There is no film policy, infra or financial support from the Govt
Ranchi’s young film-makers Niranjan Kumar, Anuj, Samant C lakra and Ankur Chakravorty recently bagged honours at national and global platforms but with several challenges due to the Government’s negligence. The case has been similar with senior film-makers of the region as well.
Ever since the State has come into existence, there is no film policy, infrastructure or financial support from the Government’s side. For Ankur, a pass-out student of St Xavier’s College’s Mass Communication and Video Production department it was his debut in achieving the Best Film Award for his fiction film ‘Juliet’ at Tata Steel’s Super Shorts on September 16. He worked on the audio, script, editing, research and direction all alone.
“The biggest problem is that when we are new, we do not get sponsors. So, funding is the biggest issue. As such, you need to cut down the cost which directly affects the quality of the story you want to convey. Again, when it comes to casting, especially in an English language, it does become a little difficult. language barrier still exists to a certain extent in Jharkhand and sometimes communication falters,” he said.
Similarly, Samant Christopher lakra, a pass out of the same department who also owns a degree of Film and Television Institute of India lack of infrastructure and basic technical facilities compels a film student
of Jharkhand to rely on Mumbai or Kolkata film industries. lakra has worked in a Nepali film ‘The Beaten Path’ which won short film peace award in Sweden Film Fest this year.
“If the Government cannot provide us financial assistance or infrastructure, they can atleast encourage us to work on trial basis in promotional films of various departments like Tourism or Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan,” Niranjan said. His film was selected at the 44th International Film Festival 2013 and at SAARC Film Festival 2014.
State’s first Film Maker Shri Prakash who was honoured with a National Film Award in 2009 for a documentary film named ‘Pahadi’ sharing the grassroot hurdles of senior film makers like him, Meghnath and Sriram Dalton said he now motivates college students aspiring to make a career in films to think of working outside the State.
“Earlier, we used to train students in research, camera work and editing. But, now we are scared of supervising them since few days a local artist committed suicide due to no support from the administration regarding his career. Rural artists are never promoted. Workshops on theatre or film production are rarely held here. The case is completely different in other States. Every one is the Government is corrupted,” he said.
Both the young and senior artists seem worried for the local artists who have been selected for a tribal based movie ‘Sonchand’.