Casting a Spell

Somewhat restlessly comfortable in his unkempt, reel-stacked office, Ashim Ahluwalia could pass off as a typical, America-returned young film-maker, yet to unravel the nitty-gritty of the "business" of Indian filmmaking. Well, the image is not exactly true. You could call it an illusion, in fact. He might be fresh out of film school (in New York), but Ashim has already completed his first film — a documentary called Thin Air— and now, he claims to be as certain about an audience as he is about his own conviction as a filmmaker.

In fact, they did not cast a spell on Ashim and his crew either. Before they set out to shoot, they didn’t have any of the three in mind. They started recording candid interviews with magicians across the city. "The most difficult part of the film was to be with them all the time — wherever they performed, whatever they did. We virtually invaded their private space. But that was the only way we could make them comfortable with the camera. Initially most of what they said was contrived. Shailendra painted a very rosy picture of his profession. Before we shot his first show, he convinced us about his popularity. When we started rolling, we captured the contrary. The few kids who were in the party gave him only half-hearted attention. Their parents were just not bothered. The story of Niranjan Mathur was very disturbing. At times, he did not know what he was saying. In fact, he expired before we completed the film. Kruti’s story was again different. There are moments in the film when you can see her parentsgoading her into doing and saying things. It was above all, a rich, yet depressing experience." No wonder the film has a tragi-comic tone — "by turns darkly comic and unsettling". Thin Air bagged the Best Film Award in the South Asian Film Festival at Kathmandu, which also acted as an impetus for the film to go places. "We’ve screened the film in many cities including Hyderabad and Guwahati." Ashim attributes its appeal to the treatment. "It does not make any statements. We decided on the subject off hand. It was not out of any fascination with magicians. That way, we had an open mind. We started shooting randomly and later arrived at the angle the film finally takes."

For the moment, Film Republic, Ashim’s own production company, is also taking work from wherever it comes — even from freelancers to make ad films — "after all, that’s where the money comes from". But as of now, Titoo and Jamini Ahluwalia’s son is looking forward to the screenings of Thin Air. And Ashim shouldn’t be disappointed. The subject apart, the digitally produced film is a good looking one. It is also making an appearance on the Internet. Magic or no magic, this one won’t vanish into thin air!

Thin Air at Little Theatre, NCPA. On March 1. Time: 6.30 pm.
Visit: kilima.com/thinair.