6th Jagran Film Festival: Crowdfunding to the rescue

Kunal Kapoor says indie filmmakers won’t have to compromise on their creativity with the advent of an alternative finance system in Bollywood

On the closing day of the 6th Jagran Film Festival, Kunal Kapoor discussed the importance and benefits of crowdfunding as a form of alternative finance. The actor spoke extensively about his company, Ketto, which was launched three years ago to help people make films or pursue an art form through crowdfunding.

Kunal Kapoor. Pic/Sameer Markande

“People are coming up with great ideas, but the affluent people select only a few concepts to make a film which they feel are good. But through crowdfunding, one will be able to make the kind of films that people want to watch. It is more or less a democratic process,” he says.

The actor also believes that this funding practice will soon be the next big thing in Bollywood. “It will become a normal thing to do in the near future since you will not have to compromise on your creativity. Anyway, it creates enough buzz on digital platforms, so there is a possibility that the film will perform well at the box office,” adds Kunal.

Talking about the initiatives that his company has taken recently, Kunal reveals, “We have supported a dancer as well as a documentary maker. We will also support films that are stuck midway or awaiting release.”

Lessons on light and lens
Ashwini Kaul, a senior faculty member at the Whistling Woods International, attended the 6th Jagran Film Festival, which drew to a close yesterday.

Ashwini Kaul (left) at a masterclass as part of the 6th Jagran Film Festival. Pic/Sameer Markande

The enlightening session included a basic lesson on lights and how it could be used to capture the subject in an aesthetic manner. The interactive session saw a huge participation by students of cinematography, photography enthusiasts and aspiring filmmakers. Kaul also offered them a tip or two on clicking pictures through various kinds of lenses.

Films for business
On October 4, KV Sridhar, CCO of SapientNitro, made an appearance at the festival. The renowned ad filmmaker spoke at length about the detailing that goes into making an impactful commercial.

He also mentioned that those of his ilk are much more socially responsible than they were before. He says, “I came up with the ‘I am a Complan boy’ ad quite easily, but in today’s time, I can’t afford to do that because people may ask why can’t it be a Complan girl.” Sridhar also mentioned that ad filmmakers experiment a lot in terms of concepts as compared to feature filmmakers.

The award goes to...

Life Time Achievement Award: Shashi Kapoor
Cinema of the Sellers — Gold: Ogilvy & Mather — Fevi kwik Parade Campaign — Sriyanta Ghosh& Shoaib Alib
Cinema of the Sellers — Silver: RK Swami BBDO — Skymet Weather’s Initiative: #HelpTheFarmer — Rashmi Ambastha and Ankur Suman
Cinema of the Sellers — Bronze: DDB Mudra Group — Sony Max Pepsi IPL 2015 — India Ka Tyohaar Main Film — Sweet shop — Sonal Dubral
Best Short Film: Kathakaar by Abhimanyu Kanodia
Special Jury Award —Acting in Shortfilm: Sri Swara for Teaspoon
Best Screen Play: Juhi Chaturvedi for Piku
Best Cinematography: Pankaj Kumar for Haider
Best Set Design: Vandana Kataria for Detective Byomkesh Bakshi
Best Sound (re-recordist): Anish John for Asha Jaoar Majhe
Best Editing: Pooja Ladha Surti for Badlapur
Best Singer (Female): Jyoti Nooran for Tanu Weds Manu Returns
Best Singer (Male): Sukhwinder Singh for Haider
Best Background Score: Sanjay Wandrekar and Atul Raninga for PK
Best Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj for Haider
Best Female Supporting Actor: Tabu for Haider
Best Male Supporting Actor: Sanjay Mishra for Masaan
Special Jury Award —Actor: Vicky Kaushal for Masaan
Special Jury Award — Film: Postcard by Gajendra Ahire
Best Debut Director: Neeraj Ghaywan for Masaan
Best Female Actor: Bhumi Pednekar for Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Best Male Actor: Dulal Sarkaar for Chotoder Chobi
Best Director: Shoojit Sircar for Piku
Best Feature Film: Chotoder Chobi
Outstanding Contribution to Indian Cinema: Pandhari Juker

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