Ayan Sil’s latest ‘Unbroken’ is a homage to Mental Health Awareness month
As the Mental Health Awareness month comes to a close, film maker Ayan Sil’s latest independent directorial Unbroken, produced by Ushoshi Sengupta was recently screened at The Warehouse Café in the presence of the cast and crew. This three and a half minute musical video without dialogues is a testament that sometimes the deepest emotions can be expressed without the need to use a vocabulary.
The film stars popular faces from the Bengali entertainment industry namely Tuhina Das, Sauraseni Maitra, Ushasi Ray, Devlina Kumar, Gourab Chatterjee, Rishav Basu, Rajdeep Gupta, Srijla Guha, Niranjan Mondal, Singini Chowdhury and Alkaria Hashmi; and the lyrics have been penned down by Nilesh Bhattacharya with Kuntal De taking the lead in as composer and vocals. We caught up with Ayan to know more about the short film, which can now be viewed on YouTube.
Excerpts from the chat…
What’s the genesis of Unbroken?
It started with Ushoshi and me trying to make a film because we were both going through difficult times. I felt as an artiste I could express myself better through my work. It’s basically stories inspired from Ushoshi and my life which I have put on screen. Since this is Mental Health Awareness Month, I thought it is a very good time to spread awareness about this.
It does not talk about mental health as such because it’s a very vast subject and I not being a professional in that field I did not want to portray anything incorrect, I just wanted to share my emotions. It is important to accept first before you go for therapy. There was no better way to show it than to get actors who people watch on screen every day.
What’s the concept of the film?
It’s a short musical film without any dialogues. It has a lot of stories inspired from different occasions in my life like losing parents, pet or going through a breakup. Those are difficult times.
Is it easy or challenging to work with an ensemble cast?
I had a very good time because all of the actors are marvelous and they are friends too. It was about giving them a platform where they can be at par with any international cast. In fact, the song is in Hindi but the cast is from the Bengali film industry.
How do you think content viewing has evolved over the years?
Content is way more accessible today. When I go to my village I see people sitting at the chai shops and watching leading OTT platforms. Audiences have now accepted all kinds of contents. They watch Hindi content dubbed in Bengali. I have seen people watching Dune dubbed in Bengali. As content makers it’s our job to give them that. I have faith in our audience.
How is the changing pattern of content consumption affecting the directors?
It’s more challenging now since people are viewing a lot of content globally. Earlier people used to be bothered about the cast but now they are interested in content. While this may be difficult for a director its also liberating in the sense that I do not always need to work with big names. I can find a good actor who fits the role and that will still work. But there is a lot of competition, pressure and budgets have decreased. However, this has given rise to a lot of new directors, actors, and musicians.
What’s the roadmap with Unbroken?
We have plans to send it to film festivals.
What do you like to watch?
I watch a lot of fantasy, horror and thrillers.
What’s the last content you watched?
3 Body Problem
What is that one thing that prevents you from being broken?
It’s the feeling of carrying on. I harden myself up and keep going. Of course, making films helps me a lot.
Are you currently working on any movie?
I am working on the prep for a few movies.