Making of "The Passage"

Assam Tribune  May 2005

Only two Indian women filmmakers screened their films in Cannes this year. Vinta Nanda’s White Noise  & Sanchayita Sharma with her film called The Passage (see more about the film in http://www.enazoree.com

Born and bought up in Guwahati, capital of Assam, Sanchayita now lives and works in London. She says about her film: “It is not a formula Bollywood film and I don’t have a track record in filmmaking. So I was not surprised when there weren’t many takers to fund it. But I believed in the story hence I saved for two years and when I fell short of money I literally made the rest of the film out of my credit card. But I wouldn’t like to advice anyone to do that though. Of course, the value of the British pound helped me as it was filmed in India.” 

Before moving to London, Sanchayita had a successful television career in India as a Bollywood request show host, interviewing celebrities. The show "Your Request" was on air for a decade and was the first to hit the record of  100 episodes in Doordarshan North East. She also ventured into the theatre world and had remarkable reviews about her acting skills in plays like Romeo and Juliet (1998); Street Car named Desire (1999) and participated in the Nandikar International Theatre Festival (1998) with Seagull Group, a well known theatre company from Assam.

Excerpts from an earlier interview :

You come from a family that is connected with cinema? What was it like to grow up in that environment?

I was six when I discovered that people paid to watch movies. Since my father owned cinema halls, watching films was not just a regular event but film business was dinner table conversation too. Sholay was the first film I remember that hit my emotional cord. Maybe because the terror was psychological or perhaps I thought Sanjeev Kumar was my father’s look-alike, hence the pain every time I watched it.  For me, Gabbar was the epitome of my filmy villain and the “distributor” word I often heard at home were my real live Gabbars.

North East of India has seen you in front of the camera for a while now. What inspired you to direct a film?

Yes, apart from my TV show which I had fun doing, school and college days brought me closer to a lot of theatre as an actor but I was looking for something more. The business part of filmmaking was more appealing to me rather than directing. To be honest, I never had the nerve to direct until  quiet late in life when I saw Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy. It was Ray’s and Kristov Kieslowski’s treatments that made me look at films from a different angle. It somehow gave me the confidence to direct one.

What was the experience like since this was your first film?

Chaotic! Huge learning experience. It needed a lot of planning, organising and researching. Coordinating things from London prior to production did help to an extent. But before I landed in Guwahati, all I had was my script, that too in English. I had to find someone to translate it to Assamese, choose my cast, film and edit it….all in three weeks of Christmas holidays.. I remember working for more than forty eight hours at a stretch. Finally, I was back to London with my final print.

How did you choose your crew being so far away?

My editor, Manas Adhikari was my contact in Guwahati. I’ve known him since my television days. We worked on the budget over email and phone. He understood my vision, so things were easier. Once I landed in Guwahati, he lined up people and we had a crew ready in no time. I was blessed that Suman Dowerah was my cameraman. We worked earlier during my “Your Request” days and he as a busy diary. It was good to work with him , this time behind the camera. He gave personal interest to my film, which was handy.

 And the location?

When I was storyboarding my script, I drew the hut and a train line running behind it. Some of the dialogues and one particular shot demanded the train nearby. We went location hunting for two days but couldn’t find any. There were logistical issues. We couldn’t afford overnight stays so it had to be in and around town. Once, I visited our family farmhouse and yes, there was a train line passing by but there wasn’t any hut. So we built one. It was still cheaper than moving everyone to another location. Luckily, Dad was filling up the land due to the floods last year so I got help from the existing builders. In fact they were all in the film as part of the crowd and actors in the village play scene too. I visited a roadside hut, clicked exterior and interior pictures and gave it to my art director to replicate it. Perfect!

 What about the cast?

Ah! that was the tricky part. I had Binoy Deka (who played the rebel) in my mind while writing the script. He is a friend from my theatre days and I knew he was apt for the role. Apart from that, I was clueless. I spoke to a few people from London but that didn’t work hence I physically met them once I was in Guwahati and started from there.

 You had non actors in the film. How was it to work with them?

Yes, Two of them. Hari Dutta Das (Atoi) and driver Jagadish. But they were playing themselves. Hari Dutta Das was my aunt’s priest at her local Naamghar ( a holy shrine). We did some rehearsals with him but he was easy going. In fact his last scene was fantastic. His eyes said a lot, the lighting , background sound,  even the creases of his Eri Sador (shawl) was perfect. We did this towards the end of the day when he was a little tired so that I could get that look. I simply asked him to follow my extempore words of sympathy but requested him to use just his eyes and face emotions as he would do in real life. We had it all in one take. Perfect! He turned out to be a serious actor. After we wrapped up filming he confessed that he was now more interested in acting than his day job. He is looking forward to his next shoot! 

My original script had an old driver but during my pre-production days I was driven around town by Jagadish. During my interaction with him, I found out that he had a story to tell. There were several reasons for casting him. He could play himself and could be a “subtle”hint of a probable groom for Pokhili and the most important factor was that he served the rebels but came back home due to the love for his family unlike Bapukan, my catalyst, who was on the other side of the spectrum. I just framed the relevant questions and spoke to him. He answered me just like he did during my pre shoot days.   

Apart from the non actors, I have to mention Dabuda (Prof. Tripathi, who lead me to the wonderful Nikumoni Ba who so seamlessly flowed into her character. Also a special mention should go to Linu Aunty (Aatoi’s wife). She was my mother’s find and I thank my lucky stars that she took up this role.  During my initial meeting with her, I had my doubts but reluctantly went ahead after some confirmation from my mum. Linu Aunty is a sophisticated lady and she would be playing something  entirely opposite to what she is in real life.  She really surprised me with her dedication and hard work. Just before the shoot I see her soaking a brand new mekhela sador in used black tea to get the faded look. She was the voice of my film and she did a fantastic job with it. Can’t complain!

You were very particular about the music in the film. Is that correct?

It is a film based on rural Assam. Guitar and keyboards simply won’t fit in. I wanted authentic Assamese music. My crew recommended Tarali Sarma, a well known singer in Assam. Apparently Tarali and I went to school together. It was great working with an old mate. I love Goalporia lokogeet. There seems to be pathos in this music which blended well with my film. Tarali gave me a combination of Kamrupia and Goalporia which was impressive. Even the first chase scene was done on doba and dhol.

 Which was the best shot in the film according to you?

I think you should ask my viewers. Well, the ending shot of Atoi was moving. But I was personally pleased with the last shot, the reason why I called it “The Passage”. It was exactly how I visualised it to be. The car moves through a hump before entering the tunnel and disappears into the endless tunnel signifying that they had left the darkness behind and going into a brighter world which was seen at the far end, a kind of situation Assam is at the moment. We hope to see the bright side of the tunnel someday soon. For me, it said a lot about the film. Short films are suppose to leave the viewers with a question which I think the shot did but then again this is just my opinion. Some viewers will like it, some might not but that is filmmaking for you. You cannot make a film for everybody.

 Anything interesting that happened during the shoot?

We had a great team, so filming was fun. During breaks, Atoi entertained us with his mythological tales and his new outlook as an actor and the film world. I particularly remember one incident. The night we were to shoot the jungle chase scene, the huge HMI lights were ready but the army actors could not be contacted although they were confirmed. The only phone shop nearby was closed for the night and we were in a no network area so cell phones were useless too. I was at the edge and then my production manager landed up with three local “real” policemen with “real guns”. I was taken aback. They happily wore our army costumes and gave the shot. Very kind!

Anamika Barua

Apart from Cannes, "The Passage" has been screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, private screening at Berlin Film Festival,  Brick Lane Film Festival, Nehru Centre- London, USA & Canada.