Even as big-budget movies are falling flat at the box office, the director of Prohor, an Indian film competing in the Asian section of the ongoing 34th International Film Festival of India in New Delhi, says achieving cinematic excellence need not be an expensive affair.
"One can avoid expensive gimmicks and make films with a smaller budget," said Subhadro Choudhury, whose Bengali film is about the relationship between a nurse and his comatose patient.
The film, made on a budget of Rs 22 lakhs, was a debut for many in the crew, including the director.
"Most of us are products of the Film and Television Institute of India and our aim is to make a film that has cinematic excellence while cutting all peripheral costs," he said.
The minimalist style was used both by the cameraperson and the scriptwriter. The camera is a static observer in the film, which does not have any moving shots. The major incidents in the film, like a bomb blast and a rape, are not shown, but only referred to.
The rapport the crew had developed in their previous stints in television helped keep the accounts tight, he said.
Chowdhury has directed several television fiction shows and non-fiction episodes for Doordarshan and private channels. Prohor is his first full-length feature film.
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