What happens to short films after they are made? Does anyone watch them? Or is it just something that’s on the director’s portfolio? Does anyone make money out of short films? Then, why do people make them? Munish Tiwari had all this in mind when he started Jamuura TV, an online entertainment platform that showcases only short films. Come May 29, and Jamuura in association with Celebstall, is theatrically releasing their first feature, Chaar Cutting — a compilation of four short films — through PVR Director’s Rare.
“I saw a trend in the market that people were interested in viewing short content. Audience often complains that feature film content is repetitive and redundant. These guys who make short films are new-age storytellers. Unfortunately short stories are still seen as dark cinema, not entertainment. There are many young budding filmmakers, and I don’t want anyone judging them. I thought the audience should decide about their work,” says Tiwari.
The four shorts featuring in Chaar Cutting are Skin Deep (written by Vikramadiya Motwane of Lootera and Udaan fame and directed by his assistant Hardik Mehta), Blouse (directed by Vijayeta Kumar), Manila Running (directed by Anuj Gulati), and Bawdi (directed by Vivek Soni). “There is a huge supply of storytellers…just look at how many film schools there are, and film students who graduate. I took up filmmaking after a break in my corporate career. On Jamuura we have over 600 short films that are curated and free to view,” says Munish. He says the four films were chosen on the basis of how they were told, how engaging and entertaining they were.
Skin Deep is about a young couple’s first “adventure” of wanting to make love, tested, when the guy discovers the extra piece of foreskin that hinders them. The film follows what happens when he decides to undergo a circumcision. Blouse is a quirky tale that revolves around Shyam getting the perfect blouse stitched for his beloved wife Roopa from the famous Babu tailor.
The problem is that Shyam has lost the sample blouse and Babu asks him to ogle at the bosoms of other women to get tentative measurements that would suit his wife. Manila Running has the central character Jacques caught in a quagmire of predicaments in Philippines where he has landed to get himself an operation he is too shy to talk about. Bawdi revolves around a drought-hit village and explores the plight of the water-starved villagers made worse by the arrival of a cola plant. As the situation worsens, villagers start getting their daughters married outside their village. Victimised by nature and circumstances, a young couple in love embarks on their arduous struggle to get married.
“Screening short films in theatres is still in a nascent stage,” he admits. “But when we screened some of the films for PVR, they were shocked that independent filmmakers can make this quality of films. If the industry reacts like this, imagine the audience,” says an obviously pleased Munish. He can be reached on munish@jamuura.com
The film will be releasing in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Ahemdabad through PVR Director’s Rare.