Ashvin Kumar
Ashvin Kumar’s short film LITTLE TERRORIST was Academy Award®-nominated in 2005 and has featured in the line-up of no less than 145 festivals, 15 of which garnered awards for the film. In his review of Oscar® shorts for that year, renowned US film critic Roger Ebert commented that, “in 15 minutes, the film builds genuine tension and poignant drama.”
Born in Calcutta and educated in India, the US and Britain, Ashvin’s career began in the theatre, where he both acted and directed, but he felt that a move into cinema would afford him a better storytelling medium. He began by editing films, before transitioning into writing and directing (and even, in early cases, acting in his own short films).
In 2002 Ashvin set up Alipur films, named after a district in Calcutta, with the mandate of bringing Indian films to an international audience. His feature film THE FOREST, a thriller set in the Indian jungle, was released in 2006. He is currently developing two films, THE GREAT INDIAN ITCH and a feature remake of his short film, ROAD TO LADAKH.
What training have you received?
I dropped out of film school after the second semester of a two-year course to put the rest of the course fees into my first short, ROAD TO LADAKH. Thereafter, I pretty much taught myself, hands-on, taking ROAD TO LADAKH and LITTLE TERRORIST through all the steps of production and post-production. Besides that, I watch a lot of films and I read and write scripts and try to become better with each film. Post shooting, I always debrief to figure out what went right and what went wrong, and try to remember it for the next time.
Does your budget limit what you can explore in your films?
Limitations are good: they force you to think, innovate, adapt and try to do so without compromise to your original vision. Sometimes some great dramatic/creative solutions emerge because one is forced to work within limitations. If the budget is large it’s to accommodate an ambitious production, so the struggle against time and financial limitations is the same whether on a large budget or a small one.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a low-budget filmmaker?
Just do it.
Most significant moment in your career so far?
It hasn’t happened yet.
You’ll die happy when…
I’ve made that one feature film that can connect with audiences around the world, and pushes me really far out there. When I feel that, I have really done something special. ■
