Vikalp Bengaluru, as part of its Doc@Everest series of documentary screenings will show Sandeep Ray’s Sound of Old Rooms on September 25
The documentary by Sandeep Ray (who currently resides in Singapore) has been shot over 20 years in Kolkata.
It traces the life of Sarthak, an Indian man who juggles his desire to be a poet with the practicalities of raising a family. As a college student he had time to drink with friends and discuss his writings; now with work commitments, he struggles to continue his dream. The crumbling home where he was raised and still lives with his nagging but affectionate mother, wife, and young son is extremely cramped; he sleeps, as he has since a child, surrounded by books. Sarthak leads us through Kolkata’s bars, apartments, and alleyways as he tries to understand life and find meaning in his work.
“Even though this film looks back far into the past, I don’t operate out of nostalgia but out of the immediacy of things. If anything the film is nostalgia for the present,” says Ray.
Vikalp Bengaluru is a group of documentary filmmakers in Bangalore who have come together to revive the screening of the best in recent documentary films from India and all over the world and to cultivate a strong, vibrant community of documentary enthusiasts in the city.
The 72-minute film is in Bengali, with English subtitles. The screening is at 7 p.m. at Everest Talkies, Fraser Town. Passes available at the venue before the show.
