about my mistakes with patience. My maternal grandfather was also a very simple man, living alone in a house in Mira Road. He used to visit us at least once every month. Sometimes, we would visit him. He had gifted my parents a film point and shoot camera when I was born. My father has captured a lot of our memories with that camera. Every summer and winter break, we would visit a new city in India. My family loves to travel and that is how I developed a liking for visiting new places and imbibing their cultures. Our whole family would go together. This way I have been to the north, east and west of India. I had never explored the South of India with my family. We have a beautiful timeline of events because of our lovely camera. My favourite past time to cure my boredom is to see our old albums. In my colony there was a huge park

with swings, seesaws, slides, a running track and beautiful green grass. There was even a sand-pit for us to build castles. Every evening, Badi Aai used to take me to the park. I started talking to people and made my first friends in the park. I loved skipping and playing with hula hoop with my friends. Badi Aai also had many friends in the colony and she would talk to them while walking, thus allowing me to play for an hour. I was not a very naughty kid and did not trouble my parents too much. After coming back home from school, I used to do my homework. I loved studying as a kid and Badi Tai who used to be an English teacher used to teach me and help me with my homework until my mother returned from office. Aai would take up my studies once she would come back. My other aunt, who used to travel by the local train used to get me something every other day. Sometimes they would get me earrings, sometimes chocolates, sometimes colouring books and sometimes storybooks. I loved chocolates! Especially dark chocolates. My dad used to come home at around 8’oclock in the evening. My dad is a really simple person. Everyday after coming back from office, he would play old Hindi music and exercise for an hour. He would make me exercise as well but I did not enjoy it. I would instead do colouring or help my Tai and Aai in the kitchen. I used to help in serving dinner, the only meal everyone had together in our house. My dad loved being at home, he was not an outgoing person like my mom. But he had many friends in the colony, all of whom he would meet during his morning walks. My childhood was filled with good memories with many people - my family

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members, my colony friends, my school friends, my mother’s friends’ children. All of these people were extremely positive and happy in their lives. A friend who I cannot imagine my life without is Sunita. I met Sunita in school, we became friends in 6th grade. Every year, our classes used to shuffle and thus our friends would also change. No one could separate us from non-stop talking. Everyday after going back home, I would definitely get a call from her even though we would have met in school. Our taste in boys, food tastes, interests, were very similar and therefore we got along very well. But we had many differences too. She was logical, I was abstract. She was good at math and science, I was good at languages. I would say, I got my creativity because of my Aaji. My grandmother could not walk, she had to be on the wheelchair all the time as she was suffering through paraplegia. But she was still so active and chatty that we learnt a lot just by looking at her bubbly face everyday. She had the option of being in bed with everyone looking after her. But she chose the other one, the more difficult one. She used to help in household work like cutting vegetables and guiding Badi Aai whenever she cooked. Aaji was a self-taught great artist. She has been painting since her childhood but after marriage, she got busy with her kids. After her kids had started working and her second childhood kicking in, she decided to start painting again. She is the one who taught me painting. Aaji would often sit outside our house with her canvas on the easel and would paint her observations. Women sweeping, women drying clothes, children running, babies crying, pigeons making love. Since she could not move a lot, she would paint the

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happenings in the chawl. Painting was like meditation for her. Looking at the chawl from her perspective was always insightful. She was my art guru and I would sit with her everyday learning about art from her. Soon, Aaji started classes for free. My friends also started coming home to learn from my Aaji. Our painting lessons were accompanied with interesting stories which made it even more fun. Our society was close-knit, we celebrated many festivals throughout the year. Not only festivals but also any other occasions like weddings, birthdays, were celebrated together. I was always accompanied by someone wherever I went. I was never alone at home too, Badi Aai and Aaji were always there to take care of my needs. Our society made one big family, with hardly any differences or fights. Sundays were for watching movies. My dad loved movies and I would always sit with him every Sunday to watch a classic. Sometimes, our entire family would go to the cinema to catch up with the new releases. I enjoyed watching movies and as a kid, my favourite actor was Shah Rukh Khan. I loved his charisma and good looks. His films always made me tear up. However, not only Bollywood, but I also grew up watching world cinema with my dad. I studied in a convent high school. My parents put me in a girls’ school as I had no siblings of my own. Our area was well lit and safe, but still they could not trust completely. Since I had many friends in the society, they put me in the same school as my friends. My least favourite in school was PE class. It sucked to do yoga and exercises right in the morning. My favourite classes were Art and English. I even enjoyed origami craft. I

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was not very competitive, even my parents never pushed me to score good marks. I enjoyed my studies without worrying about exams. I was good at writing and often took part in elocution competitions. I was afraid of talking in front of the crowd but took part in these competitions to overcome my fear. Every person in my house encouraged me in different ways. However, I continued learning art from my Aaji and kept honing my skills. I was the tallest in my class and my friends were really jealous of my height. People would always ask me to take up modelling or expected me to be good at basketball. I was good at none of the above. I have many flaws as well. I was a lazy kid and hated waking up early. Even if I kept 20 alarms within a period of an hour, I would still not wake up on time. My parents would get annoyed and switch off my phone. This way I troubled my parents way too much. I cannot sleep without the fan’s noise. Till today, even if it is cold, I still need the fan for its noise. Sometimes, during winter when everyone would want to sleep without the fan, I would sleep off in the hall with the fan rotating above my head. I love chocolates and other indian sweets. Although, I hated eating fruits. In school, I used to be very talkative. My teachers always complained and called me the ‘grandmother of the class’. The teachers never failed to complain to my parents about my talkative behaviour. They tried many tactics to separate me from my friends every year so that I would keep quiet. But I simply ended up making new friends in every class. Thus, the teachers could not control my habit of talking. I scored decently in my 10th grade and got into St.Xavier’s College without

much thought. This college was the best for Arts in Mumbai, my dad had given me this information and so without hesitation I applied for this college and got in. My grandmother had suggested that I take up fine arts in JJ School of Arts as I liked painting. I had agreed to her and had started studying for the exams. That is when one of my friends in the art club in Xavier’s introduced me to Design, a totally new subject but one that seemed fascinating enough. My parents did not want to send me outside mumbai to study. They had pampered me a lot and I was tired of that. I wanted freedom and decided to fight back. I somehow, after days of perseverance convinced them to allow me to go. Now who knew I would end up in the South? The area which we had never explored as a family. My parents who were reluctant to send me there, agreed as that was the only place I got in. Thus, I began my journey at D J Academy of Design. I had no clue about Coimbatore city, no idea about Tamilians and their culture. However, I was not as scared because 5 of my friends from Mumbai were also joining the same institution. When I joined college, I was excited but extremely nervous at the same time. I had to be alone for the very first time in my life. I had never been alone even at home, leave alone another city. In the beginning, I used to feel very empty. I wanted to give up and go back home, I was frustrated with that feeling. No one to wake me up in the morning, no one to give me breakfast, I missed playing with my friends in our colony, I missed painting with my grandmother. I made friends, I enjoyed learning about design but I absolutely missed home. I regretted my decision of fighting with my parents to join

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this college. However, as it is rightly said, Time changes everything, and so it did. It changed me. Completely. And not just time. Two courses changed my life choices completely. I had joined the college with the intention of becoming a graphic designer. However, with the introduction of film and photography in my first year, provided me with a new way to explore. This is when my father bought me my first camera. It was a Canon DSLR. Through these courses I came to realise that I loved doing photography. A good photograph is just like a painting. My grandmother’s painting lessons paid off here and I used her teachings to capture the photographs. I watched films with a new perspective, all thanks to the film course conducted for us. I realised, film is what I want to pursue. After these realisations, design had started to feel like a burden but I was sailing through. Not only my interests but my personality changed a lot too. Living with a bunch of people, studying with the same group would get difficult sometimes and for this reason, I started spending some time alone and liked it. It was fun to be with oneself and observe the world around. It was not only a self-realisation but also something suggested to us by our faculties in college. After developing my interest, I started talking to fewer people when I realised that it required immense practice and determination. I would spend more time with my camera than with people. Very few understood and stayed with me, the rest of them reduced or stopped talking to me. It was hard to believe that someone who had never stayed alone was enjoying the same.

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Swapna’s Character I was born in Mumbai. According to my mother, I was born a fair, healthy, beautiful baby boy. I have two elder sisters, Rashmi Didi is 2 years older than me and Sonia Didi is 4 years older than me. My father was the happiest when I was born. His dream was to join the Indian Army but due to having diabetes from a very young age, his dream remained a dream. After I was born, he became hopeful again and could see his dreams turning into reality. My father who had been serious all his life and was leading an unhappy and regretful life, had finally found some purpose. However, fate had other plans. I was named Swapan. I was shy as a child and liked to be with my sisters. My sisters shared a room, I would sometimes sleep in their room and sometimes I would sleep with my grandmother. I was given great importance by everyone in the house - my dad, my mom, my sisters and my grandmother. My dad because he could see his dream turning into reality, my mother because she could finally see her husband happy, my grandmother because she could finally see her son happy, and my sisters because they had a new face to play with. I have a lot of memories from childhood which are not necessarily happy. I was mostly sad as a child, with no friends to play with. Circumstances had made me an introvert. I mostly spent time at home with my grandmother and my sisters. My mother was usually busy with household chores as she had to feed and take care of six people including herself. Also, my father decided to take up my responsibility as he wanted to train me from the day I was born. I was really close to my sisters and most of

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my fond memories that I cherish till date are with them. One of my fondest memories from childhood is playing Ghar-Ghar with my sisters. Sonia didi would become the mother, Rashmi Didi would become the aunt and they would dress me up as their son. They would make me wear their old t-shirts which were too long for me. They would wrap themselves in a saree made with bedsheets. Then they would apply makeup to themselves stolen from our mother’s room. I used to be very fascinated to see them do that. Black eye kajal, bright red lipstick, rouge on the cheeks and a big red bindi on the forehead. I would always feel like dressing up like my sisters. When my didi would apply makeup, I would ask her to apply it for me as well. She would laugh at me and put a small bindi on my forehead to pacify me. The first time my didi applied a bindi on my forehead, it sent a chill down my spine. I kept staring at myself in the mirror and made sure that the bindi was stuck in the exact centre. My sister would always stick it off centre. I would have to correct it for her as well. Their long t-shirts looked like a dress for me. I used to take their belt and tie it to my waist which would make it a perfect Tshirt dress! At that time I did all of this unknowingly, not knowing that it was a foreshadowing of the turmoil in my future life. It made me feel very special when my sisters would include me in their game. After dressing me up, they would send me to our imaginary school and there, they would change roles. They would become drawing teachers and teach me to paint. That lay the foundation for my interest in painting. However my father had some other plans for me. He used to follow a very strict regimen, as if he had come straight out of an army school. He tried to make me

follow the same routine as him. When I was in pre-primary, every morning, he would take me for a morning run. It would really tire me as he would time me for every run. He would get really upset if I was not able to perform. But every day he would keep trying, thinking that practice would make me achieve perfection. I simply did not like running. It would bore me. This strict routine would bore me. The only day I was spared from this was a Sunday. Because on those days, my father would also wake up late, tired from the hectic week. But that was my favourite day and I used to willingly wake up early. Every Sunday morning, my grandmother would wash her hair. I would wake up from the beautiful scent of the shampoo which was released in the air when my grandmother would bathe. I would lie in bed to observe her dry her long hair, which reached till her knees. She used to look beautiful when the sunlight from the window gilded her wheatish complexion. After drying her hair and putting the towel out for drying, she would reach out to her makeup table, which consisted of only two cosmetics. First, she would take some sandalwood powder in her hand and dab some of it on her face. Then she would apply surma under her eyes. My grandmother was very traditional and did not like using too many cosmetics. After this, she used to take a maroon bindi stuck on the mirror and put it on her forehead. Then correctly at that time, she would call my name, “Swapan, beta uth jaa.” And since I was already up, I would greet my beautiful Dadi good morning and immediately stand up on the bed. “Chal beta, market chalega na.” “Haan chalunga na Dadi.” Then, I would remove her bindi and put it right in the centre, which would leave my Dadi laughing.

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My grandmother would take me to the market every Sunday. I loved walking with her, she used to tell me many stories on the way. In the market, while coming back, she would always give money to a group of three men dressed in sarees. I would wait to meet them as they used to look very charming. After giving them money, they would always bless me by placing their hand on my head. My mother’s brother (mama) was an engineer, working in the USA. He used to visit India once a year and every year he would get us gifts. He was therefore termed as a gift wale mama by us. During one visit, he got a film camera for Sonia didi, a beautiful pink polka dot frock for Rashmi didi and a hockey stick for me. My gifts from the USA were always decided by my dad. I was upset with my gift as that meant I would have to join hockey coaching soon but got very excited upon seeing my sister’s gifts. That day being a Sunday, everyone was asleep in the afternoon. I tiptoed in my Didis’ room and searched for the new pink frock from the cupboard. I wore her new frock. Then I applied rouge on my cheeks and tried on a few shades of lip colour on my hand before applying the best shade of pink which would suit my outfit. I was admiring myself in front of the mirror when I saw Sonia didi wake up. “Swapan…”, before my didi could continue, I turned back and said, “Didi, mera ek photo lo na.” “Swapan, papa ne dekh liya toh…” “Is liye jaldi se le lo na ek photo?” She took photographs of me wearing that pretty pink frock on her new film camera. That was the very first time my photograph was taken in feminine clothes and it was the very first time I also felt good about myself. I was seven years old at that

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time. I felt like myself, I liked myself, I wanted to stay like that. But before my father could see me in that attire, I quickly changed into my tshirt and shorts and wiped my makeup. My father had enrolled me in Don Bosco, a boys’ school. He wanted me to be tough and grow up in a peer group which involved only boys. At school, most of the boys were active in sports, I was a meek and timid boy. I was average at studies too. But art and library periods were my favourite. I loved painting and was passionate about reading books. Even though my father used to train me every morning, I neither improved nor enjoyed sports. During recess when everyone would be running around, I would sit in one corner and read books while enjoying my meal. Big boys in my class would call me a sissy and throw my tiffin box around playing catch catch with it. I could not take any action against them. Since I was not good at studies, my teachers also scolded me most of the time and did not pay much attention to the injustice happening to me. I mostly sat alone on the last bench, with not many friends in class. There were not many like me. My father sent me for hockey coaching, he wanted to see me playing for my school. I badly got beaten there too. My coaches had given up and told my dad that I was not fit for the game. He would always be upset with me. He always gave me lectures in his monotonous voice about how tough it is to get into an army school. As I was growing up, I started hating my body even more. I was getting a lot of hair on my hands, my legs and my chest. I would look at the cleanly waxed hands and legs of my sisters and would always want to wax mine as well. I was in 7th standard. One day,

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I went to the bathroom and shaved my legs and hands. I felt really good in my smooth skin. The next day at school, I got bullied because I looked feminine. Everyone was making fun of my effeminate legs and hands. One boy even pulled down my pants to see if I had a penis in between my legs or if I was a girl. I faced a lot of embarrassment that day. We had a TV at home. My dad usually watched sports or news. I never sat in the living room when my dad was watching TV. Otherwise, he would start talking about sports to me. My sisters used to watch FTV. Whenever they did that, I would also sit with them to watch the fashion shows. I kept track of every fashion event happening. I was aware of the current trends in fashion and makeup. On birthdays, I usually got money from my maternal and paternal grandparents. I used to invest all that money into buying fashion magazines. I had a dream. I wanted to become a makeup artist. My sisters were very social unlike me. They had many girlfriends and they all liked me. I would always request my sisters to allow me to do their makeup whenever they were going out with their friends. When they observed that I was good at it, they encouraged me to do their makeup everytime. Whenever their friends came home, they asked me to show them my skills too. This is how I became popular amongst their friends. If not for my sisters, I would have never had the confidence to do anything in life. I was in 9th standard when school became unbearable. Boys from my class had turned into hunks when I was still the feeble, average heighted meek boy. My walk was feminine and was always made fun of. They used to call me names ‘hijra, chakka’. I was

tired of bearing these insults everyday. One day, two boys cornered me and asked me to meet them in the sports room after school. I was scared that if I did not go they would do something horrible to me. At 5o’clock in the evening, I went to the sports room where these boys were waiting. First, they kicked me in my guts for being half an hour late. Then they asked me to strip my pants. I was shivering. I did not have anyone who could really save me. I complied. Then they asked me to face the wall and stand with my hands crossed behind my back. One of them tied my hands up. I started weeping and requested them to leave me. They stuffed a handkerchief into my mouth. Then they pushed me back to the wall and pulled my boxers down. One of them unzipped his pants and thrusted his penis inside my behind. I cried in the unbearable pain but my cries were stifled due to the handkerchief. They took turns to rape me and left me with a threatening warning of releasing naked photos of me online if I opened my mouth. I walked back home crying as my bus had left. When I was passing through the market, the hijras who blessed me every sunday noticed me crying and asked what was wrong. I do not know why but I told them everything that was happening with me. These were things that I could not disclose at home. The hijras heard me out and empathised with me. I felt light after emptying myself in front of them. After that day, I started talking to them often and they understood my problems. My sisters were adult females and had developed breasts and wide hips. I longed for that curvaceous body. Often when I was alone in the room, I would stuff cotton balls in my t-shirt to make fake breasts. I would wear my sisters clothes, wear nail paint, curl

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my eyelashes, wear makeup and walk in front of the mirror as if it were a ramp show. But these were momentary pleasures which would vanish the next minute someone was knocking at my door. At home, I did not have the courage to tell my parents that I wanted to be a girl. I loved my parents and had disappointed them too many times but I did not love myself and always felt stuck in that body. My parents were fed up with the multiple complaints from the teachers about me not studying. My dad was fed up with my low performance in sports. I would often ask Krishna, “Why did you give me a man’s body?” I suffered in my school, I suffered at home, I suffered in my own body. I cleared my board exams and once again was forced to follow what my father wanted. He made me take up science when I actually wanted to take up arts. College was more happening. There were so many activities, so many events taking place every day. I would often bunk lectures and assist in these events. I joined the art club, social service club and drama club. Since I was good at art, I soon became the head of the art club. Drama club allowed me to enhance my literary skills. I wrote many plays for the club. My college mates noticed that I was different by the way I walked, the way I spoke, the way I behaved. But surprisingly, they accepted me the way I was. I still was an introvert and did not open up so easily but atleast I did not receive hatred from my college. Even though the people were quite open, I still did not have the courage to dress the way I wanted to. I was afraid of losing all the respect I had gained in college. My dad had become stricter at home. He controlled my diet, made me go through extensive physical training, enrolled me

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into a gym, made me study GK, basically controlled all the time left before and after college. Sonia didi had started working at a startup company and rashmi didi was in her third year. One day I was sitting in the room and trying out the new dresses they had bought. I had become better at makeup due to the practise over many years. I wanted to start my own YouTube channel and become a fashion blogger. I was applying makeup when the door opened. I freaked out and when I turned behind, it was Sonia didi. She closed the door and was stunned to see me in that attire and makeup. I asked her not to create a scene and explained everything to her in detail. I told her how I felt, how I hated school, how I wanted to dress up in girls clothing, my dream of becoming a makeup artist and how my life was dreadful in a man’s body. My sister patiently heard me out. She was upset that I hid all of this from her but truly empathised with me and my feelings. She gave me a warm hug and made me feel at ease. Next day, in my bag I found the best and most expensive makeup kit with a note “I will always love you and be at your side. Love, Sonia Didi”. I cried a lot. Soon, my sister started getting me contracts to do makeup for her friends. And they paid me for that too. There was finally some happiness in my life. My parents did not know any of this. But little did I know that this happiness was going to be short-lived. My father came home one day and handed me over the NDA form. He asked me to fill it, he wanted me to join army school as soon as I clear my twelfth standard. I finally took courage and decided to explain to my father that I was not interested in joining the army school. “Papa, mujhe army school nahi join karna. Papa mujhe makeup artist

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ban na hai.”, no sooner had I said this than my father blew up. His face turned red, I had never seen him that angry. He started hitting me and I cried in pain. Everyone in my house gathered in the hall and tried to stop my father. He taunted me for being weak and for having redundant aspirations. He compared me with his friends’ sons, relatives and my own sisters. He labelled me a waste of his time. I had never gotten so humiliated by him. “Tujhe kya lagta hai hume malum nahi hai ki tu kya kar raha hai humare peeth peeche? Pura muhalla tere baare mein baat kar raha hai.” Then he emptied my bag and took out all the makeup that Sonia didi had given me. He stamped on everything and threw it in the dustbin. This was the last straw for me, I could not bear my own father crushing my aspirations. I took my bag and ran out of the house. I was crying and I decided to end my life on the railway tracks. I was running frantically on the road. When I reached the market, the same hijras who I used to talk to saw me and stopped me. I did not want to talk to anyone but they were not letting me go. They made me calm down and after much reluctance they made me open up to them. Immediately after listening to my story, they asked me to join their community. I agreed as I did not want to go back to my family. When I joined their community, I got a new mother and many new sisters. I got to wear feminine clothes, do makeup. For the first time, instead of sitting in a locked room and admiring myself, I was openly walking in those clothes and makeup. I renamed myself Swapna***. I decided to never leave them. I was not missing anyone except my sisters and my grandmother - the only people who truly understood me. But my second family was better, I could be myself without being

scared or ashamed of anyone. Soon after 2-3 weeks, my sisters showed me the ‘missing person’ ad in the newspapers about me. The police was on a search to find me. My sisters who had saved my life decided to take me to my house to explain my family everything. I could not agree with that. I was afraid of my parents. They still dragged me to my house. Instead of wearing a shirt and pants, I wore saree, makeup and bangles. My parents upon seeing me, burst out crying. I started crying too. With the help of my sisters, both biological and my new family, I explained to my parents everything from the very beginning. They were shocked upon hearing the torture I suffered in my school days. Everyone became emotional. “Papa, mummy, mujhe ab yahan nahi rehna hai. Mai nahi reh paunga iss society mein.”, I pleaded with my parents. They were in shock and could not believe what they were seeing, hearing. My Dadi interrupted and asked my dad to leave me with my new family. She was understanding enough. My dad apologised to me and I readily forgave him. I still loved my family. In the end, it was decided that I would be staying with my new family of hijras and I will still keep visiting my parents, grandmother and sisters on a regular basis. Thus, I parted on a happy note, all thanks to my sisters in the community. If not for them, I would have not lived.

081 ***Swapna means ‘a dream’. I chose this name because Swapan fulfills his dream of become the Swapna he wanted to be, i.e. to live like a woman. It was possible after joining the Hijra community.

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e. Screenplay A screenplay is a written work for a film that expresses the movement, actions and dialogue of characters. Screenplays, or scripts, are the blueprint for the movie.

Contents How did I begin? Ek Mulakat Screenplay • Draft 1 (14 scenes) • Draft 2 (8 scenes) • Draft 3 (5 scenes)

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SCREENPLAY

How did I begin? 1 Understanding the difference between story and screenplay There is a whole lot of difference in story writing and script writing. Stories can be of 10 lines or 100 pages, depending on the number of details that the writer wants us to know. In a story, the writer takes us onto a journey to another world where we get to

2 Story to Script I didn’t have much experience with script writing. So, I decided to first convert the entire story into a script without eliminating anything. Then, I slowly started cutting down the scenes which seemed unnecessary for the film. In this way, I created many drafts until I reached that one nearly perfect draft!

3 Every line must matter Any scene that you feel is not adding much to your film is deemed unnecessary. Try taking out that scene and reason if your film still works well without it. If it does, eliminate it from the script. While writing a script, every word counts. Every dialogue is written down with a purpose and every action performed by a character is well thought out before writing it.

4 Make yourself the audience You are your own first and best audience. If the words that you have typed out don’t make sense to you, how will they have an impact on the others? Keep reviewing and altering until you reach near perfection.

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imagine and explore that world in countless ways. But, a script is not meant for leisure reading. A script is written solely in actions, these actions reveal the character’s story, the conflicts faced by the character and ultimately the resolution.

5 See it before you write it Before writing the script, I used to close my eyes and try to visualise every scene, then translate that into words. It is written in the present tense and therefore allows you to really live it before filming it. Film being an audio-visual medium, tell the story through visuals and use dialogues when necessary.

6 Less is more A story can be descriptive, because the reader would love to read it in that form. Since film is an audio-visual medium, one can already grasp many details. The viewer wants to know the main story. They keep anticipating - ‘what will happen next?’ and if there isn’t much happening in the film, they may lose interest in watching it. To keep the audience engaged, just get to the point - the motive/purpose of your film!

7 Draft done? Take a break To edit your draft again, a break is must or you won’t able to see any flaws in it. Stop when you reach near perfection (nothing is truly perfect) or you will never finish any film.

SCREENPLAY

Ek Mulakat Draft 1 - 14 scenes In this draft, I had directly transferred the story to script without many changes. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

INT. INT. EXT. EXT. EXT. INT. EXT. EXT. INT. EXT. INT. INT. INT. EXT.

SWAPAN’S SISTER’S ROOM - AFTERNOON MITALI’S HOSTEL ROOM - NOON MITALI’S ROOM OUTSIDE THE GIRLS HOSTEL OUTSIDE THE COLLEGE THE BUS - AFTERNOON UKKADAM BUS STAND OUTSIDE ANNAPOORNA HOTEL ANNAPOORNA HOTEL UKKADAM BUS STAND ROOM - MORNING LIVING ROOM - MORNING KITCHEN - MORNING UKKADAM BUS STAND

It was really detailed and those details were not adding much to the main plot of the film. Therefore, I tried to reduce the number of scenes in Draft 2, which was my first final draft. I sent it to few friends and my guides for feedback after that.

085 Note: Please read Draft 3 (Page Number 108) , which is the final draft. Draft 1 and Draft 2 can be skipped just in case there is no time.

Ek Mulakat By Vaibhavi Kodnani

Ek Mulakat (Draft 1) December 31, 2019

FADE IN: INT. SWAPAN’S SISTER’S ROOM - AFTERNOON SWAPAN, a seven year old boy, dressed in a pink frock is standing in front of the mirror and smiling. He applies a bright pink lipstick. Then he makes a fish faace to apply pink rouge on his cheeks with a make up brush. He takes the bindi from the mirror and sticks it exactly in between his forehead. SWAPAN’S SISTER

(V.O.) Swapan! Where are you?

Then he turns around swiftly and looks into the camera. SWAPAN (smiling wide) Didi, one photo please. We hear her sister laugh. The camera viewfinder appears and the photo clicks as we hear the shutter sound. The frame freezes. Title cards over the photograph. EK MULAKAT The image fades into black. We hear an alarm sound over black screen. FADE IN: INT. MITALI’S HOSTEL ROOM - NOON The time on the laptop screen reads 12:00 PM MONDAY. The camera zooms out to reveal the laptop kept on the table, which has the webpage ’photography tips’ open. The alarm stops ringing. There are various film books, paints, sketchbooks and empty pizza boxes on the table. The camera tracks to reveal many family photos stuck on the wall. It tracks down and we see a painting on the wall. It is a painting of men and women dressed in office clothes in a hurry. At this point, the alarm starts ringing again. On the other wall, we see posters of motivational quotes by famous directors and actors. The camera tilts down and we see a girl sleeping undisturbed by the loud alarm. She finally switches off the alarm. Upon seeing the time, she immediately sits up in bed. She looks worried and gets off her bed. Her

bed is filled with unfolded clothes. She walks to the table and shuts her laptop. She sees a sticky note stuck on the adjacent table and reads it out loud. I TRIED WAKING YOU UP! COME TO CLASS TODAY, FIRST DAY OF TYPOGRAPHY CLASS. LOTS OF LOVE, VINI. Mitali smirks. She connects her phone to her speakers and plays the song ’Holiday’ by Madonna. She sings along. Then grabs her towel and mug and exits the door. She comes back dressed in a kurta and leggings. She wears jhumkas, applies kajal and puts a bindi by looking at her own reflection on the phone screen. She puts the camera battery and memory card into her camera, stuffs some money in the camera bag and leaves the room with it. CUT TO: EXT. MITALI’S ROOM As she closes the door, she looks at the sticky note stuck on the door. DON’T FORGET TO LOCK THE DOOR. AND PLEASE DON’T SKIP LUNCH! LOVE, VINI. Mitali picks up the number lock kept in the shoe and locks the door. She wears her flipflops and leaves. GIRL Mitali, lunch? MITALI You go ahead, I will join in sometime. Mitali exits the hostel. CUT TO: EXT. OUTSIDE THE GIRLS HOSTEL Mitali is stopped by the warden. WARDEN Mitali, are you not going to college today? MITALI Good afternoon Ma’am. I am

going now. She smiles at the warden and walks ahead. When she reaches the college’s main entrance, she is stopped by the security. SECURITY Permission letter ke bina bahar nahi jaa sakte. MITALI Please uncle, urgently ATM jaana hai. 10 minute mein vapas aa jaungi, promise. The security sighs and shakes his head, then opens the gate. MITALI Thank you so much uncle. She exits the gate. CUT TO: EXT. OUTSIDE THE COLLEGE Mitali wears her sunglasses, puts on her Airpods and walks with swagger. She walks to the bus stop and gets into the first bus that arrives. CUT TO: INT. THE BUS - AFTERNOON Mitali gets into the bus. She is about to sit when she observes an old woman standing behind her. She offers her the seat. The old woman blesses her. She buys a ticket to Ukkadam bus stop and stand near the door. She looks around and observes many people around her. She takes notes in her sketchbook. Mitali smiles and looks out of the window. We see the view outside. CROSS DISSOLVE: EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND She gets off the bus and walks against the crowd which is trying to get into the bus. She waits for a moment, looks

around and smiles. CUT TO: EXT. OUTSIDE ANNAPOORNA HOTEL Mitali reaches Annapoorna hotel and looks up at the board to confirm. CUT TO: INT. ANNAPOORNA HOTEL She enters to find that most of the tables are occupied. She walks up to one of the tables. A girl is already sitting there. MITALI Hi, may I? The girl nods in approval. Mitali smiles as she takes her seat. The waiter places a glass of water and asks her for her order. MITALI Do aloo paratha, raita ke saath Mitali looks at the girl sitting beside her and smiles. The waiter brings the food for the two of them. She had ordered idli wada sambar. They glance at each other again and smile. THE GIRL So, are you from the north? MITALI Oh yes I am, from Mumbai. And you? THE GIRL I am from Chennai, doing my masters from Coimbatore. MITALI That’s great. What do you do? THE GIRL I am studying textile engineering. And you? I am guessing you are a photographer?

She looks at Mitali’s camera bag. MITALI Oh actually, I am studying graphic design but want to be a photographer and filmmaker. THE GIRL Oh, what kind of photography do you do? MITALI I am currently exploring street photography. I like photographing people and talking to them. THE GIRL That’s interesting. Explains how easily you are talking to me. Mitali chuckles. They both finish their food and ask for the bill. MITALI So where are you heading now? THE GIRL Oh I am actually going to attend classes and head back to the hostel after that. MITALI Cool, so... I’ll see you later then. THE GIRL Sure, where will you be? MITALI Bus stand, meeting new people I guess. They both laugh and leave the restaurant together, waving at each other. EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND

She gets off the bus and walks against the crowd which is trying to get into the bus. She waits for a moment, looks around and smiles. Mitali removes her camera, the zoom lens is attached to the camera. She starts with photographing people at a tea stall. The tea stall owner offers her tea. She smiles and politely declines. She hears the sound of kites and immediately points her camera toward the sky to photograph the kite. She smiles wide looking at the kites. Few passersby look at her in confusion. She hears sound of coins clinking. She turns to see an old woman sitting on the footpath. She’s slowly shaking a steel glass with coins. Mitali starts clicking her photographs. The old woman notices and looks into the camera. Then she nods her head and Mitali nods back in response. She hears cackling of children. She turns to find a group of children playing together. She clicks photographs of a girl with a baby in her hand. Mitali smiles when the children notice her and wave at her. She hears dogs barking and she immediately turns in that direction to photograph them. Mitali turns towards the bus shed to photograph the people sitting there. She captures a young Muslim couple talking and laughing, a blind man standing with his wife and daughter, a mother and a child in school uniform eating chocolate, an old couple with luggage, a beggar eating food. Through her viewfinder, Mitali observes a girl peeping out of the window. The little girl notices her and starts making funny faces which get captured in the camera. Another young girl points at the camera, blushes and smiles, Mitali captures her as well. Another bus arrives and Mitali turns her camera towards that to capture the crowd leaving the bus in a hurry. Suddenly, through her viewfinder, she sees two hijras getting down the bus. They start clapping their hands. Mitali lowers the camera. Her eyes widen. She again views from the viewfinder. She zooms in and sees the hijras clapping their hands, dancing in the crowd and asking for money from the people. People move past the hijras.

CROSS DISSOLVE: INT. ROOM - MORNING This is being narrated in Mitali’s V.O. I had finished my fourth standard examinations and had gone to Delhi to attend my Chachu’s wedding. The wedding had gotten over two days ago and all of us cousins were watching our sangeet videos on the computer happily. Suddenly we heard really loud claps and dholak music playing. We peeked out of the room to see who had come. That is when Bua came to our room and asked us to come outside in the hall. CUT TO: INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING We all excitedly ran out of the room into the big hall, thinking that we can dance to the dholak music being played. As we entered the hall, I observed a group of four hefty men dressed in bright sarees loudly clapping their hands in an unnatural fashion. Looking at their strange and overtly loud appearance, my heart skipped a beat. I just could not understand why these men were dressed in garish sarees and gaudy makeup. They joined their hands to greet my grandmother as she entered the room. Slowly, as all my relatives gathered together, a cacophony of voices filled the silent hall. My grandmother asked if everyone was present. DADIJI “Sabhi log aa gaye? Nai bahu aur bete ko toh bulao.” At this moment, I searched for my mother into the huge crowd of relatives and went to stand beside her. She looked at me and smiled. Chachu and Chachi entered the room, all decked up.

Dadiji introduced the newly weds to the men in sarees. After this the couple bowed down to the men who blessed them. Their voices were hoarse and loud and weird. I closed one of my ears and gripped my mother’s hand tighter. Dadiji gave them a lot of money after this which they happily accepted. One by one, Dadiji started introducing everyone in the family followed by the men in sarees touching their heads to give them blessings. Everyone kept giving them money also. We were standing in a big circle and I kept pulling my mother away. I was getting scared as they were approaching me. My mother scolded me and asked me to behave. Soon it was going to be our turn. My masi was standing before us and when they reached near her, I tried leaving my hand from my mother’s strong grip. But my mother was not letting me go. Next was our turn, they came nearer and Dadiji introduced us. DADIJI Yeh meri badi bahu hai aur yeh meri poti hai. As soon as they touched my mother’s head, I left her hand and ran inside towards the kitchen. MOTHER Arey beta, kahan jaa rahi hai? CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN - MORNING I stood behind the kitchen door. I was breathing heavily. My heart was beating fast. Their loud voices and loud claps were still ringing in my head. I heard the dholak playing once again and reluctantly peeked

from behind the door. Two of the men were dancing. One of them was singing loudly and clapping. The other one was playing the dholak. They had worn kohl in their eyes. They had big red eyes. Glittery eyeshadows, dark red lipsticks and big bindis. Never had I seen any male dressed in this fashion. They had also worn showy artificial jewellery - long earrings, necklaces, gaudy rings in their fingers and toenails. They had really long hair which was loosely tied into a plait. They were dancing vigorously. They were singing and clapping loudly. Their voice was deafening. I was so scared. It kept getting intense. One of the men opened his long hair and started rotating his head fiercely. I immediately closed my eyes as I could not bear the sight any further. The screen turns black and we hear the sounds of the bus stand again. We also hear someone talking. A VOICE (V.O.) Didi? Didi? CUT TO: EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND Mitali opens her eyes. Through her viewfinder, she sees the hijra standing in front of her, staring at her. She slightly stumbles but gains her balance back. Her eyes widen, she gulps. The hijra smiles. HIJRA Didi, one photo please. Mitali looks surprised with this request. The hijra poses with her hands clasped in front of her, holding her black purse. Mitali forces a smile. Her hands tremble as she lifts

her camera to click her photo. She observes her through the viewfinder. She’s worn a light pink and gold saree with a rosy pink blouse. Her make-up is subtle and she’s worn gold earrings and necklace. She has slight stubble. She’s also worn bindi and sindoor. Her long hair is neatly tied in a bun with gajra wound around it. Mitali is about to click a photo when the other hijra also arrives. HIJRA Chaaya! Come, photo! Chaaya laughs and gestures a no. She runs behind Mitali and stands at a safe distance. HIJRA She’s shy. You click my photo. Mitali gives an honest smile this time. She nods her head and picks up her camera again. HIJRA Didi, one minute. The hijra removes her lipstick and mirror from her bag and does her touch up. Mitali photographs her as she does her make-up. The hijra keeps her makeup back in the bag and poses again. Mitali gestures her to smile wider. The hijra blushes and smiles. Mitali photographs her close - ups. Then, Mitali walks behind to take her full portrait. Mitali gestures her to do a side pose. She stands with one hand on her hips. The hijra looks at someone behind and makes an expression. Mitali too looks behind. Chaaya joins her hands and gestures her to do the namaskaram pose. Then the hijra laughs and joins her hands in a namaskaram pose and asks her sister if she looks fine. Chaaya from far gestures she looks beautiful. Mitali smiles and clicks that pose as well. Then, she shows these photographs in her camera to the hijra. The hijra gestures her sister to come quickly. Chaaya comes running. Both the hijras happily see the photographs clicked by Mitali. They look at Mitali and gesture nice. Mitali blushes. The first hijra removes a one rupee coin from her purse, chants some mantras before giving it to Mitali. Mitali looks

at the coin with surprise. Then she looks at the hijras and smiles. HIJRA Where do you stay? MITALI (smiles) Mumbai. Name? Mitali.

HIJRA MITALI

HIJRA Very pretty name. The hijra takes the loose end of her saree, chants a mantra and then places her right hand over Mitali’s head, blessing her. Then she removes her a piece of paper from her purse and gives it to Mitali. HIJRA Mitali, can you email me these photos, please? Mitali nods her head and reads the card. SWAPNA 9898200200 swapna_25@gmail.com Then the hijras wave bye at Mitali. Mitali says bye too. The hijras walk towards the bus standing at the bus-stop. Mitali looks at them as they go. Before getting in, Swapna turns back and waves at Mitali once again. Mitali excitedly waves back. Swapna gets into the bus and the bus leaves. Mitali observes until its gone and removes her phone. MITALI (looking at the visiting card in her hand) Mummy aaj pata hai mein kis se mili... FADE OUT

SCREENPLAY

Ek Mulakat Draft 2 - 8 scenes • INT. SWAPAN’S SISTER’S ROOM - AFTERNOON This scene involves a little boy Swapan who is gets ready in front of the mirror and asks his sister to click his photo. I thought of connecting the first scene to the last scene where we would understand that Swapan, is now Swapna. EXT. DOSA KADAI - AFTERNOON This scene was introduced instead of the hostel sequence and the hotel sequence in Draft 1. Mitali meets her friend, Vinita outside a dosa shop and through their conversation we get an introduction to Mitali’s character - she’s a college girl and loves photography. • INT. THE BUS - AFTERNOON • EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND Mitali does photography, her face falls when she sees something. • INT. ROOM - MORNING (Flashback) • INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING (Flashback) • INT. KITCHEN - MORNING (Flashback) The flashback sequence was entirely in Mitali’s narration, where she describes her experience of seeing the Hijras for the first time and how she got scared. Intially, we thought of animating this sequence because of budget constraints and the number of actors that would be required. • EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND This is the last scene when the encounter between Mitali and Swapna finally happens. Feedback received Bhaskar - Bhaskar liked the script but felt there was no need for the first scene at all. He explained that the film is about Mitali and not Swapna and therefore adding that scene is redundant, it would confuse the viewer and also give away a lot in the beginning itself. Anay - He felt the flashback sequence was too long and asked me to shorten it. He advised shooting it instead of animating because animation would be infact more expensive. 098

Ek Mulakat By Vaibhavi Kodnani

Ek Mulakat (Draft 2) January 1, 2020

FADE IN: INT. SWAPAN’S SISTER’S ROOM - AFTERNOON SWAPAN, a seven year old boy, dressed in a pink frock is standing in front of the mirror and smiling. He applies a bright pink lipstick. Then he makes a fish face to apply pink rouge on his cheeks with a make up brush. He takes the bindi from the mirror and sticks it exactly in between his forehead. SWAPAN’S SISTER

(V.O.) Swapan! Where are you?

Then he turns around swiftly and looks into the camera. SWAPAN (smiling wide) Akka, one photo please. We hear her sister laugh. The camera viewfinder appears and the photo clicks as we hear the shutter sound. The frame freezes. Title cards over the photograph. EK MULAKAT The image fades into black. We hear sizzling sound over black screen. FADE IN: EXT. DOSA KADAI - AFTERNOON We see dosa being made on the tawa. The owner comes in with a plate of dosas. He sees MITALI folding her leaf. OWNER Mitali, you want anything else? MITALI (smiles) No Anna, thanks. Mitali throws the leaf and washes her hand. As she exits the dosa shop, she meets her friend, VINITA.

VINITA Hey Mitali, hi! Why didn’t you come to college today? MITALI Hi Vini! I woke up late today, so thought let me take a day off. VINITA (looking at the camera bag) So now? Photography, is it? Mitali shrugs. VINITA Enjoy shooting people, see you! MITALI (laughs) Yes, see you. I think my bus is here too. Bye! CUT TO: INT. THE BUS - AFTERNOON Mitali gets into the bus. She is about to sit when she observes an old woman standing behind her. She offers her the seat. The old woman blesses her. She buys a ticket to Ukkadam bus stop and stand near the door. She looks around and observes many people around her. She takes notes in her sketchbook. Mitali smiles and looks out of the window. We see the view outside. CROSS DISSOLVE: EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND - AFTERNOON She gets off the bus and walks against the crowd which is trying to get into the bus. She waits for a moment, looks around and smiles. Mitali removes her camera, the zoom lens is attached to the camera. She starts with photographing people at a tea stall. The tea stall owner offers her tea. She smiles and politely

declines. She hears the sound of kites (birds) and immediately points her camera toward the sky to photograph the kite. She smiles wide looking at the kites. Few passersby look at her in confusion. She hears sound of coins clinking. She turns to see an old woman sitting on the footpath. She’s slowly shaking a steel glass with coins. Mitali starts clicking her photographs. The old woman notices and looks into the camera. Then she nods her head in affirmation and Mitali nods back in response. She hears cackling of children. She turns to find a group of children playing together. She clicks photographs of a girl with a baby in her hand. Mitali smiles when the children notice her and wave at her. She hears dogs barking and she immediately turns in that direction to photograph them. Mitali turns towards the bus shed to photograph the people sitting there. She captures a young Muslim couple talking and laughing, a blind man standing with his wife and daughter, a mother and a child in school uniform eating chocolate, an old couple with luggage, a beggar eating food. Through her viewfinder, Mitali observes a girl peeping out of the window. The little girl notices her and starts making funny faces which get captured in the camera. Another young girl points at the camera, blushes and smiles, Mitali captures her as well. Another bus arrives and Mitali turns her camera towards that to capture the crowd leaving the bus in a hurry. Suddenly, through her viewfinder, she sees two hijras getting down the bus. They start clapping their hands. Mitali lowers the camera. Her eyes widen. She again views from the viewfinder. She zooms in and sees the hijras clapping their hands, dancing in the crowd and asking for money from the people. People move past the hijras. CROSS DISSOLVE: INT. ROOM - MORNING This is being narrated in Mitali’s V.O. I had finished my fourth standard examinations and had gone to Delhi to attend my Chachu’s wedding. The wedding had

gotten over two days ago and all of us cousins were watching our sangeet videos on the computer happily. Suddenly we heard really loud claps and dholak music playing. We peeked out of the room to see who had come. That is when Bua came to our room and asked us to come outside in the hall. CUT TO: INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING We all excitedly ran out of the room into the big hall, thinking that we can dance to the dholak music being played. As we entered the hall, I observed a group of four hefty men dressed in bright sarees loudly clapping their hands in an unnatural fashion. Looking at their strange and overtly loud appearance, my heart skipped a beat. I just could not understand why these men were dressed in garish sarees and gaudy makeup. They joined their hands to greet my grandmother as she entered the room. Slowly, as all my relatives gathered together, a cacophony of voices filled the silent hall. My grandmother asked if everyone was present. DADIJI “Sabhi log aa gaye? Nai bahu aur bete ko toh bulao.” At this moment, I searched for my mother into the huge crowd of relatives and went to stand beside her. She looked at me and smiled. Chachu and Chachi entered the room, all decked up. Dadiji introduced the newly weds to the men in sarees. After this the couple bowed down to the men who blessed them. Their voices were hoarse and loud and weird. I closed one of my ears and gripped my mother’s hand tighter.

Dadiji gave them a lot of money after this which they happily accepted. One by one, Dadiji started introducing everyone in the family followed by the men in sarees touching their heads to give them blessings. Everyone kept giving them money also. We were standing in a big circle and I kept pulling my mother away. I was getting scared as they were approaching me. My mother scolded me and asked me to behave. Soon it was going to be our turn. My Bua was standing before us and when they reached near her, I tried leaving my hand from my mother’s strong grip. But my mother was not letting me go. Next was our turn, they came nearer and Dadiji introduced us. DADIJI Yeh meri badi bahu hai aur yeh meri poti hai. As soon as they touched my mother’s head, I left her hand and ran inside towards the kitchen. Mitali?

MOTHER CUT TO:

INT. KITCHEN - MORNING I stood behind the kitchen door. I was breathing heavily. My heart was beating fast. Their loud voices and loud claps were still ringing in my head. I heard the dholak playing once again and reluctantly peeked from behind the door. Two of the men were dancing. One of them was singing loudly and clapping. The other one was playing the dholak. They had worn kohl in their eyes. They had big red eyes. Glittery eyeshadows, dark red lipsticks and big bindis. Never had I seen any male dressed in this fashion.

They had also worn showy artificial jewellery - long earrings, necklaces, gaudy rings in their fingers and toenails. They had really long hair which was loosely tied into a plait. They were dancing vigorously. They were singing and clapping loudly. Their voice was deafening. I was so scared. It kept getting intense. One of the men opened his long hair and started rotating his head fiercely. I immediately closed my eyes as I could not bear the sight any further. The screen turns black and we hear the sounds of the bus stand again. We also hear someone talking. A VOICE (V.O.) Didi? Didi? CUT TO: EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND - AFTERNOON Mitali opens her eyes. Through her viewfinder, she sees the hijra standing in front of her, staring at her. She slightly stumbles but gains her balance back. Her eyes widen, she gulps. The hijra smiles. HIJRA Akka, one photo please. Mitali looks surprised with this request. The hijra poses with her hands clasped in front of her, holding her black purse. Mitali forces a smile. Her hands tremble as she lifts her camera to click her photo. She observes her through the viewfinder. She is slender and is dressed in a light pink and gold saree with a rosy pink blouse. Her make-up is subtle. She’s worn kajal, pink lipstick suiting her attire, a tinge of rouge on her cheeks. She’s also worn a simple gold set of earrings and necklace along with matching glass bangles. She’s worn bindi and sindoor. Her long hair is neatly tied in a bun with gajra wound around it. Mitali is about to

click her photograph. HIJRA Akka, one minute. The hijra removes her lipstick and mirror from her bag and does her touch up. Mitali photographs her as she does her make-up. The hijra keeps her makeup back in the bag and asks Mitali through gestures if she looks fine. Mitali, now at ease, gives an honest smile and nods back in approval. The hijra poses again. Mitali gestures her to smile wider. The hijra blushes and smiles. Mitali photographs her close - ups. Then, Mitali walks behind to take her full portrait. Looking at Mitali go back, the hijra changes her pose too. She stands in a side pose with one hand on her hips. She changes her pose after every click. Then the hijra joins her hands in a namaskaram pose and smiles. Mitali smiles and clicks that pose as well. HIJRA (smiles) Can you show me the photos? Mitali shows these photographs in her camera to the hijra. The hijra happily sees the photographs clicked by Mitali. She looks at Mitali and gestures nice. Mitali blushes. The hijra removes a one rupee coin from her purse, chants some mantras before giving it to Mitali. Mitali looks at the coin with surprise. Then she looks at the hijra and smiles. HIJRA Where do you stay? MITALI (smiles) Mumbai. Name? Mitali.

HIJRA MITALI

HIJRA Very pretty name.

The hijra takes the loose end of her saree, chants a mantra and then places her right hand over Mitali’s head, blessing her. Then she removes a card from her purse and gives it to Mitali. HIJRA Mitali, email the photos please? Mitali nods her head and reads the card. Swapna 9898200200 Swapna_25@gmail.com Swapna waves bye at Mitali. Mitali says bye too. Swapna walks towards the bus standing at the bus-stop where she meets the other hijras. Mitali keeps looking at Swapna as she goes. Before getting in, Swapna turns back and waves at Mitali once again. Mitali excitedly waves back. Swapna gets into the bus and the bus leaves. Mitali observes until its gone and removes her phone. MITALI (looking at the visiting card in her hand) Mummy aaj pata hai mein kis se mili... FADE OUT

SCREENPLAY

Ek Mulakat Draft 3 - 5 scenes This was the final draft after making all the changes based on the feedback recieved for Draft 2. • INT. MITALI’S MOTHER’S ROOM - AFTERNOON Mitali is a little girl, who photographs her mother when she’s getting ready in front of the mirror. • EXT. DOSA KADAI - AFTERNOON We see Mitali for the first time in this scene. Through the conversation with her friend Vinita, we learn that Mitali is a college girl, who has taken a day off to do photography. • EXT. MARKET/ANY PUBLIC PLACE - AFTERNOON Mitali photographs different people, birds and anything that catches her attention. Suddenly, she observes something and her face falls. (We decided to shoot at a market place instead of a bus stand because of permissions, etc.) • INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING (Flashback) The flashback was reduced to one scene instead of 3 and it focused only on Mitali feeling scared and running away in the end when the Hijra’s are about to bless her. This explains her reaction in the market place. • EXT. UKKADAM BUS STAND The story snaps back to the present time. This is the last scene when the encounter between Mitali and Swapna (Hijra) finally happens. The resolution is Mitali erasing her childhood fear.

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Ek Mulakat By Vaibhavi Kodnani

Ek Mulakat (Draft 3) February 22, 2020

FADE IN: INT. MITALI’S MOTHER’S ROOM - AFTERNOON The lens cap is removed and we see an image through the viewfinder of a film camera. It focuses on MITALI’S MOTHER dressed in a kurta getting ready in front of the mirror. She applies kajal, then removes the bindi from the mirror to apply it on her forehead. (V.O.) Mummy!

MITALI

The mother turns around in surprise but smiles looking into the camera. We hear MITALI (a child) laugh and a photo clicks. The frame freezes. The image fades into black. Title cards over the frame EK MULAKAT. We hear market sounds over black screen. FADE IN: EXT. RESTAURANT - AFTERNOON VINITA exits a restaurant and she sees her friend, MITALI. VINITA Mitali, hi! Aaj class kyu nahi aayi? Mein abhi hostel hi aa rahi thi, you okay, na? MITALI Hi Vini! I woke up late, fir aane ka mann hi nahi kiya. VINITA (looking at the camera bag) So, photography, is it? Mitali shrugs. VINITA Chal then, bye! Class ka time ho raha hai. MITALI Bye Vini, see you in the mess

CUT TO: EXT. MARKET/ANY PUBLIC PLACE - AFTERNOON (The below sequence will change according to the location.) She walks in the market, looks around and smiles. Mitali removes her camera, the zoom lens is attached to the camera. She starts with photographing people at a tea stall. The tea stall owner offers her tea but she politely declines. She hears the sound of kites (birds) and immediately points her camera toward the sky to photograph the kite. She smiles wide looking at the kites. She hears sound of coins clinking. She turns to see an old woman sitting on the footpath. Mitali starts clicking her photographs. The old woman notices and looks into the camera. Then she nods her head in affirmation and Mitali nods back in response. She hears cackling of children. She turns to find a group of children playing together. She clicks photographs of a girl with a baby in her hand. Mitali smiles when the children notice her and wave at her. Through her viewfinder, Mitali observes a girl, who notices her and starts making funny faces which get captured in the camera. While finding another subject to capture, Mitali turns her camera towards another direction. Suddenly, through her viewfinder, she sees a Hijra at a distance. Her eyes widen. She again views from the viewfinder. She zooms in and sees the Hijra again. CROSS DISSOLVE: INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING This is from a child’s point of view. We see four hijras rejoicing. One of the hijra is passionately singing, one of them is playing dholak, while the other two hijras are seen clapping their hands. The setting is festive. Little Mitali is hiding behind her mother, holding her hand tightly. She looks scared. One of the hijras extends her

hand forward to bless Mitali. This is when she leaves her mother’s hand and runs into the room. Mitali?

MOTHER

The screen turns black and we hear the sounds of the market again. We also hear someone talking. A VOICE (V.O.) Didi? Didi? CUT TO: EXT. MARKET - AFTERNOON Mitali opens her eyes. Through her viewfinder, she sees the hijra standing in front of her, staring at her. She slightly stumbles but gains her balance back. Her eyes widen, she gulps. The hijra smiles. HIJRA Didi, one photo please. Mitali looks surprised with this request. The hijra poses with her hands clasped in front of her, holding her black purse. Mitali forces a smile. Her hands tremble as she lifts her camera to click her photo. She observes her through the viewfinder. She is slender and is dressed in a pink and gold saree with a rosy pink blouse. She’s worn kajal, dark pink lipstick suiting her attire, a tinge of rouge on her cheeks. She’s also worn a necklace with jhumkas along with matching glass bangles. She’s worn bindi. She has tatoos on her hand and neck. Her long hair is neatly tied in a bun with a rose flower stuck into it. Mitali is about to click her photograph. HIJRA Didi, one minute. The hijra removes her lipstick and mirror from her bag and does her touch up. Mitali photographs her as she does her make-up. The hijra keeps her makeup back in the bag and asks Mitali through gestures if she looks fine. Mitali, now at ease, gives an honest smile and nods back in approval. The hijra poses again. Mitali gestures her to smile wider. The hijra blushes and smiles. Mitali photographs her close ups. Then, Mitali walks behind to take her full portrait. Looking at Mitali go back, the hijra changes her pose too. She

stands in a side pose with one hand on her hips. She changes her pose after every click. Then the hijra joins her hands in a namaskaram pose and smiles. Mitali smiles and clicks that pose as well. HIJRA (smiles) Mein photo dekhu? Mitali shows these photographs in her camera to the hijra. The hijra happily sees the photographs clicked by Mitali. She looks at Mitali and gestures nice. Mitali blushes. HIJRA Mein Swapna aur tumhara naam kya hai? Mitali.

MITALI

HIJRA Bohot sundar naam hai. Swapna removes a one rupee coin from her purse, chants some mantras before giving it to Mitali. She places her right hand over Mitali’s head and blesses her. Mitali looks at the coin with surprise. Then she looks at Swapna and smiles. Swapna removes a card from her purse and gives it to Mitali. SWAPNA Mitali, ye photo mujhe email karogi? Mitali nods her head and reads the card. SWAPNA 9898200200 sapna_25@gmail.com Swapna smiles back and waves bye at Mitali. Mitali says bye too. Mitali keeps looking at Swapna as she goes. Swapna turns back and waves at Mitali once again. Mitali excitedly waves back. Mitali looks at the coin and card, removes her phone. MITALI Hello Mummy aaj pata hai mein kis se mili... In the end, the actual photo of the hijra is shown, the one on whom this film is based. FADE OUT

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f. Referencing Every director visualises the characters, the clothes they wear, makeup they do, the setting in a certain way which is relevant to their film. Referencing is gathering visual data for these visualizations.

Contents How is referencing done? What is a reference deck? Ek Mulakat Reference Deck • Character References • Costume References • Makeup References • Art References • Street Photography References

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REFERENCING

How is referencing done? Today’s Internet age has made referencing easy but at the same time difficult because there’s so much visual data available. References are usually collected from existing films, advertisements, photographs, newspapers and visuals from any other sources which help translate what’s on the director’s mind.

For example, during my internship we got a project from Colgate. The script was based on the 1957 film ‘Mother India’ in which a landlord forcefully removes a widow and her two kids from their house. Thus, visual references from 1960s films were collected.

What is a reference deck? Referencing is gathering visual data according to the director’s vision. These references are then compiled into a presentation which is called the reference deck. This reference deck is helpful for the crew members like costume designers, makeup artists, set designers and musicians as this helps them in understanding the director’s requirements. Every detail makes a difference, thus making this a crucial step of pre-production. Usually, the reference deck is made by the Assistant Directors but for my film, I created the reference deck myself. The reference deck for the film ‘Ek Mulakat’ includes the following 1. Character references Mitali (Present time) Swapna People from the Hijra community Mitali’s mother Little Mitali (Flashback) 2. Costume references Mitali (Present time) Swapna People from the Hijra community Mitali’s mother Little Mitali (Flashback)

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3. Makeup references Mitali (Present time) Swapna People from the Hijra community Mitali’s mother Little Mitali (Flashback) 4. Art references (Set and props) Mitali (Present time) Swapna People from the Hijra community 5. Street photography references Mumbai Coimbatore

REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Character References

Mitali

Swapna

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Character References

People from the Hijra Community

Mother

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Little Mitali

REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Costume References

Mitali

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Costume References

Swapna

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Costume References

People from the Hijra community

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Costume References

Mother

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Costume References

Little Mitali

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Makeup References

Mitali

Swapna

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Makeup References

People from the Hijra Community

Mother

Little Mitali

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Art References

Mitali

Swapna

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Art References

People from the Hijra Community

Dressing table in First Scene

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Street Photography References

Mumbai

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REFERENCING

Ek Mulakat Reference Deck Street Photography References

Coimbatore

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g. Casting In the performing arts industry such as film, a casting (or casting call) is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor for a particular role or part in a screenplay

Contents How did I do casting? The Casting Call How did I get my final cast? • Mitali • Vinita • Little Mitali • Mitali’s Mother • Swapna • Hijras (Flashback)

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CASTING

How did I do casting? For casting, a casting call is sent out which includes the names of the characters, their age and a brief description in 1-2 lines; the film locations; sometimes budget. In big budget films, casting is done by casting directors who understand the various characters in the film they are working for, conduct auditions and share them with the

director. However, since my project was a small budget film, I did casting on my own. I took help of social media (WhatsApp) and sent out the casting call to all my friends and colleagues, film groups and all others I knew were a part of the film industry. I also knew a couple of actors who were suitable for the role and thus contacted them.

The Casting Call CASTING CALL A student short film Location: Mumbai 1. Mitali (the protagonist): 19-21 Years Mitali is a college girl from Mumbai, studying in a design college who loves going for solo street photography walks, loves talking to strangers and is ever smiling.

4. 4 People from the Hijra Community: The 4 people from the hijra community were dressed up in their finery and had worn heavy makeup for the marriage occasion, where they danced and sang passionately.

2. Vinita: 19-21 Years Mitali’s friend. She is short, bubbly, chubby and loves food.

5. Mother: 30-35 Years Mitali’s mother leaves for the office every morning. She’s a fit woman, wears Indian dresses and does light makeup in the morning before leaving for office.

3. Swapna (A person from the Hijra Community): Swapna loves dressing up and doing makeup. She also loves getting her photos clicked and confidently poses for the camera.

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Send Profiles to: Vaibhavi Kodnani +91 7738655091

CASTING

How did I get my final cast? Mitali played by Shraddha Singh

I had shared the casting call with a close friend of mine, Vinita. She shared it in her BMM group. Immediately, I was contacted by Shraddha Singh, who was interested in taking up Mitali’s role. We had a casual conversation wherein I discovered that she is an acting student, from Mumbai. She didn’t have much work experience to share but her profile seemed to suit the character I had in mind - that of an innocent, sweet and ever-smiling girl. I shared the audition sheet with her, she readily agreed to audition for it. Even though I had not met her, she was very supportive and offered help in my project. That’s how I got my next character, Vinita.

Audition sheet for Mitali Play the role of a curious girl with a camera. Mitali arrives at a crowded bus stop. She gets happy upon seeing the people around her. She removes her camera and starts clicking photos of the people around her. Kids playing makes her smile and she clicks their photo. Through her viewfinder, Mitali observes a girl peeping out of the window of the bus. The little girl notices her and starts making funny faces which get captured in the camera. Another bus arrives and Mitali turns her camera towards that to capture the crowd leaving the bus in a hurry. Suddenly, through her viewfinder, she sees two hijras getting down the bus. They start clapping their hands. Mitali lowers the camera. Her eyes widened. There’s fear seen on her face. She appears extremely troubled and disturbed upon seeing them. PS: The girl is a happy and curious girl and loves talking to people. But she’s scared of Hijras due to an incident in her childhood.

Through this audition, I wanted to observe how Shraddha plays the role of Mitali, a happy, curious girl, engrossed in taking photographs who’s face falls in an instant upon seeing a Hijra. I wanted to see how she enacts both, happiness and fear. Since there was less dialogue in the film, I wanted to understand the range of expressions that she can offer.

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CASTING

Vinita played by Ipshita Ghosh

Ipshita Ghosh, Shraddha’s friend, agreed to do the role of Vinita. She was a non-actor but since it was a small role, I did not mind giving her a chance! Either way I am a first time director as well and working with newcomers not only puts me at ease but also it is great to learn and grow together! Therefore, I sent her an audition sheet too.

Audition sheet for Vinita As Mitali exits the dosa shop, she meets her friend, Vinita. VINITA Hey Mitali, hi! Why didn’t you come to college today? MITALI Hi Vini! I woke up late today, so thought let me take a day off. VINITA (looking at the camera bag) So now? Photography, is it? Mitali shrugs. VINITA Enjoy shooting people, see you! MITALI (laughs) Yes, see you. I think my bus is here too. Bye!

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Ipshita had a few dialogues, where she had to act as a close friend who is concerned about her friend’s absence in class. But, she also knows Mitali’s hobbies and therefore isn’t surprised to learn that she has taken a day off to practice photography.

CASTING

Shraddha and Ipshita met up, recorded each other’s auditions using their phones and sent it to me via WhatsApp. They both delivered fairly good performances and we locked them for their respective roles.

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CASTING

Little Mitali played by Ridhima Taneja

Finding little Mitali was a cakewalk. During my internship, I had worked on an ad film for Colgate. I was the AD for that shoot, I was put in charge of all the actors. Ridhima Taneja, a child actress, who was a part of the shoot, was extremely talented. Her acting skills were on point. When I had to find an actor for little Mitali’s role, I immediately got reminded of Ridhima and contacted her mother. She agreed for the role! I did not send her an audition sheet, because in my film she had to emote fear, which she had to do for the Colgate ad film as well. Having already observed her at that time, I had the confidence in her acting!

Mitali’s mother played by Manjiri Kodnani

I simply asked my Chachi if she would act for Mitali’s mother’s role and she was more than happy to do so! She was excited that the film would open with her shot! I was also happy to have her act because that automatically put me at ease.

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CASTING

Swapna

Finding the right actor to play Swapna’s role was a huge task! I was facing internal and external conflict while finding an actor for Swapna’s role! I wanted an actual Hijra to play the role. I did spend a lot of time doing that but it was all in vain.

Part 1 - Finding an actual Hijra for the role I sent a mail to many NGOs and other organisations in Mumbai working with and for the Transgender community. Some of those are 1. Gaysi Family 2. Humsafar Trust 3. Naz Foundation 4. Sahodari Foundation 5. Aravani Art Project When I did not get replies, I messaged some of these organisations on Instagram as well.

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CASTING

The mail that I sent across Hello, I am Vaibhavi Kodnani, a fourth year Communication Design student from D J Academy of Design, Coimbatore. I am currently making a short film (approximately 10 mins) in Mumbai for my diploma project. The story is based on a conversation between a girl with a eunuch during a chance meeting. In this connection, I am looking for eunuch actors for 1-2 days shoot (approx) in February 2020 at Mumbai. 1. The description of the eunuch actor as per the story is as follows ‘The eunuch (Swapna) is aged around 30 years. She is reasonably tall, slender built, loves to put subtle makeup and dress up aesthetically, speaks very softly, is ever smiling, has a photogenic face and aspires to become a makeup artist.’ 2. The second set of actors as per the story are as follows: ‘4 Hijras aged 40-45 years are manly in appearance, they wear gaudy, bold coloured clothes, loud makeup and jewelry. They dance and give blessings to newly married couples and newborn babies. They have a hoarse voice, clap loudly and dance vigorously in celebrations.’ I can send the synopsis and references in the next mail as per the requirements. It would be of great help to me if you can suggest actors appropriate for the role. I may highlight that since it is a self sponsored student film, high remuneration may not be expected. Regards, Vaibhavi Kodnani +91 7738655091 I got replies from two places. First, Sahodari Foundation replied and asked me to share the script. I sent them the synopsis instead but after that they never reverted back. Like that I kept ruling out all the available options.

138 The above highlighted statements are the character descriptions that I had written before I wrote the new and final ones. (Refer page ...)

CASTING

Gaysi Family replied on Instagram, but it was no happy news. Although, it did help me understand somethings better.

Excerpts from the conversation with Gaysi Gaysi: Me:

Me: Gaysi:

Me: Me: Me:

What do you mean by the word ‘eunuch’? Basically a hijra actor, wanted to cast a hijra instead of a cis male for the role When they seenzoned me... I am sorry, did I say something offensive? The word eunuch is offensive, and we would suggest you do some research when you approach queer folx and organisations, atleast if you claim to be an ally and want to actually support the community. We aren’t comfortable asking our friends and family to be a part of a project that doesn’t have it’s bases covered. Oh I am really sorry I didn’t mean to offend at all. I didn’t know it’s an offensive term, deepest apologies for that. I have done my research but didn’t read anywhere that it’s offensive.

The conversation continued for a while and I even requested them to tell me about alternate words to be used. I was quite upset after this and in a way angry too because I felt I was polite enough to apologise, learn and ready to correct myself. However, they never made me understand what is the correct terminology that should be used instead of Eunuch. After this, I did lose hopes of getting any help from these organisations.

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CASTING

I shared this incident with one of my friends, Ajooni. She empathised with me and made me feel at ease. She shared the casting call with his brother, who is a part of a theatre group. He has queer friends and decided to share it ahead with them. I altered my wordings from ‘Eunuch’ to ‘Person from the Hijra community’ in the new casting call and reference deck. However, there was another catch. Ajooni explained to me how I was very insensitive while describing my characters. I had distinguished them on the basis of their outward appearances and behaviours.

I had described the hijras appearing in the flashback scene to be manly, loud, garish and gaudy while Swapna to be gentle, more feminine and sweet. It was appearing as if one should be friendly with the Hijras who are calm and sweet and be scared of the ones who sing loudly, wear gaudy clothes and look manly. This input really changed the way I viewed my characters and also enhanced the message of my story. I was unintentionally creating that wall which broke once I understood and agreed to change my visual references and character descriptions accordingly.

New and final character descriptions Swapna (A person from the Hijra Community): Swapna loves dressing up and doing makeup. She also loves getting her photos clicked and confidently poses for the camera. 4 People from the Hijra Community: The 4 people from the Hijra community were dressed up in their finery and had worn heavy makeup for the marriage occasion, where they danced and sang passionately. Even though I did try my best to find real Hijras, I couldn’t in the end. I simply had to give up as time was running out. I started sharing the casting call with everyone else like I did for the other characters.

Part 2: Finding a cis male for the role I shared the message with many people but did not get any leads. Shraddha shared it with her acting class group but no cis male actor was ready to act for this role. But I believe everything happens at the right moment and it did!

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CASTING

Swapna played by Anil Rajput

Prateek, the cinematographer of the film, was really supportive. I shared the casting call with him in hope of getting some lead. To my suprise, I did! His friend, Anil Rajput was ready to act for Swapna’s role. He was a bit reluctant in the beginning to act outdoors but later agreed. Interestingly, he had previously also auditioned for the role of a Hijra in some film. He shared those photos with me, they looked convincing. I sent him the audition sheet.

Audition Sheet for Swapna Play the role of Swapna who is sweet and ever smiling. She loves getting her photos clicked and confidently poses for the camera. SWAPNA Didi, one photo please. Swapna smiles and poses with her hands clasped in front of her, holding her black purse. When Mitali is about to take her photo, she stops her, removes her lipstick and mirror from her bag and does her touch up. Then she asks Mitali through gestures if she is looking fine. Then, she gives 4-5 different poses for the camera and stops.

I wanted to see how a cis male actor could do the role of a Hijra, something that is certainly not an easy role to crack. I was looking for subtle acting, not a caricatured one as that’s what has been generally observed in films, etc.

SWAPNA Can you show me the photos? Swapna happily sees the photographs clicked by Mitali. She looks at Mitali and gestures nice. Swapna removes a one rupee coin from her purse, chants some mantras before giving it to Mitali. She places her right hand over Mitali’s head and blesses her.

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CASTING

Anil had previously also auditioned for the role of a Hijra in some film. He shared that photo with me before the audition.

Anil was really sweet to have really gotten into the character to audition. He wore a saree, put a bindi and acted incredibly well. His acting was subtle and it made us so happy that we instantly locked him after watching his audition.

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CASTING

Hijras (Flashback)

In the flashback scene, the Hijras are in their usual form - singing, dancing and rejoicing on the occasion of the newlywed bride’s arrival in the house. It was close to impossible to expect cis males to act that out because certainly the authenticity would be lost. That’s when we got reminded of the Hijras I had interviewed with the help of my grandmother. We decided to approach them again, this time for acting in the film. I went with my grandmom to convince them. In the beginning, they outright refused. But my grandmother does not give up so easily. She expressed how with their help and blessings

her dearest granddaughter aka me, would pass with flying colours. Grabbing the good opportunity, I started explaining their role in the film. I told them that it was a wedding scene where they had to just be themselves and perform like they usually do. I assured them that it is for a college project and I won’t be releasing the film anywhere. Upon hearing this, they felt at ease and agreed to come for the shoot! My grandmother showered them with love and blessings. Honestly, I am truly grateful to my grandma for without her help, I wouldn’t have found and convinced actual Hijras to act in my film.

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h. Shot Breakdown Definitions on Page Number 146

Contents What is shot breakdown? What is storyboarding? How did I do shot breakdown? Steps for doing shot breakdown? Shot Breakdown for Ek Mulakat • Scene 1 • Scene 2 • Scene 3 • Scene 4 • Scene 5

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SHOT BREAKDOWN

What is shot breakdown? Shot breakdown is a pre-production process wherein the director’s vision is translated into words/sketches in a sequence. The shot list is made by the director that includes the framing of every shot, the description, the dialogues and the actors involved in that shot. This list is referred to by the DOP and

the director mainly, sometimes by other crew members like ADs, actors, etc. The shot list is then printed which serves as a crucial document on the shoot day for the director and the DOP to keep a track of the shots that are done shooting.

What is storyboarding? Storyboarding is shot breakdown accompanied with sketches to support the descriptions. It is a visual representation usually made for action sequences but can be used in other situations as well depending on

the requirements and preferences of the director. Storyboarding also helps in visually depicting camera movements, play of light on the objects and subjects in the frame.

How did I do shot breakdown? Once I was done with the script, I moved onto storyboarding. I tried to sketch out the frames, however, memory drawing is my weakness and I was finding it too hard to do it. When that failed, I decided to write down my shot breakdown in a sequence. Since I was the writer and director, I exactly knew

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what I wanted to portray in every frame. Therefore, I wrote down the number of shots, framing, description of every shot and the actors required in all the 5 scenes. Every frame was well thought out - I used the film language learnt over the years to decide the type of shots.

SHOT BREAKDOWN

Steps for doing shot breakdown? 1 Read your script thoroughly First step is to read the script a couple of times to allow it to really get embedded in your mind. Even if it’s your own script, read it from the view of directing it.

2 Visualise Visualisation while writing a script is different from visualisation while writing a shot breakdown. When thinking from a director’s point of view, one needs to think of the number of shots, framing of the shots, camera angles, camera movements. Either write down the shots list or make a sequence of sketches, thus converting the script into a series of shots that tell the story.

shoot, I had highlighted the parts that were to be performed by the Hijras, as they had to leave after finishing their part. Then we shot little Mitali’s shots. This kept away the confusion and I successfully captured all that I had planned.

5 Be ready for changes on shoot Shot breakdown is a guideline which is followed on the day of shoot, however be ready for changes that would have to be made on the spot due to technical limitations or costume mishap or makeup issues, anything is possible.

3 Use film language effectively Film language makes the storytelling more impactful. It is nothing but a visual language commonly perceived in a certain way by the world, thus adapted into a general film language for better and effective communication of the story. For example, showing a low angle shot of a character makes the subject appear dominant.

4 Categorising the shots Once the shot breakdown is done, divide it (highlight/mark) according to your shoot schedule - it can be divided on the basis of actors, the type of shots (long shots, closeups, etc.). This makes it easier to keep a track of the shots. For example, for the first day’s

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SHOT BREAKDOWN

Shot breakdown for Ek Mulakat Scene 1

Sr. No.

Framing

Description

1

Mid Shot

Mother getting ready in front of the mirror. Mitali’s voiceover - Mummy, smile! Mother looks behind and smiles looking into the camera.

Sr. No.

Framing

Description

2

Long Shot

Vinita is exiting the restaurant, that’s when another girl enters the frame She calls surprisingly - Arey Mitali!

3

Two Shot

Vinita hugs Mitali and says Aaj class mein kyu nahi dikhi?

4

OTS Shot

Vini - Mein abhi hostel hi aa rahi thi. Are you alright?

5

OTS Shot

Mitali - Vini, I woke up late. Mann nahi kiya phir aane ka.

6

OTS Shot

Vini - So then? Vini looks at the camera bag and says Photography is it?

7

OTS Shot

Mitali shrugs and nods (innocent expression on her face)

8

OTS Shot

Vini - Chal then bye! Vini looks at her watch and says Class ka time ho raha hai.

9

Long Shot

Mitali - Bye vini! See you in the mess for dinner! Vinita exits the frame

Sr. No.

Framing

Description

10

Mid shot

Mitali walks ahead (Camera following her)

11

Long shot

Mitali removes her camera from her bag as she walks

12

Mid shot

She looks around her and smiles

13

Long shot

Mitali’s POV of looking around (Camera pans)

14

Mid shot

Mitali looking at different people

Scene 2

Scene 3

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SHOT BREAKDOWN

Scene 3 (continued) 15

Long shot/CU

Mitali’s POV (Through the viewfinder) Clicking photos...

-

Record other shots on location

16

Mid shot

Mitali is looking in the viewfinder for a subject to capture

17

Long shot

Mitali’s POV - She spots a Hijra in the crowd

18

CU

Mitali’s face changes - she is scared

19

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV - She zooms in to see the Hijra clearly.

Sr. No.

Framing

Description

20

CU

Mitali is standing with her mother, scared. She’s holding her mother’s dress

21

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV - We see 4 Hijras dancing and singing

22

CU

Mitali tugs her mother’s hand. The mother is clapping

23

2 shot

Mother asks her to be quiet and holds her hand

24

Mid shot

Mitali hides behind her mother slightly and looks at the hijras again, scared

25

CU

Mitali’s POV - Hijra singing

26

CU

Mitali’s POV - Hijra playing dholak

27

CU

Mitali shuts one of her ears as they sing and dance

28

CU

Mitali’s POV - Hijras dancing (maybe turning around)

29

ECU

Mitali grips her mother’s hands tighter

30

CU

Mitali gulps still staring at them, very scared.

31

Long shot

The Hijras stop dancing and start blessing.

32

Mid shot

They bless the mother

33

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV - The Hijra is about to keep their hand on Mitali’s head. All 4 are looking at her and smiling

34

ECU

Mitali leaves mother’s hand

Scene 4

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SHOT BREAKDOWN

Shot breakdown for Ek Mulakat Scene 4 (continued) 35

Two shot

-

“Mitali runs - mother says dialogue - Mitali? Camera follows Mitali - Mitali runs into the room Black screen as the door closes - we hear the dialogue Didi, Didi

Scene 5

Sr. No.

Framing

Description

36

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV (Through the viewfinder), we see a blurred image of Swapna standing in front of her

37

Mid shot

Mitali lowers her camera

38

ECU

Mitali’s widens her eyes

39

ECU

Mitali gulps down

40

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV - Swapna asks - Didi?

41

ECU

Mitali adjusts her shirt

42

ECU

Mitali moves back a bit

43

Mid shot

Swapna says - Didi, ek photo please

44

Long shot

Mitali looks to her left, right, behind

45

Long shot

Swapna poses with her hands clasped in front of her

46

CU

Mitali forces a smile

47

CU

Swapna smiles too

48

ECU

Mitali lifts her camera slowly, her hands shivering.

49

ECU

We see sweat on Mitali’s face

50

Mid shot

Mitali looks through the viewfinder

51

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV (Through the viewfinder) - She sees a blurred image of Swapna. She adjusts the lens, trying to focus

52

Mid shot

Mitali scaredly gestures Swapna to go a little behind

53

Mid shot

Swapna looks behind and...

150

SHOT BREAKDOWN

Scene 5 (continued) 54

Two shot

...walks a little behind

55

Mid shot

Swapna smiles and poses again

56

Mid shot

Mitali lifts her camera again

57

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV (Through the viewfinder) - She adjusts her lens again, this time it is properly focused

58

ECUs

She zooms in and observes her face

59

Mid shot

She zooms out and focuses again

60

Mid shot

Mitali is about to click her photo

61

ECU

Mitali is about to press the button

62

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV (Through the viewfinder) - Swapna smiling, suddenly she stops her

63

CU

Mitali lowers her camera, confused

64

Long shot

Swapna removes a lipstick and mirror from her purse

65

CU

Swapna applies the lipstick, looking into the mirror

66

CU

Mitali smiles

67

Two shot

Mitali lifts her camera

68

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV (VF) - She clicks 1-2 candid shots of Swapna

69

OTS shot

Swapna lowers the mirror and asks how she is looking through gestures

70

OTS shot

Mitali smiles and says nice through gestures

71

Two shot

Swapna poses again in the same pose. Mitali also lifts her camera to click her photos

72

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV - She clicks her photo.

73

OTS shot

Mitali gestures her to smile wider and lifts her camera

74

Mid shot/ Long shot

Mitali’s POV (Through the viewfinder) - Swapna smiling wider this time. Mitali clicks her photo. After one click, Swapna changes her pose, Mitali clicks that too.

75

Two shot

Swapna changing pose

76

Long shot

Mitali’s POV (Through the viewfinder) Clicking her images

77

OTS shot

Swapna does the namaskaram pose

151

SHOT BREAKDOWN

Shot breakdown for Ek Mulakat Scene 5 (continued) 78

OTS shot

Mitali smiles and clicks that photo too

79

OTS shot

Swapna smiles and says “Mein photo dekhu?”

80

Two shot

Mitali walks upto her and shows her camera to Swapna

81

ECU

We see photos of Swapna in the camera screen

82

Two shot

Swapna is very happy, says - Bahut ache photo liye hai

83

OTS shot

Mitali blushes

84

OTS shot

Swapna asks - Mein Swapna. Aur tumhara naam kya hai?

85

OTS shot

Mitali answers - Mitali

86

Two shot

Swapna - Bahut sundar naam hai

87

OTS shot

Mitali smiles

88

OTS shot

Swapna removes a coin and chants some mantras

89

ECU

Swapna gives the coin to Mitali

90

Mid shot

Mitali’s POV - Hand comes in front of the camera to bless her (like in flashback scene)

91

Two shot

Swapna blessing Mitali.

92

OTS shot

Mitali smiles and closes her eyes as she takes blessings

93

Two shot

Swapna removes a card from her bag

94

OTS shot

She gives the card to Mitali and says - Mitali, ye photos mujhe Whatsapp karna

95

ECU

Mitali’s POV - of the card

96

OTS shot

Mitali looks at Swapna and nods her head in affirmation

97

Two shot

Swapna says bye

98

OTS shot

Mitali waves her hand too and says bye

99

Two shot

Swapna leaves

100

OTS shot

Mitali observes Swapna leave. Swapna looks back, waves.

101

Mid shot

Mitali looks at the coin and the card in hand and smiles. She takes her phone and calls. She says, Hello Mummy...

102

ECU

Mitali’s POV - we see the coin and the card in hand. Mitali continues - ...aaj pata hai kya hua...

152

154

i. Budgeting A film budget determines how much money will be spent on the entire film project. It involves the identification and estimation of cost items for each phase of filmmaking (development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution).

Contents How did I do budgeting? What did I learn? Budget for Ek Mulakat • Pre - Production • Production • Post - Production

155

BUDGETING

How did I do budgeting? We had absolutely no clue about how much money to spend for each department due to lack of enough experience in the film industry. We were only sure about how much money we can afford to spend on this project. I met up with Simran, one of my mentors, who’s an Associate Producer. She is incredibly good with handling money, talking and convincing clients and making good use of the available budget. When I met her, she

first heard my idea and read the script. Post that, she asked me only one question, “What is your budget?”. I replied, “Maximum 70,000 - 80,000 but preferably lesser than that.” She immediately started giving me an estimate of the expenditure that I should allot for each department. Thus, I had in hand my rough estimate budget, which obviously got altered once we actually started recruiting the crew and planning for the shoot.

What did I learn? After talking with Simran, I understood that having good knowledge about budgeting is always helpful when doing independant filmmaking. Zero budget filmmaking does exist but it works when one has many contacts in the industry and when those people are ready to do favours. It may also work if your crew is formed by newcomers. It is important to first decide how much you can afford to spend and everything can be

156

adjusted according to that. We decided to spend only on the departments which we could absolutely not handle without any help. Therefore we decided to spend on technical aspects such as cinematography, colour correction, makeup and of course on the mandatory things like rents, food, water and travel.

BUDGETING

Budget for Ek Mulakat Pre - Production Particulars

No. of Persons

Name

Cost (in INR)

Research

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

954

Story Writer

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Character Development

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Script Writer

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Shot Breakdown

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Particulars

No. of Persons

Name

Cost (in INR)

Producer

1

Anil Kodnani

0

Director

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Cinematographer

1

Prateek Srivastava

10,000

Hair and Makeup

2

Ranice Goveas Vijay

7,000

Costume Designer

2

Vaibhavi Kodnani Meera Kodnani

1330

Set Decorator

2

Vaibhavi Kodnani Meera Kodnani

500

Sound Recordist

2

Ravi and Manoj

4,000

Production

Sound Equipment (Rental)

4,000

Camera (Rental)

5,000

Lenses (Rental)

4,000

Food and Water

2,731

Travel

1,435

Actors

10

18,000

Prints

500

Post - Production Particulars

No. of Persons

Name

Cost (in INR)

Editing

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Colour Correction

1

Prateek Srivastava

3,000

Sound Design

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Title and End Credits

1

Vaibhavi Kodnani

0

Grand Total

62,450/-

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j. Film crew & their Roles A film crew is a group of people, hired by a production company, for the purpose of producing a film.

Contents Production Film Crew • Producer • Cinematographer • Hair and Makeup artist • Set Decorator • Costume Designer Costume Deck • Mitali • Little Mitali • Mother • Swapna

159

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Production Film Crew Producer

Role of a Producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. They are involved throughout all phases of production from inception to completion, including coordination, supervision, and control of finances, supervision of script, direction, talent, editing, sound, music. In short, producers do a little bit of everything.

Who was the producer of my film?

My father, Anil Kodnani was the film’s producer. No, he has never produced a film before nor is he a part of the film industry. However, my father has a keen interest in films and my project gave him a chance to learn more about the filmmaking process as well! We made mistakes together and learnt together.

I love Papa, he is better than any other producer I could/would work with.

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FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

His role as a producer 1 Backing my idea Before taking any big step, I seek for my father’s approval. When I came up with the idea to make a film based on the hijra community and prepared my concept note for it, he was the one to encourage me to take my personal experience ahead.

2 Discussions I regularly updated him about my progress and discussed my doubts with him. He gave good insights and helped me solve any difficulties I faced.

3 Feedback at every milestone He gave me his honest feedback at every step - story, script, character development, then edit, sound, basically every step. Even though he isn’t a film professional, his feedback was still useful. Since he has watched many movies and listened to many interviews of people from the film industry, he has good knowledge about films.

4 Foresight

5 Scheduling My planning is so haphazard. His planning is on point, perfect! I was planning to shoot for 2 days back to back, while he asked me to schedule it in a way where I can get enough buffer time to rejuvenate and plan for the second day’s shoot. I eventually agreed when I understood the importance of it.

6 Being the line producer too Location selection is a task. Renting studios for filming costs a lot and therefore it is best to opt for location shooting to cut down costs. Though my dad was skeptical about that, after doing my research, we came to the conclusion that it shouldn’t be much of an issue provided we are quick, choose the right location and carry my student ID card and bonafide certificate. We discussed and fixed on locations together.

7 Emotional Support I did breakdown many times due to under confidence but he always pulled me out of it. He knows exactly how to motivate me and make me believe in myself and my project.

My father can foresee and plan accordingly, something which hasn’t yet developed in me. His vision is clear. For my film as well, he kept pushing me back on track if I drifted away. Honestly, I am someone who almost never finishes work on time and if not for my dad, I really wouldn’t have finished the film!

161

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Cinematographer

Role of a Cinematographer A cinematographer or director of photography (DP or DOP) is the chief over the camera and light crews working on a film and is responsible for making artistic and technical decisions related to the image. The cinematographer selects the camera, lenses, lighting after understanding the director’s vision for the film. How did I find a cinematographer? I am a part of a group called ‘LIFilmmakers’, founded by Chanda Gauranga. Started as a necessity to meet and collaborate with fellow independent filmmakers, League of Indie Filmmakers (LIF) is a place to meet, screen, and discuss films and projects to collaborate with. For finding a cinematographer, I wrote a message on the WhatsApp group of LIF. Immediately, I got responses from about 10-

12 cinematographers who were interested in working with me. They all sent me their portfolios, I went through them all and spoke to many of them. Some were not free on the dates I wanted to shoot on. Finally, a cinematographer who seemed to fit in all criterias - shoot dates, budget, compatibility was Prateek Srivastava.

Who was the cinematographer of my film?

Prateek Srivastava showed great interest and confidence in the project, he read the script and liked it a lot. We discussed the project in brief over call and decided to meet up for further discussion about camera equipment, sound recording and at the same time do the recce for the first shoot.

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FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Prateek’s role as a cinematographer 1 Good knowledge about his field Since Prateek had good knowledge as well as experience, he was able to suggest to me various equipment that could work for shooting the film.

2 Giving proper guidance

3 Building good relations Prateek explained to me the importance of a good bond between a cinematographer and director. He was good at communication and spoke to everyone present on set including my family and friends with reverence. Technically, being my senior in the film industry, he made me comfortable and that helped me communicate freely with him.

I did not have much knowledge about the film industry but Prateek was patient, heard my silly doubts and guided me in the right direction, he is truly trustworthy.

Hair and Make up artist

Role of a Hair and Make up artist Hair and makeup are a vitally important part of the filmmaking process, even if it’s not always obvious. Makeup artists are in charge of applying movie makeup to all the actors, irrespective of their gender. They usually refer to the references given to them and design the looks of all the characters accordingly. The makeup artists make the actors “Camera Ready.” Even if a character doesn’t need any particular makeup, they still need to be made up for the lights and an HD camera that captures everything. Hair stylists cut and style the actors’ hair in whatever manner is required for the character. They’re also in charge of all wigs and bald caps to be applied over the course of the shoot, as well as caring for the health of the actors who have to wear them. Often, hair and makeup is done by the same person. Sometimes, there could be different people handling it in big budget productions.

163

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

How did I find a Hair and Make up artist? I spread the news about my requirement across all my friends and WhatsApp groups. In my film, makeup and hair was required to be done very well especially for Swapna’s role, as a cis male had to be transformed into a Hijra. I was approached by a girl

named Ranice Goveas, a St.Xavier’s student via WhatsApp. She sent me the makeup work that she had done for a couple of plays. We fixed on her as she was not charging too much. I did not approach a professional artist because of the high cost.

Who was the Hair and Make up artist of my film? Ranice

Vijay dada

Although, Ranice seemed promising in the beginning, after practically working with her, I was proved wrong. Ranice’s nature was arrogant maybe due to her inexperience in this field. When things did not work as I had wanted on the first day’s shoot, we decided to part ways with her and hire a more professional hair and makeup artist. We did not want to risk it because Swapna’s scene had to be shot on the second shoot and that definitely required more commitment and expertise. Having learnt our mistake, we were now ready to invest properly as Swapna’s look was really important.

I spoke to my mentor, Anay who then gave me the reference of Deepak Surve, someone with whom I had worked before. When I spoke to Deepak bhaiya, he sent me photos of the wig that can be used and even reduced the price when I requested that it was a student project. He then sent me the contact of his assistant, Vijay who got in touch with me. Vijay dada really transformed Anil Rajput (actor) to Swapna (character). I can confirm that it was successful because many people after watching my film thought that Swapna was an actual transgender!

Set Decorator

Role of a set decorator A set decorator creates background scenery for movies. Collaborating with production designers and directors, they use artwork, furnishings, props to design rooms for movie productions.

164

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

How did I find a set decorator for my film? Initially, I was bound upon hiring a professional set decorator for the indoor shoot of the film, because the task seemed overwhelming to me and I was not confident that we would be able to do it without any help. Whilst I was searching for a set decorator, the producer, my dad, again tried to put some brains into me and explain how we really did not need a set decorator! According to the script, the flashback scene was going to be shot indoors. The scene is taking place in the living room of the house where Hijras are performing celebratory songs upon the arrival of the newly wed bride in the house, while little Mitali is standing with her mother. Now, that meant

we had to show a middle class marriage house. In my head, I imagined it to be very decorated. However, upon discussions with my parents and my friend Vinita, who had a wedding in her house recently, I understood that a marriage house is not heavily decorated. Just a flower garland outside the house and some lighting is put up, the house is messy due to many gifts and sweet boxes. Thus we decided to do the set decoration by ourselves. The location chosen was my Chachi’s father’s flat in my building itself. It was not as bad as I thought it to be! We saved up a lot of money in this way which could be put to other use.

Who was the set decorator for my film?

My mom and I were the set decorators!

165

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

How did we do it? 1 Recce First step is to physically visit the location to get an idea of the existing space. We made a note of all the properties already present like TV, photo frames, idols and photos of God, clock, telephone. There were some things that could not be moved, like the TV and the telephone.

2 Making a prop list We made a list of all the props that could be added to enhance the background set. Prop List: 1. Showpieces 2. Soft toys 3. Candle stands 4. Indoor plants 5. Artificial leaves 6. Lighting 7. Flowers 8. Paintings 9. Clock 10. Origami art 11. Books 12. Fancy bedsheet 13. Pillows

3 Check things at house first We collected a few items from our house showpieces, candle stands, acrylic rangolis, gift boxes and a few other decorative items.

166

4 Invest wisely The only investment done was for flowers. We were going to stick flower strings on the walls, then realised they would be too heavy to stick with tape. Thus we dropped that idea too and decided to stick them on the edges of the table; fold and hang just one on the entrance of the passage.

5 Clean the set before the shoot I firmly believe in positive energies and a clean space gives out positive vibes. The flat we were going to use for the shoot was incredibly dusty and unclean. Thus, with the help of my mom and our househelps, we cleaned the entire room.

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Costume Designer

Role of a costume designer The role of the costume designer is to create or hire the characters’ outfits/costumes and balance the scenes with texture and colour, etc. Usually, costume designers are given references which they follow and depending on the budget, come up with various options for the director. The director then finalises one out of those.

Who was the costume designer for my film?

Once again, mom and I. We did not have the budget for a costume designer, neither did we need out of the box costumes. Everything we needed was manageable with the clothes that the actors already had.

167

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

How did we do it? 1 Actors get costumes No budget or low budget? Ask actors to wear their own costumes. I sent references to all the actors and they in return sent me the options they had. I took help from my mother to finalise all the costumes. In this way, we selected costumes for Mitali, little Mitali and Vinita. I asked the people from the Hijra community who were going to appear in the flashback scene to dress in their finery (or what they usually wear for these occasions).

2 Invest when necessary The only costume we had to buy was for Swapna. We tried to find sarees at home but they all looked very plain and sophisticated. We needed something to suit Swapna’s character - pretty, dressy and bright colours. Thus, mom and I ventured out for saree shopping. We chose a bright pink saree with blue flower design. We also got a matching golden blouse stitched according to the measurements given to us by Anil Rajput, the one who was going to play Swapna’s role.

3 Do not forget accessories Accessories add depth to the character. For example, in a talk with Aashish Dwyer, a Bollywood costume designer, I learnt that during the shooting of ‘Life in a Metro’, Irfaan Khan asked Aashish to give him a handkerchief because his character was that

168

of a middle class man. Thus he would use the handkerchief while travelling in crowded buses and more such kinds of scenes. In my film, I made an accessories list for my actors. 1. Mitali - camera bag, camera 2. Mother - earrings, bangles, bindi, mangalsutra 3. Swapna - purse, earrings, bangles/ bracelet, bindi, nailpolish, 1 rupee coin, visiting card, hand mirror, lipstick, wig 4. People from the Hijra community (Flashback) - dholak I gathered all the accessories, some of them like the wig was brought by Vijay dada, the hair and makeup artist. I had to create the visiting card and got it printed. Rest everything I found at home.

4 Iron, sewing kit and tissues It is very basic but ironing the clothes makes the actors ‘camera ready’ and presentable. Have an iron on set in case any touch ups are required. Also, if the costumes have been stitched for the actors, always have a sewing kit with you for any adjustments. Carry tissues for costume mishaps.

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Costume Deck Mitali

Costume options

Final look

169

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Little Mitali

Costume options

Final look

170

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Mother

Costume options

Final look

171

FILM CREW & THEIR ROLES

Swapna

Costume options

Final look

172

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k. Location Scouting & Recce Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work, the search for a suitable place or “location” begins.

Contents Location Scouting • Indoor shoot • Outdoor shoot Recce

175

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Location Scouting According to the script, we needed two shooting locations. 1. Market scene - an outdoor shoot (Scene 2, Scene 3 and Scene 5) 2. Flashback scene - an indoor shoot (Scene 1, Scene 4) Thus, we divided our shoot schedule into 2 days. 1 day for indoor shoot and 1 day for outdoor shoot.

Indoor shoot (Scene 1, Scene 4)

For the indoor shoot, we chose a relative’s flat in my own building. Scene 1: Mitali’s mother getting ready Location: Bedroom

176

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Scene 4: Hijras performing (from little Mitali’s POV) Location: Living Room

177

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Recce Indoor shoot Recce with Prateek (DOP) Prateek reached the location for recce, that was also my first meeting with him. I was a little nervous but it went well. We had a short introduction about each other and then moved onto discussing the project.

Why is a recce needed? 1 To discuss the script Before starting any project, every key crew member should know the script thoroughly. The cinematographer, of course, first wants to understand the director’s vision and then he gives his inputs and opinions. That is exactly how it went during our discussion as well. I told him how I was visualising the scene in the selected space to which he added his viewpoints.

2 To discuss about lighting Lighting is an important aspect of storytelling. In my film, since there was enough natural light coming from the window and also the LED lights in the room, we did not require any extra lighting. This decision can be made only when the cinematographer sees the location.

3 Scheduling the shoot Once the cinematographer sees the location, based on the lighting, he estimates the time when the shoot should begin. Even in outdoor shoots, scheduling is very important, as we are entirely dependent on natural light.

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4 Space, positioning actors Physically being there in the space given an idea of the size of the room, scope of depth play, interesting backgrounds to use for shooting, type of lenses that would be needed, etc. We mark the position of the actors too so that there is absolutely no problem on the shoot day.

5 Set decoration Once the positions of the actors are locked, we know how much will be captured in the frame and thus set decoration can be done accordingly.

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Location Scouting Outdoor shoot (Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 5)

For the outdoor shoot, we opted for location shooting after getting the assurance from people that it is okay to do so.

What is location shooting? Location shooting is the shooting of a film production in a real-world setting rather than a set built in film studios.

Which location did we choose for shooting? I had various locations in mind like Dharavi, Chor Bazaar - these were the top places preferred by street photographers in Mumbai. However, the producer, my father, disapproved of all of them. His suggestion was Matunga, a place that was 10 mins away by car from my place. I liked his idea and went there to search for the perfect spots - a restaurant (scene 2), market place (scene 3) and then finally the place where the final encounter occurs (scene 5). Thus, after studying the geography of the location, I mapped the scenes accordingly. I had to somehow choose a spot which was not on the main road, to avoid any issues on the shoot day.

Final location: Kabutarkhana, Matunga

179

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Final location: Kabutarkhana, Matunga

180

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Map Data ©2020

Scene 2: Mitali meets her friend, Vinita Location: Outside Shree Sundars Hotel

Map data ©2020

Scene 3: Mitali does street photography Location: Road to the right of Shree Sunders Hotel

abutarkhana, Matunga Matunga East, Mumbai, Mahar…

Scene 5: Mitali encounters Swapna Location: On A Sind Sewa Samiti NAGAR 8/A, G.T.B.Nagar, Sindh S… the road adjacent to Kabutarkhana

181

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Scene 2: Mitali meets her friend, Vinita Location: Outside Shree Sunders Hotel

Scene 3: Mitali does street photography Location: Road to the right of Shree Sunders Hotel

182

LOCATION SCOUTING & RECCE

Scene 5: Mitali encounters Swapna Location: On the road adjacent to Kabutarkhana

183

184

l. Equipment A story is basically a narrating of real or imaginary events, involving real or imaginary people. A story needs to be represented in words necessarily.

Contents Equipment Options • Phone Filmmaking • Digital Filmmaking Final Equipment

185

EQUIPMENT

Equipment Options Phone filmmaking

My cousin has an iPhone 11 and we thought why not use it for shooting our film! In this way, we could cut production cost as well because the rent of the equipments was quite high. I suggested this to Prateek but he wanted to use a digital camera to capture the film since the screenplay was good and investing in it to make a good quality product made sense. He was also not very comfortable using an iPhone to make the film - could be because he did not have much experience using it. Further, we would anyway have to invest in purchasing/renting apps, tripods and grips even if we had to do phone filmmaking.

After reasoning out the pros and cons of phone filmmaking, we decided to opt for digital filmmaking.

Digital Filmmaking

Prateek owned a Canon Mark 5D but it is a very big and bulky camera. Handheld filmmaking is tough with it.

186

EQUIPMENT

Prateek suggested we use Sony A7s2 because it is light weight and has a smaller body compared to Canon Mark 5D. Since we had to shoot outdoors, we had to make sure the camera is small to avoid any objections by people. Also, because of its light weight, Prateek shot the whole film handheld, we did not require tripods.

Final Equipment Camera - Sony A7s2

On Camera Video Light

50 mm Lens

85 mm Lens

Lapels Microphone

16-35 mm Lens

187

188

m. Scheduling A shooting schedule is a project plan of each day’s shooting for a film production. The daily call sheet is a filmmaking term for the schedule crafted for the cast and crew.

Contents Ek Mulakat Call Sheet • Day 1 - Sunday 1 March, 2020 • Day 2 - Friday 6 March, 2020

189

SCHEDULING

Call Sheet: Ek Mulakat | Day 1 | Sunday | 1 March, 2020 Producer

Anil Kodnani

Director

Vaibhavi Kodnani

Line Producer

Anil Kodnani

DOP

Prateek Srivastava

Location & Unit Base

152, 15th Floor, 8A, Sind Sewa Samiti Nagar, Sion-Koliwada, Mumbai Maharashta 400037

Nearest Hospital

Smt. S. R. Mehta & Sir K. P. Cardiac Institute - Plot No: 96, Rd Number 31, Near Gandhi Market, Sion East, King Circle, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400022

Sunrise / Sunset

06:58 / 18:44

Weather - Day / Night

32° / 20°

Breakfast / Snacks

09:30 AM / 01:00 PM

ID

Artist Name

Character

Contact

On Location

H/W/M

On Set

1

Ridhima Taneja

Mitali

79867308XX

08:45 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

2

Manjiri Kodnani

Mother

99871741XX

10:00 AM

10:30 AM

11:00 AM

3

Padma (Hijra)

Hijra

96195996XX

10:00 AM

-

11:00 AM

4

2nd Hijra

Hijra

-

10:00 AM

-

11:00 AM

5

3rd Hijra

Hijra

-

10:00 AM

-

11:00 AM

6

4th Hijra

Hijra

-

10:00 AM

-

11:00 AM

7

5th Hijra

Hijra

-

10:00 AM

-

11:00 AM

Departments HOD

On Set

Requirements

Art

Vaibhavi Kodnani

08:00 AM

Flowers, Show pieces for shelves, gift boxes

Costume

Vaibhavi Kodnani

-

Actors got their own costumes

Hair & Make- Ranice Goveas up

08:45 AM

Festive makeup for mother and Mitali

Camera

Prateek Srivastava

10:00 AM

Sony A7s2 - 1 body | 2 lenses - 50mm, 16 - 35mm

Lighting

Prateek Srivastava

10:00 AM

As per DOP

Sound

Prateek Srivastava

10:00 AM

3 Lapels

In case of emergency, contact Vaibhavi - 77386550XX

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SCHEDULING

Call Sheet: Ek Mulakat | Day 2 | Friday | 6 March, 2020 Producer

Anil Kodnani

Director

Vaibhavi Kodnani

Line Producer

Anil Kodnani

DOP

Prateek Srivastava

Location & Unit Base

Kabutarkhana Next To Z Bridge Near, Matunga Central Railway Workshop, Stn, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400019

Nearest Hospital

Sobti Hospital - 471C, Ground Floor, Manu Mahal, Kings Circle, Matunga East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400019

Sunrise / Sunset

06:54 / 18:46

Weather - Day / Night

31° / 22°

Snacks

06:00 PM

ID

Artist Name

Character

Contact

On Location

H/W/M

On Set

1

Shraddha Singh

Mitali

99674237XX

01:00 PM

-

02:00 PM

2

Anil Rajput

Swapna

81403278XX

12:30 PM

01:00 PM

03:00 PM

3

Ipshita Ghosh

Vinita

91522937XX

01:00 PM

-

02:00 PM

Departments HOD

On Set

Requirements

Art

Vaibhavi Kodnani

12:30 PM

Visiting card | 1 rupee coin | Camera + Camera bag

Costume

Meera Kodnani

12:30 PM

Saree for Swapna | Jewellery | Sandals | Purse

Hair & Make- Vijay up

08:45 AM

Wig for Swapna | Bindi | Nailpolish | Other as per reference

Camera

Prateek Srivastava

10:00 AM

Sony A7s2 - 1 body | 2 lenses - 50mm, 16 - 35mm

Sound

Prateek Srivastava

10:00 AM

2 Lapels

In case of emergency, contact Vaibhavi - 77386550XX

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03 Production Contents n. Shoot Day 1 (01.03.2020) . . . . . . 195

o. Shoot Day 2 (06.03.2020) . . . . . . 205

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n. Shoot Day 1 (01.03.2020)

Contents 29.02.2020 • Practical Preparations • Mental Preparations 01.03.2020 • Timeline of events Behind the Scene photos

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SHOOT DAY 1 (01.03.2020)

29.02.2020 - Practical Preparations 1 Prints I printed 5 copies of my shot breakdown and a copy of my final script. The shot breakdown should be kept handy when directing.

2 Set decoration One day before the shoot, I along with my mom arranged all the properties in the bedroom for Scene 1 and in the living room for Scene 4. We also went to the flower shop to get strings of flowers custom made for decoration. On the day of shoot, I neatly arranged all the flower as well.

3 Packed my bag I packed my laptop with the charger, phone charger, prints. It is crucial to be organised on a shoot day to avoid panic and confusion.

4 Sent a reminder call I sent a reminder WhatsApp message which included all the details about timing and location, to all the actors and crew members. The message is given below. Shoot - Ek Mulakat - Short film Date - 1st March, 2020 Day - Sunday Call Time - 08:00 AM Address - 152, 15th floor, 8A, Sind Sewa Samiti Nagar, Sion-Koliwada, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400037 Nearest Bus stop - Gandhi Market Nearest Station - Kings Circle, G.T.B Nagar Location Pin - https://goo.gl/maps/DGJY2pxE6R2tbdkq8 Vaibhavi - 77386550XX Thank you!

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SHOOT DAY 1 (01.03.2020)

5 List of people on set I had invited a few of my friends for the shoot. My extended family, few neighbours were invited. It is important to have a count as that helps in arranging for food, water and space. There were totally 22 people expected on the shoot day including all the crew members and actors.

6 Food & Water It is the producer’s responsibility to make sure the crew is comfortable. Food and water are essentials on any film set. We had arranged for light snacks like vada pav, samosa pav, ladoo, tea and water. Heavy food is generally not advisable on shoot days as a lot of running has to be done on sets.

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SHOOT DAY 1 (01.03.2020)

29.02.2020 - Mental Preparations 1 Talked to my mentors & friends I took the blessings and best wishes from my mentors, family members and friends before the shoot. It was an important day for me and I was as nervous as I was excited for it. I spoke to Anay and he was giving me last minute advice about how to shoot.

2 Spent some time with myself Self confidence is required for a task such as directing. It is a lot of responsibility as the director has the control and has to take all the major decisions on set. Everyone is reliant on the director, a director’s call is the last call. Therefore, to be with yourself and believing in yourself is much needed one day before the shoot.

3 Got enough sleep Do not underestimate the power of sleep. A good 6-8 hours of sleep before the shoot helps in destressing and rejuvenating the body. I was able to think and make decisions because my mind was fresh. Sleep deprivation can reduce your ability to do so which would ultimately backfire and result in clashes on set. A director should be calm and composed on the set to lead the crew successfully.

3 Let go Yes, I was nervous and overthinking about how I would be able to direct because I had never done it before. But everything has a

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first time and it is good to try. You have to let go at one point and wait for the D-day like I did upon my dad’s insistence. I let go of everything and slept peacefully.

SHOOT DAY 1 (01.03.2020)

01.03.2020 - Timeline of events 7.00 AM I woke up on time and got ready for the shoot. Sounds unimportant, but believe me, this is something I learnt during internship as well. Being late on set sets a bad impression, besides any task undertaken should be performed with conviction and commitment. 9.15 AM Dad brought the snacks and mom made tea which was then served to everyone. My Chachi (Mitali’s mother) also arrived, ready in her costume.

10.00 AM I asked Ranice to start Ridhima’s and my Chachi’s hair and makeup as they had to be ready for the shoot by 11am.

8.00 AM I rechecked the set, my shot breakdown once again before the shoot. I took my bag that I had packed the previous night to the location. I also arranged the flowers on the shelf and put up one string on the entrance of the passage.

8.30 AM I called all the actors and the crew to check their status and if there are any delays from their end. This is to make sure that the shoot is on schedule.

9.00 AM Ridhima Taneja (little Mitali) and her mother reached. Ranice, the hair and makeup artist had also reached. Ridhima is such a sweetheart, she was playing with Barbie dolls and entertaining us with her creative stories. I was able to calm my nerves because of her.

9.30 AM I was expecting the 5 Hijras at 9.30 am so that we could do their makeup. When they didn’t turn up, I started panicking. I called Padma didi to ask their whereabouts. When she told me they were in the market, I rushed down the building to go there and escort them to the location. I met them, however, since it was a Sunday, it was a busy day for them. They had to go and perform at a few places. They told me they will go and perform at a place and reach the location by 10.30 AM. My heart sank, I was so scared that they wouldn’t turn up. They also did not want to get any makeup done but I was prepared for the refusal. Anyway, I went back but I was honestly not at peace.

10.30 AM As promised, Padma didi and her group arrived. I was so relieved. They greeted everyone, ‘Hari Om’. We gave them snacks and tea. I explained to them the scene but made sure to not mention the ending to them - that little Mitali is going to get scared of them and run away. I did not want to hurt their feelings and therefore had scheduled the shoot in a way where I shoot all their shots first and then shoot little Mitali and her mother’s shots.

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10.45 AM My grandmother and other family members arrived. The Hijras greeted my grandmother, she blessed them all and thanked them for coming.

11.00 AM

11.15 AM

Prateek arrived along with the sound recordist and Anil Rajput (Swapna). I had invited Anil so that he could observe the Hijras and study their characters which would help in his acting. Since the hijras were getting impatient, I informed Prateek that we needed to immediately start shooting.

Prateek readied his equipments. We had to put lapels on two of the Hijras who were going to sing. After they did that, we immediately started.

11.30 AM Fans were switched off so that clear sound could be recorded. My friend Tanisha reached. I had no idea what was the status of hair and makeup for little Mitali and mother’s character. Prateek gave a green signal from his end and we had to start. It had begun! I had to direct, the time had come. I

was really nervous and Prateek could sense it, so he tried to calm me down and asked me to direct him. He said, “I have to focus on capturing the shots. I will record whatever you direct me to record. You just have to be beside me and tell me if the frame is looking good.”

First Part of the shooting begins.

11.35 AM - 12.40 PM We started. The idea was to record everything from little Mitali’s POV. So the camera had to be at her height. I followed Anay’s advice and recorded the long shots, then the mid shots and the close ups. According to the breakdown, we had to record extreme close ups too, but that was not possible as Prateek did not have those lenses. The hijras did a great job, we asked them to sing the same song so many times, but they performed with much enthusiasm for every take. We wrapped up the first part of the shoot in about an hour.

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12.45 PM On completion of all the recording, Padma didi blessed me for a successful project. I was so grateful to them, my grandmother paid them and they left soon after. I could not believe a part of the shoot was done!

1.00 PM We took a breather, ate some snacks and got refreshed. I noticed that little Mitali’s hair was not done according to the references I had given to Ranice. Her hair looked very messy and undone. But, we did not have the time to do the hairstyling again.

SHOOT DAY 1 (01.03.2020)

Second Part of the shooting begins.

01.30 PM - 02.45 PM

03.00 PM

We started the second part of the shoot - little Mitali and her mother’s shots. Ridhima is a very natural and talented actor. She had to express fear and she did that incredibly well even though the Hijras were not there for her to look at. She was literally looking at the walls and acting. My chachi also did a good job being a non-actor. Once we were done shooting Scene 4, Chachi (mother) changed into her next costume to shoot Scene 1 in the bedroom where my Chachi had to get ready in front of the mirror while Ridhima had to give her voice for the dialogue. After the shot, it was a wrap!

We thanked everyone and they all left except Prateek, Anil and the sound recordist, Ravi. We transferred the video and sound files into my laptop and then they also left.

And it’s a wrap!

05.00 PM I was extremely tired with all the running around and wow directing sure is tough! But, my dream came true and I am truly grateful to all those who made this possible for me. Although, it was obviously not over. We had a long way to go. Post the shoot, we checked the video files and I observed that in many of little Mitali’s shots, her hair looked really bad. It made me quite upset and angry as Ranice had not followed the instructions I had given her. She did not even communicate properly with me about the plan she had in mind apart from

the references I had given her. I am guessing this was because of her inexperience in this field. We took the decision to hire another hair and makeup artist for Day 2. We had a tough time dealing with her and explaining to her why we did not want to work with her, but in a way I am glad we took that decision. We got another hair and makeup artist on board, the story of which I have explained previously.

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Shoot Day 1 (01.03.2020) Behind The Scene photos

Shoot Day 2 (06.03.2020) Behind The Scene photos

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o. Shoot Day 2 (06.03.2020)

Contents 06.03.2020 • Timeline of events

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SHOOT DAY 2 (06.03.2020)

Initially, the shoot was scheduled for 05.03.2020

I followed the same steps before the second day’s shoot too. I got printouts, sent the call time to actors and crew, readied the costumes, accessories and props for Swapna, made my bag with tissues and college bonafide certificate and slept early to be ready for a long, sunny day. When I woke up in the morning, I had received a WhatsApp message from

Shraddha (Mitali). She was sick and wouldn’t be able to come for the shoot. It was not something I expected, but first I called up my crew and other actors to inform them that the shoot was cancelled. The same day, Shraddha messaged saying she is ready to shoot the next day, i.e. 6 March, 2020. She was not completely well but insisted on shooting. I informed the team to be ready.

06.03.2020 - Timeline of events Since I had prepared for 5 March, all my preparations were already done. We were meeting up in my building first for H/W/M and then my cousin was going to drive us to the shooting location. Since I had

12.30 PM Prateek, Anil (Swapna) and Manoj (Sound recordist) reached my building first. We planned to start the shoot by 2pm and therefore had to be ready before that. We first served tea to them.

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01.00 PM Mom started dressing up Anil into the saree. She was worried that it would be awkward but it went all fine! Anil was a very respectful man and he duly cooperated with my mother.

prepared for 5 March, all my preparations were already done. We were meeting up in my building first for H/W/M and then my cousin was going to drive us to the shooting location.

01.15 PM Vijay dada reached too. After my mom was done draping the saree (she did a pretty good job), Vijay dada moved onto the makeup and hair. And wow, he really transformed Anil into Swapna. I loved the look.

01.30 PM I called Shraddha (Mitali) and Ipshita (Vinita). They hadn’t reached and it was getting really late as we had planned to start the shoot by 2 PM.

SHOOT DAY 2 (06.03.2020)

01.30 PM Shraddha and Ipshita arrived. They had already worn their costumes, so all they had to do was set their hair and do some light makeup, which they managed on their own. I was slightly panicking as we were running behind schedule. Shraddha was not in her best health and I was worried for her as we had to shoot in the hot sun. They attached the lapels.

02.30 PM We left for Matunga, the shoot location. My cousin, Parth drove us to Matunga, the location. Tanisha, my friend was also present there for moral support.

Shoot begins. Scene 2.

02.45 PM - 03.30 PM We first shot Scene 2 outside ‘Sri Sunders’ hotel, in which Mitali meets her friend Vinita. This scene took a while because Ipshita is a non-actor and she was getting nervous to act in public. We gave her the time and with some help, she was able to pull it off. There was a major problem - since the chosen spot

was a kabutarkhana, there were too many pigeons and they were continuously shitting, thankfully I had got tissues and we kept cleaning up. I was feeling bad and thought my crew would hate me but none of that happened.

Shoot continues. Scene 3.

03.30 PM - 04.30 PM Next, we had to shoot Scene 3 - Mitali exploring the place and doing photography. These were not scripted as the plan was to shoot in a live location. Therefore, I had to think on the spot about the shot sequence. I looked around and chose the subjects that

interested me and we went ahead and captured those. Of course, that included shots of pigeons flying - one of the reasons why I chose that location for my film. Pigeon shots served as a link later on during the editing process.

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SHOOT DAY 2 (06.03.2020)

Shoot continues. Scene 5.

Now, it was a real struggle. The last scene, Scene 5 was remaining. There were 4 conflicts lying in front of me before we even began shooting - Shraddha was feeling unwell, Anil’s head was hurting because of the wig and nature’s call was troubling him, pigeons were shitting, it was 430 and that meant we had very less time to shoot. There was one big mistake I made - I did not divide

04.30 PM - 05.00 PM Even though I had made that mistake there was no point in panicking. So we started shooting Swapna’s shots while Shraddha took a rest in the car. Once I thought I had shot all of Swapna’s individual shots, we then called Shraddha to perform Mitali’s individual shots followed by their two shots.

05.45 PM We could not take many takes. In fact, we actually didn’t need to because both the actors were performing well. Thus, we quickly wrapped up the shoot and went back home.

And it’s a wrap!

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my shots (like I did for Day 1 shoot), that was really problematic as I did not have clarity about the sequence of shots we should be shooting. I did not foresee that we may have to shoot all of Swapna’s individual shots first and then Mitali’s individual shots. I was under the impression that we were going to shoot everything in the sequence I had written.

05.00 PM - 05.30 PM Light was going down and this had another consequence apart from us losing daylight and time - unwanted miscreants. There were people staring at us, especially at Swapna. There was one nasty drunk fellow who kept passing lewd comments. Another drunk fellow stood right in front of us to take Swapna’s photo. Thankfully, my dad was around and he took care of the situation, while we kept filming.

06.00 PM We reached home and Dad had already arranged for evening snacks, we all ate and chatted together. I transferred the videos and audios to my laptop, we thanked each other and left.

SHOOT DAY 2 (06.03.2020)

08.00 PM It was a truly hectic shoot with many difficulties but we did it! Another successful and fulfilling day I must say.

me upset and I asked Anay and few other friends if that can be fixed, but all of them said it was too difficult to do so.

However, the story doesn’t end here. I got a call from Prateek and he told me about some black dots that he observed in the footage. Apparently, the sensor of the camera was not clean. He blamed the renting shop for not cleaning it but I felt it was somehow his responsibility too, to check once before filming. On the location, both of us could not make out much because of the tiny screen of the camera and harsh sunlight. It did make

3 main reasons why it was not feasible to fix it in post production were, 1. Too expensive 2. They were not static shots 3. The black dot was appearing on the skin and cloning skin is difficult. I was bothered but with my dad’s help, I let go of that thought and started working on post production from the next day onwards.

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04 Post-Production Contents p. Editing . . . . . . . 213

q. Colour Correction . . . . . . . 217

t. Subtitling . . . . . . . 237

u. Promotions . . . . . . . 243

r. Audiography . . . . . . . 223

s. Title & Credits Graphics . . . . . . 229

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p. Editing On its most fundamental level, film editing is the art, technique and practice of assembling shots into a coherent sequence.

Contents Role of an Editor Who was the Editor for my film? How did I do it?

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EDITING

Role of an Editor The film editor works with the raw footage, selecting shots and combining them into sequences which create a finished motion picture. It is not just about putting the shots together, an editor surely does more than that. The editor works with the layers of images, story, dialogues, pacing as well as the actors’ performances to effectively “re-imagine� and even rewrite the film to craft a cohesive whole.

Who was the Editor for my film? I edited my own film. I had used editing softwares before and therefore I was confident that I could edit my film. Although it is not just about knowing how to use the softwares, yet I took the decision to edit my own film as I like it.

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EDITING

How did I do it? 1 Logging This is the first step for editing any film. I went through all the shots and put the final ones in a folder to be used in the film. This process can take a while but the trick is to go through the last take of every shot as that would at most times be the final required shot.

2 First Assembly Next, is a basic sequential lineup of all the shots in the editing software. I used Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017 for editing my film.

3 First rough cut I then edited and pieced the shots together to give a form to my film. Few parts were easy to determine but few were difficult to crack. Among the difficult ones were - Scene 3 in which Mitali goes for the photo walk and Scene 4 - flashback scene. The rough cut was 7m28s long. Once my rough cut was ready I showed it to a few people for feedback. I got two major feedbacks from dad and Anay. Feedback after first rough cut: Papa - Dad was worried about the transition from Mitali’s present to her flashback. He felt it was not clear that they were the same characters. I agreed with him and got an idea for the transitioning. We decided to show quick flashes of the flashback before going into the actual flashback scene. Then, it wouldn’t be so confusing.

Anay - Anay felt the rough cut was too long, especially Mitali’s photography sequence and the flashback scene. He advised me to edit it further and not make it seem too dragging. He had a point.

4 Pacing

While editing a film, the time is in the editor’s hand unlike in real life, where it isn’t in our hands. The editor can work on the pacing of the film. Pacing, also known as rhythm or tempo, is the rate of movement and flow of events that occurs as a film’s story progresses – basically, the speed at which a film’s plot moves at. This is the tip that Anay had given me too upon seeing my first cut. When there isn’t much happening in the frame, the viewer may lose interest. To make it more engaging, I cut out the unnecessary bits of information.

5 Kept editing Just like in a script, we have to keep making drafts until we reach that final satisfactory draft, in a film edit, we need to keep making cuts till the point we feel satisfied. Thus, I kept editing until I thought I couldn’t edit it any further. From 7m28s, I brought it down to 5m40s and then I sent it for color correction and color grading.

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q. Colour Correction, Colour Grading Definitions on Page Number 218

Contents What is Colour Correction? What is Colour Grading? Who was the DI Colourist? Colour Corrected frames Colour Graded frames

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COLOUR CORRECTION, COLOUR GRADING

What is colour correction? Color correction is a technical process that fixes color issues and makes footage appear as naturalistic as possible. The idea is for colors to look clean and real, as human eyes would see them in the real world. It eliminates any discontinuity created in the visuals, thus leading to a smooth final output.

What is color grading? Color grading is also technical, but it’s more of a creative concern. Every colour has an emotional impact on the viewer which may not be realised consciously. The color grading process adds atmosphere and emotion to shots by coloring footage in new, unnatural ways.

Who was the DI Colourist? Prateek Srivastava, who shot the entire film was also the DI Colorist of the film. He used DaVinci Resolve, a colour correcting application for the task. I gave a brief to Prateek about the vision I had for the colours in the film. The brief for Colour Correction & Colour Grading In the following scenes, Scene 1: Mitali’s mother getting ready Scene 2: Mitali meets her friend, Vinita Scene 3: Mitali does street photography Scene 5: Mitali encounters Swapna we can have bright colours. It needs to give out a warm feeling. Scene 4: Hijras performing (from little Mitali’s POV) This scene needs to be colourless, and give out a cold, dull feeling as it is a flashback and also involves emotions of fear and threat.

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COLOUR CORRECTION, COLOUR GRADING

Colour corrected frames

Left side is original raw footage, right side is the colour corrected footage.

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COLOUR CORRECTION, COLOUR GRADING

Raw footage

Colour corrected footage

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COLOUR CORRECTION, COLOUR GRADING

Colour graded frames

Raw footage

Colour graded footage

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r. Audiography Audiography, within Indian-style filmmaking, is the audio engineering performed by the sound department of a film production; this includes sound recording, editing, mixing and sound design.

Contents Sound Design • What is Sound Design? • Role of a Sound Designer • Who did Sound Design, Editing, Mixing for my film? • How did I do it? Sound Editing • Role of a Sound Editor • Audio Effects • How did I do it? Sound Mixing • What is Sound Mixing? • How did I do it?

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AUDIOGRAPHY

Audiography Sound Design

What is sound design? Film is an audio-visual medium. Sound design is a process of experimentation to create an audio environment that supports the on-screen action and engages the audience. Sound can have a massive impact on the emotions of the viewer if used effectively. Here too, creative liberty can be taken to enhance the cinematic experience.

Role of a sound designer A sound designer studies the script and discusses it with the director to understand their vision. Based on the script, the sound designer works on obtaining all the sounds, whether recorded or live. Sound designers have to be imaginative while ‘thinking sound’ to create the perfect atmosphere for different scenes in a film.

Who did the sound design, editing, mixing? I did. But, for the longest time I procrastinated doing the sound design, because I did not have much experience with it. Sound being highly technical was seeming overwhelming to me. However, due to the unfortunate times of COVID-19, I had no other option but to try it myself and I am glad that happened. It not only helped me save money but also allowed me to learn so much more about sound design in filmmaking.

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AUDIOGRAPHY

How did I do it? Now, I had 3 different locations in the film where I required different sounds to create the appropriate atmosphere for the scenes 1. The bedroom (indoors) - Scene 1 2. The market (outdoors) - Scene 2, Scene 3 and Scene 5 3. The living room (indoors) - Scene 4 I had to create an ambience for the various locations. In the film, as Mitali explores the space she is in, we explore it with her too. Thus, with every change in space, the sounds had to change as well, some had to fade away while some new sounds had to be introduced.

1 Listed down the sounds 1. For Scene 1 I sat at the window in my bedroom during mornings to make a list of all the sounds that I could hear. 2. For Scene 2, Scene 3, Scene 5 I started off by closing my eyes and simply listening to all the original sounds of the footage. When we close our eyes, we eliminate all the visual distractions, thus resulting in increased focus on the sounds. This helped me form a basic list of sounds that I could use in those scenes. But, I also viewed the film a few times to observe the background in every shot. This helped me list down any specific sounds needed for a particular shot.

2 Created a library of sounds After making a basic list of all the sounds, it was time to source them all. There are various websites that allow free downloads like YouTube, Freesound, Soundbible. That’s how I got the sounds, grouped them and put them in folders for easy access and less confusion. The folders I created Birds and animals, vehicles, camera, crowd, flashback, etc.

3 Dialogues Since we had recorded the dialogues on location, there was no need of dubbing. I went through the dialogue audio files and placed the final ones in a folder.

3. For Scene 4 I did not need any other sounds as I wanted the focus to be on the Hijras’ song and dance.

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AUDIOGRAPHY

Sound Editing

Role of a sound editor A sound editor is responsible for selecting and assembling sound recordings into a soundtrack for the final sound mixing of a film.

Audio Effects Audio effects are hardware or software devices that manipulate how an audio signal sounds. Audio effects add more character to the sound, as if the sound is also telling its own story.

How did I do it? 6 Learnt the software basics I used the software Adobe Audition CC 2017 for creating my audio track. It sure was overwhelming and therefore, I spent a few days understanding the software by watching tutorials and reading up. Once I was confident enough, I began editing. It was not that bad but one major problem is that one cannot load a video in Adobe Audition. Therefore, it is taxing to keep juggling between the two softwares. Since it is all about timing, all the sounds need to be timed well so that they can sync with the video files.

7 Grouped the sounds Handling so many audio files was getting difficult and therefore I came up with the idea of working in groups. That means I first edited all the vehicular sounds, then the

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birds, then construction and so on. Also, naming all the tracks in Audition helps avoid confusion. I placed all the dialogues in a separaate track, although syncing them sure was a pain.

8 Audio Transitions Like video transitions, audio transitions also play a role in maintaining the continuity in film. Since in my film, there was a jump from past to present then present to past and then back to present, the audio transitions had to be smooth. 1. From Scene 1 to Scene 2 - I used flapping of the pigeons’ wings to transition 2. From Scene 3 to Scene 4 - I used the song sung by the Hijras’ to transition 3. From Scene 4 to Scene 5 - I used the loud train horn to transition

AUDIOGRAPHY

9 Audio Effects 1. Echo When Mitali gets reminded of her childhood and the scene is about to transition into flashback, we start hearing the song. I added an echo effect to the beginning of the song i.e. before it transitions into Scene 4. The effect was

added to give an eerie feeling to match Mitali’s emotions of fear at that time. Also, since she was imagining it in her head, it added that character to the audio of it echoing in her mind. 2. Reverb A reverb effect was added to the song in Scene 4 since it was taking place in a small room.

Sound Mixing

What is sound mixing?

Sound mixing is the process of matching audio levels of all of the sound in a film from dialogue, to foley, to the score. A sound mixer must tweak every single audio file in the movie in order to make it sound clear, crisp, and seamless. How did I do it?

10 Noise Reduction Since the dialogues were recorded live, I had to do noise reduction to remove all the background noise which was not required. This process helps in enhancing the quality of the dialogues and sounds.

11 Other mixing processes I am still not very equipped with the technicalities, but I applied what I learnt

from various online tutorials. My friend, Skandha also guided me in this. In this way, I levelled all the sounds and applied EQ and Compression to the sounds.

12 Export & Sync Last step is to export the soundtrack and place it in the Adobe Premiere Pro file. This process took a while as the video and audio need to sync well with one another or it will seem off.

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s. Title & End Credits A film usually opens with the titles and ends with end credits.

Contents Why is a title important? What is film title design? Typeface? • Typeface options • Final typeface Title Design for Ek Mulakat Why are End Credits important? End Credits for Ek Mulakat

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TITLE AND END CREDITS

Why is a title important? Title gives the film its own identity. In a few words, it tells the gist/theme/tone of the film. Titles play an important role in the marketing, reception, and even understanding of a film – they are often the first piece of information that a viewer is given.

What is film title design? Film title design is a term describing the craft and design of motion picture title sequences. Since the beginning of the film form, it has been an essential part of any motion picture. Title design has evolved over time from motionless piece of art to an artform of its own. It is not always necessary to have a title design, but having it surely adds more to the look and feel of the film that we would experience.

Typeface? A typeface is chosen based on the emotions evoking from the film. Ek Mulakat is a warm hearted film, which will leave a smile on the viewer’s face. At the same time, it has a mature and responsible approach. All the characters in the film are humane and goodnatured, ruling out any possibilities of vicious beings. I needed a typeface that invoked the feeling of warmth and also looked mature. I thought a calligraphic display type or other display types would be the best suited for achieving the above attributes. I gathered many free fonts available online and took opinions of people on the various options collected.

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TITLE AND END CREDITS

Typeface Options

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Abril Fatface Regular

Font: Parisienne Regular

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Allura Regular

Font: Playball Regular

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Berkshire Swash Regular

Font: Quentin Regular

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Calisto MT Regular

Font: Rouge Script Regular

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Pacifico Regular

Font: Tangerine Bold

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Ruthie Regular

Font: Felipa Regular

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TITLE AND END CREDITS

Typeface Options

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Playfair Display Semibold Italic

Font: Rightland Regular

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Alex Brush Regular

Font: Averia Serif Libre Italic

Final Typeface I decided to go ahead with the typeface, ‘Playfair Display’.

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Playfair Display Semibold Italic Use: Title Design, Poster Title

Font: Playfair Display Extrabold Use: End Credits

Ek Mulakat

Ek Mulakat

Font: Playfair Display Semibold Use: Poster Credits

Font: Playfair Display Regular Use: End Credits

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TITLE AND END CREDITS

Title Design for Ek Mulakat The protagonist of the film, Mitali, is an avid photographer who loves doing street photography and capturing different kinds of people in her camera. When she is suddenly approached by a Hijra, she is reminded of the childhood incident when she got scared of them. However, after interacting with the Hijra and photographing her upon her request, Mitali erases this childhood memory, thus freeing herself from this fear. Her camera and her skills played a big role in this resolution. Keeping that in mind, I did

the Title design of the film, ‘Ek Mulakat’. It is a simple title design. A blurred title comes into focus after adjustment of the lens and this is accompanied with a camera recording overlay to depict that ‘Ek Mulakat (an encounter)’ is going to take place and will be recorded (into the character’s minds and thus in our minds too). After watching the film, we understand that the ‘Ek Mulakat’ was between Mitali and Swapna and how that one encounter during her photowalk helped Mitali overcome her fear.

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TITLE AND END CREDITS

Why are End Credits important? A film is the collective effort of so many people and thus after every film, there is an end credits roll to thank each one of those people. I learnt the importance of end credits when I joined the film club in my college. The first film screened for us was ‘Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind’ and it was the very first time I sat through the entire end credits of the film. When the lights were switched on, Ajooni, the film club head at that time, told us how stopping the film before end credits ends is disrespecting the film and the people involved in making it. From that day onwards, I have sat through the end credits, including the times when I watched films in the cinema hall.

End Credits for Ek Mulakat My end credits has a story too, the first person I thanked in the film was definitely the Hijra I met at the Ukkadam Bus Stand in Coimbatore during my second year of college. A blurred photo comes into focus and a photo clicks of the Hijra, just like it happened in reality. If not for that encounter, ‘Ek Mulakat’ between Mitali and Swapna would have never existed. The sound playing in the background at that time is that of the pigeons. This is for 2 reasons - First, I love

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birds and second because the encounter between Mitali and Swapna happened amidst the background of a kabutarkhana. After this, a simple end credits fades in thanking all the crew, my family, my friends and my mentors who helped me in making this film. The contribution of each one is much appreciated. Last, I dedicated the film to Coimbatore city, the place which has given me so much during my stay over 4 years.

TITLE AND END CREDITS

End Credits for Ek Mulakat

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t. Subtitling Subtitling is the method of inserting text to an audio-visual media. This is done to explain what has been spoken in the audio.

Contents Subtitles What is an SRT File? • Why is an SRT File required? • How to create an SRT File? SRT File for Ek Mulakat

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SUBTITLING

Subtitles Subtitles help overcome the language barriers. When sending to film festivals worldwide, it is a must requirement. Initially, I had added subtitles to the video file in Adobe Premiere Pro itself. However, when I had to apply for festivals, they demanded a separate SRT file.

What is an SRT file? An SRT file (SubRip Subtitle file) is a plain-text file that contains critical information regarding subtitles, including the start and end timecodes of your text to ensure your subtitles match your audio, and the sequential number of subtitles. It’s important to note, an SRT file is just a text file you would use alongside video or audio -- it does not also include the video or audio you’re subtitling.

Why is an SRT file required? This has a simple logic, if the subtitles are a part of the video file, one cannot change it to another language. However, since an SRT file is a separate file, it allows the film festivals to translate to other languages if need be.

How to create an SRT file? Two hash arrows to separate timecodes

Caption text

→

→

→

Sequence no.

1 00:00:06,08 --> 00:00:07,00 Mummy! 2 00:00:07,06 --> 00:00:08,02 Smile! 3 00:00:20,06 --> 00:00:21,00 Mitali!

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←

←

Blank line to separate caption sequence

Beginning & end timecodes with format H:M:S:Ms

SUBTITLING

SRT file for Ek Mulakat 1 00:00:06,08 --> 00:00:07,00 Mummy! 2 00:00:07,06 --> 00:00:08,02 Smile! 3 00:00:20,06 --> 00:00:21,00 Mitali! 4 00:00:22,04 --> 00:00:23,08 -Hi! -Hi Vini! 5 00:00:24,00 --> 00:00:25,00 Why didn’t you come to class today? 6 00:00:25,00 --> 00:00:26,08 I was just coming to the hostel. 7 00:00:26,08 --> 00:00:27,09 You okay, right? 8 00:00:27,11 --> 00:00:30,09 Vini, I woke up late man...didn’t feel like coming to college then. 9 00:00:31,00 --> 00:00:32,09 So photography, is it? 10 00:00:33,08 --> 00:00:33,33 Okay then...

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SUBTITLING

11 00:00:33,33 --> 00:00:34,13 ...bye! 12 00:00:35,09 --> 00:00:36,03 It is time to go to class! 13 00:00:36,08 --> 00:00:38,02 Bye Vini! See you in the mess for dinner! 14 00:01:23,18 --> 00:01:31,09 (Hijras [Eunuchs] singing a welcome song for the newly wed bride.) 15 00:01:31,00 --> 00:01:35,24 (The song praises Janakpur [presently in Nepal], the birthplace of Mother Sita... 16 00:01:35,25 --> 00:01:41,07 ...as Lord Rama married her and brought her to Ayodhya.) 17 00:02:21,06 --> 00:02:23,09 God bless, my dear child... 18 00:02:24,09 --> 00:02:26,00 Mitali... 19 00:02:32,12 --> 00:02:33,11 Didi! (Sister!) 20 00:02:34,07 --> 00:02:34,22 240

SUBTITLING

Didi? 21 00:02:38,01 --> 00:02:38,15 Didi! 22 00:02:39,21 --> 00:02:40,23 One photo, please! 23 00:03:58,06 --> 00:03:59,07 Can I see the photos? 24 00:04:04,21 --> 00:04:06,06 Very nice photos! 25 00:04:09,11 --> 00:04:10,12 I am Swapna... 26 00:04:10,12 --> 00:04:12,04 ...and what is your name? 27 00:04:12,17 --> 00:04:13,08 Mitali. 28 00:04:14,09 --> 00:04:15,18 It is a very pretty name. 29 00:04:37,12 --> 00:04:39,23 Mitali, will you mail me the photos? 30 00:05:00,17 --> 00:05:03,18 Hello Mummy, guess who I met today!

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u. Promotions Film promotion generally includes press releases, advertising campaigns, merchandising, franchising, media and interviews with the key people involved with the making of the film.

Contents Why is a poster important? Poster for Ek Mulakat

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PROMOTIONS

Why is a poster important? Like the title of the film is the first piece of information that the viewer gets, the poster of the film is the first look of the film given to the viewer. Film posters are used to promote and advertise a film, primarily to get viewers to watch the film. A film poster should narrate a story through strong visuals which would intrigue the audience. How do you boil down an entire film’s essence into one powerful representative image? - Jahan Singh Bakshi. It’s a very important point to remember when designing a poster.

Poster for Ek Mulakat My film is just 6 mins long but it has 10 characters. A story of 10 characters in 6 mins? I wanted to instigate this curiosity among the audience. Therefore, I thought my poster should depict all the main characters of the film. I did try to make the poster but was not able to create the image that was there in my head.

This is the poster that I came up with. I sent it to Vinita, my friend and she immediately asked me to send her the photographs. I shared them with her and within 20 mins she came up with a beautiful rough poster. I loved it and requested her to make the final one for me. She agreed! Yay! I did the final refinements and put in the Title and credits of the film!

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PROMOTIONS

Final Poster

Keeping the concept the same, she changed the layouting. The main characters, Mitali and Swapna are placed in the forefront, while the characters who appeared in the flashback are placed behind them as flashback means going in the past. Except the two characters in the forefront, the other colours faded, giving it the flashback effect.

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05 Distribution Contents v. Film premiere . . . . . . . 249

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v. Film premiere A premiere or première is the debut (first public presentation) of a film for a specific audience.

Contents Ek Mulakat film premiere A second screening

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FILM PREMIERE

Ek Mulakat film premiere Once the film was done, I wanted to hold a proper premiere for the crew and actors and then maybe party together and have some fun times together. Sigh. That was impossible. In these COVID-19 times. It is okay. I did not give up. We had an online premeire for Ek Mulakat! I set up a Zoom meeting and invited all the actors and Prateek (cinematographer) for it. It was such a good experience, I screened it online for them and we applauded for each other’s efforts. They all really liked the film and thanked me for the opportunity. I was really happy that day!

A second screening A few juniors who knew that I was working on a film project wanted to know about the making in depth. Since the online premiere was successful without much difficulties, I decided to hold another screening for those juniors. Ajooni, my senior also joined. Post the screening I answered their questions and mainly spoke about the making of the film. It was a really good casual session.

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FILM PREMIERE

The online second screening

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Concluding note And it’s a wrap! For my document. It was an intensive five months of work and wow, what a journey. I learnt so much being a first time director. Well, I have already explained in my documentation every single step that I followed. How did I feel after making this film? Firstly, accomplished. A sense of happiness. I was determined to make this film and I did it, with the help of so many people. When the film was done, my dad also exclaimed, ‘Wow, how did we make this happen?” He mentioned to me that time that when I first told him that I wanted to make a film, he agreed but at the back of his mind wondered how it would be possible. When it was done, it left us with a sense of wonder. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of making this film. There were so many times I felt that I won’t be able to make it, but life proved me wrong. I had many nervous breakdowns but I am grateful to have people around me to confide into. Once the film was made, I was so happy to share it with my close friends and family. Of course there is always going to be room for improvement for nothing is perfect. But I have learnt over time not to run behind perfection or we forget to enjoy ourselves. I hope Ek Mulakat reaches many people and they get the message that I have tried to communicate in my film.

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References Books • Me Hijra, Me Laxmi • A gift of Goddess Laxmi • Hijras: The Labelled Deviants • Neither man, nor woman Documentaries • Demigods: Inside India’s Transgender Community (2019) • HIJRA | Documentary on Transgenders (2018) • Eunuchs | National Geographic (2008) • Documentary : MAIN HIJRA HOON (2012) • Transgender women in India: ‘This is how we survive’ - BBC News (2018) • Children of God- A Social Documentary (2016) • India Untouched Final Project (2014) • BLESSED BY INDIA’S THIRD GENDER (2018) • Indiatimes | A Day In The Life Of: Episode 04 | The Ladyboys In India (2017) • Koovagam: Episode 1: The Hotel | 101 All The Way In | Unique Stories From India (2017) • Koovagam: Episode 2: The Wedding Of Lord Aravan | 101 All The Way In | Unique Stories From India • India’s Transgender Community: The Hijra | Style Out There | Refinery29 (2014) • 24 Hours with the eunuchs of Mumbai (Aired: January 2006) • Dekho Hijra Hai (2019) • An Intimate Conversation with Hijras: Inside India’s Third Gender (2019) • India’s Third Gender Movement | The Zainab Salbi Project Ep. 2 (2016) • Rudrani Chettri | Meet the Founder of India’s First Transgender Modelling Agency (2018) • Pavaiya - Sexless devoutees of Goddess Bahuchara Mata (2019) • Being Laxmi: ‘I belong to the hijra, the oldest transgender community’ (2015) Films • Tammana (1997) • Sadak (1991) • Sangharsh (1999) • Darmiyaan (1997) • Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008) 255

Cover Design by Vinita Sethuraman Document Written and Designed by Vaibhavi Kodnani Student Diploma Project Document Communication Design (2016 - 2020) DJ Academy of Design