A filmmaker and film theorist, Aneek Chaudhuri is currently busy with his first Hindi feature film, The Zebras, starring Sharib Hashmi, Priyanka Sarkar and Usha Banerjee. Set in a fictional location, The Zebras revolves around the topic of Artificial Intelligence and its aftermath in the world of fashion. Also, the script of his recent film, Jharokh, has been selected by the Oscars for inclusion in its library. Chaudhuri, quite interestingly, is also researching colour theory and how colours and mathematics are used in filmmaking at large. We spoke with the director to find out more.
Tell us about The Zebras.
We often say that humans have black-and-white undertones in their characters, but that’s unfathomable, really. A zebra is that one animal, which is both black and white, and we can see it. In the film, we see three characters and how their goodness (white) and evilness (black) are transparent, as that of a zebra, for you to see on screen.
How are the characters sketched?
Priyanka Sarkar plays a model, a character which is very different from what she has played to date. How a beautiful girl transitioned into a monster (symbolic), is something people have never seen before. Priyanka was my first choice since she’s capable of playing both a simpleton and a glam girl. Usha plays the character of a documentary photographer, who is the ‘hunter’. If Priyanka plays the role of a victim, it’s because of Usha that AI spreads like wildfire in the city. Sharib plays a role symbolic of a bridge, connecting everything. The character is that of a calm person who is heavily influenced by K-movies.
Along with making films, you are doing research work on colour theory. What’s that like?
Colours have always influenced me since the time I was 17. I was exposed to the works of Krzysztof Kielowski, Andrei Tarkovsky and Wes Anderson, and the works were a major influence on me. I have always felt that colours and geometry can be used majorly in cinemas. So, I started researching the matter. Since I had been a science student, I realised mathematics played a major role too. In each of my films, I use additions and subtractions of colours. For example, suppose there are two characters and the environment in the background. To attain the colour of the environment, which is say, white, I have to use two shades, blue monochrome and brown/magenta monochrome, according to the subtraction theory of colours. Also, how filmmaking is related to mathematics, how Pythagoras theorem is needed to get the right frame and such, form the basis of my study.
Upcoming works?
Even though this film is very mainstream, very different from my previous films, which were heavily melancholic, I have plans to do something on a big project, which will appeal to the masses.