Pawan Kumar

Films

Well, when it comes to films I have been very lucky at times. Most of the work I did helped me go up another level. Some of the feature and short films I have worked on are as follows – (click on the image for more details)

The Filmy Journey

In the end of 2005 I started watching a lot of movies. And I would see them all day again and again. This further developed to reading screenplays. I started liking what one could do in the films medium. I wanted to learn more. I again packed my bags and ran to Mumbai to do more work in films. Unlike Theatre, work in films is super slow and completely unreliable. A project that takes off today will be shelved in a week. Big names Big Promises and months together of waiting. Luckily I had to go through that ordeal only for sometime.

Reaching Mumbai and looking around for few weeks got me a job as an Executive Producer at the Neela Tele Films. It was in its very initial stages. During the research and the pre production I got to travel in remote parts of the coastal  Gujarat. I was given a handy cam, and I freaked out, though I was fully burnt by the time I returned.  I shot about 10 hours of footage, came back and made my first Travelogue called ‘Oceanside Blues’. Nothing great but still my first!

That project didn’t materialize and had to move on. I bumped into a friend Karan Makhija whom you all would have seen in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. He was involved in making corporate films. I joined him for few months and worked on all sorts of corporate films. This is where I brushed up my skills in editing. Everyday I used to sit and edit films using Final Cut Pro, not only did I learn to use the machine but also understood the importance of editing. Using Karan’s editing studio and camera I made the short film ‘A Perfect Day’. More about that film in the Short Films section.

History repeated again. I had to come back to Bangalore. So I was back again but this time with more knowledge in films. I started teaching films in a college and was working as a freelance editor for corporate films. Exposing myself to loads of shots and to the process of joining, cutting, syncing and story telling. All these projects unknowingly were helping me learn things about film making. In the process I made more short films and got selected for Talent Campus at the Osians Films Festival. The workshops and the exposure was enriching beyond expectations.

All the while I was constantly looking for acting opportunities and I got one. Suri of Duniya fame cast me as the vilian for his movie Inthi Ninna Preethiya. Things got moving for me from there. Though the movie did average business, my performance was applauded. This got me to meet Yogaraj Bhatt. We started talking about films and he felt that I had the potential to write for films and thats it. Since Jan 2008 to date I have been working with him on various films projects. And I guess that is what is going to continue for some more time to come.