Dushyanth Goswamy an emerging movie maker from Rajkot

A 30 year old talented person from Rajkot (Gujarat – India),  passionate about movies showers his passion and displays his creativity in making various theme based short movies.

Creativity is his gift from God. Deep thinking differentiates him from the common-herd of humans. A team leader quality, soft by heart, little tough at outside like a coconut.

He believes in doing things perfect, which he calls ‘doing it my way‘.

He runs ‘Cinema Coterie‘ in Rajkot. Every Sunday morning at 10:00 am, Cinema Coterie fans meet up at a common junction, watch a movie – selected from world-wide movies, analyze it, review it and discuss its impact on our lives, and much more. I’m giving introduction of Cinema Coterie below for you to know more about it. And then we will scratch his brain full of creativity by asking some questions.

At High Flyers: Academy of Humanities, we’ve made it a cause to identify and address questions that existence on this planet poses. We do this in many ways and Cinema Coterie is one of such ways.

Cinema Coterie, a venture of the alumni of The Department of English & CLS, Saurashtra University Rajkot, proposes to establish a platform of a like-minded fraternity who would enjoy posing questions about life as they actively participate in analyzing art.

It would carry forward the initial belief that Cinema is a powerful medium to sensitize people about issues contemporary and universal; issues to which, even if a solution is not found, should not be taken to render humans helpless.

But Cinema Coterie certainly doesn’t subscribe to the mindless collage of audio-visual vestiges that generally go in the name of Cinema. So, it invites only a serious, open-minded & tolerant group to be part of it to view and review some of the classics that have been successful in transcending time and space.

Speakbindas: Cinema Coterie in your words?

Dushyanth: This is what we wrote on its promotional poster and I suppose this explains what cinema coterie is.

“The goal of all art is to explain to people the reason for their appearance on this planet; or, if not to explain, at least to pose the question.”

– Andrey Tarkovsky, Russian filmmaker.

Speakbindas: Shade some light on its founders?

Dushyanth: Dushyanth goswamy, an alumnus of The Department of English & CLS, Saurashtra University Rajkot, did found it. Of course it wouldn’t have been possible without efforts of Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee. He is a co-founder. It was formally established on 14th September 2008.

Speakbindas: Brief us on Cinema Coteries membership.
Dushyanth: Anyone with a passionate heart and independent mind can join Cinema Coterie.
Your being an aesthete qualifies you for the membership.

However we expect our audience to be mature and tolerant, for there are films in various languages telling stories about cultures and societies so much unlike ours.

Membership is obtained by paying 900 rupees as annual subscription fees. This fees can be paid in two parts.

Speakbindas: Why it is not FREE?

Dushyanth: If I take the question literally then answer would be…

Nobody values anything catered for free. However I understand this question to be more philosophical and would narrate genesis of cinema coterie. You are at absolute liberty to trim it down to suit your requirement.

We (Dushyanth Goswamy and Dr. Mukherjee) have been thinking about such society (film club) for more than a year. The thought took its root when I (Dushyanth Goswamy) returned from FTII, Pune after my Film Appreciation course. Often we would talk about the state of art and culture in Rajkot and mourn.We reached a conclusion that art cannot be and will not be produced unless the people are made aware of its existence. I started going to various colleges all over Saurashtra with my film appreciation programmes to spread “cine literacy”. I still conduct those workshops.

All the while, I was writing screenplays, making corporate films and short movies. I had also gathered a rich collection of over 1200 films from world over. So now this had to be the time we create a space where people can come and get exposure of gems of world cinema. Thus, was born Cinema Coterie. We formally met Dr. Mehta (HoD) to get his consent. He readily agreed and allowed us to use the premises on Sundays and holidays.

Posters were put up at various places where sensible youth hang out and in two weeks, on 14th September 2008, we were there with our first screening.

On first Sunday we screened a Canadian film “Fly Away Home” directed by Carroll Ballard.On next Sunday we had a discussion round wherein some local filmmakers introduced the audience to various elements of filmmaking.

Next was “Meghe Dhaka Tara” – a bengoli film directed by Ritwik Ghatak

Last Sunday we completed a month of Coterie’s existence and we celebrated it in the presence of Mr. Bharat Rana. He has been into directing films and tv serials for more than a decade. He addressed members and guided young filmmakers amongst us.

Speakbindas: How the students would be benefited?

Dushyanth: Cinema is not just a means of entertainment but it’s a visual text. Both, literature and cinema apply similar set of tools for its analysis. So when students of literatures are exposed to cinema their understanding of the creative processes that go into writing increases. Their sensibilities are also cultivated.

What concrete benefit we observed in the group we are working with is that in month’s time, students have started articulating their thoughts in English. Cinema is certainly enhancing their linguistic capacities.

Many of the students have started writing stories and screenplays. Something that rarely happens even after 5 years of university course in literature is happening very naturally at Cinema Coterie. We intend to produce and promote new talents in the fields of literature and cinema.

Speakbindas: What kinds of films you’re planning to screen at Cinema Coterie?

Dushyanth: We have divided four Sundays of a month like this

1st Sunday – European films (French, German, Polish, Swedish etc.)

2nd Sunday – Indian regional films

3rd Sunday – Hollywood classics

4th Sunday – award winning short films/ documentaries and nonfiction films

The pattern is devised to cultivate audiences’ taste and provide a guided exposure to sensitize their aesthetic sensibilities.

We don’t screen films dubbed in Hindi. Whatever films we screen are in original languages. There are subtitles for better understanding.

These are names of some of the films from our collection

(Bergman’s) Wild Strawberries, Shame, The Virgin Spring.

(Mani Rathnam’s) Mauna Ragam, Nayakan, Anjali, Thalpathy, Roja, Bombay, Iruvar, Dil Se, Alaipayuthey, Kannathil Mutthmital, Aayitha Ezhuthu

(Giuseppe Tornatore’s) Malèna

(Felini’s) La strada, 8 and 1/2, Roma

(Tarkovsky’s) My Name is Ivan, Andrei Rublev, Solaris, Mirror, Stalker, Nostalghia

(Pedro Almodovar’s) Todo sobre mi madre, Talk to Her, Volver

(Andrés Wood) Machuca

(Krzysztof Kieslowski’s) Blind Chance, Dekalog, A Short Film About Love, Three Colours Trilogy {Red, Blue, White}

(Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s) The Merchant of Four Seasons

(Luis Bunuel’s) Un chien andalou, Diary of a Chambermaid

(Alejandro Gonzelez I??rritu’s) Babel

(Godard’s) Breathless

(Norman McLaren) Pas de Deux

(Kurosawa’s)Rashomon, Seven Samurai, REd Beard

(Yasujir? Ozu’s) Tokyo Story, The End of Summer

(Kiarostami’s) Where is the Friend’s Home

(F.W. Murnau’s) Sunrise

…and list could go on and on and on… I am also sending small posters of some of the films.

Speakbindas: What is the outcome of the project?

Dushyanth: Perhaps nothing. Perhaps, everything.

If we believe arts to contain force and strength to mould societies then are shaping up minds that will be part of new world, new society. We are initiating people into something that will bring about a transformation in them from within.

Looking at it practically – it has no outcome. We meet up. Watch a film. Discuss it over a cup of tea and depart.

Speakbindas: What is the goal: short term and long term?

Dushyanth: Spreading Cine literacy is one.

To provide platforms to likeminded artists is two.

I have a personal agenda of creating 10 filmmakers within a year from this Small Cinema Coterie.

We want to set up a parallel film industry which will be producing sensible films to leave its mark on the sands of time.

I am proud of my language to an extent of arrogance and I want to put art of my region on the global map.I believe that language is the career of culture. I will see to it that films we make serve the purpose right.

Speakbindas: Briefs on founder members…

Dushyanth:

Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee

An assistant professor at the department of English and comparative literary studies, Saurashtra university, Rajkot

He is an alumnus of MSU, Baroda (studied English literature)

His Ph.D. is on Culture studies.

(rest can be gathered from him. He can be contacted on 9374100711)

Dushyanth Goswamy

An alumnus of department of English and comparative literary studies, Saurashtra university, Rajkot. Studies art history from department of Fine Arts, MSU, Baroda.

Been to film appreciation course at FTII, Pune

Writes lyrics, composes music for films, ad filmmaker and jingle composer (Hues and Shades), filmmaker (mythmaker films), art teacher (High Flyers: Academy of Humanities), literary trainer (this will be new to you. This means I have been training students all over Gujarat to enable them write fiction and screenplays. This is not a formalized institution but I continually inspire, prepare, and train young authors / artists. Its result is out. In last week of October we are coming out with a new Guajarati novel one such new author), publisher, designer, content deviser, copy writer, visualize (I have been doing all these simultaneously for one or the other company like Mythmaker Films, Wide Margin Books, Mindfiesta.com, Hues and Shades etc.)

Speakbindas: Share some special and interesting message with us.

Dushyanth: Some names I must not forget to mention before I end.

Vikas Rajpopat: He is a copywriter with Radio Mirchi. This is how he is known to the world. But we know him as an agitated talent who came to us all bewildered and anxious. In following years we saw him taking shape. Now he is a short filmmaker and also looks after a publication house as a professional reader.

Nilesh Lathiya: He is our superman. During day he works like an ordinary guy in government sector. But in nights he becomes that omnipotent film editor. He doesn’t just edit our films but he also keeps our whims trimmed.

Watch us grow. Watch us spread.

People who are interested can contact

Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee : 9374 100 711

Dushyanth Goswamy : 9898 7 9595 3

Vikas Rajpopat : 99090 11233

Venue: Department of English and CLS,

Saurashtra University

Rajkot