A dinosaur wakes up

The Films Division, once the most vibrant and prolific film production house of the
country, is looking forward to newer roles to shake up its image of being a dormant
organisation, writes Derek Bose

FOR all the media attention and public interest the 60 years of completion of the Films Division of India has generated, this could well be another desultory year in the history of the world’s largest production house for documentary and short films. Even the minister concerned (for Information and Broadcasting), Anand Sharma did not bother to show up for the diamond jubilee celebrations at Mumbai recently.

Obviously, nobody cares. In truth, many do not know of the existence of the Films Division (FD). Fewer still are aware that this government organisation, which has been at the vanguard of the short films’ movement in India, is the largest repository of recorded history — in both celluloid and digital formats — with close to 8,500 titles to its name. All major filmmakers — from Satyajit Ray to Adoor Gopalakrishnan to Shyam Benegal, Gulzar, Prakash Jha and Vidhu Vinod Chopra — have directed films for the FD. Another little-known fact is that it houses a world-class research and reference centre and has an international digital film archive with more than 10,000 rare prints sourced from all over the planet.

But beyond this archival role, what does the organisation have to offer for the future? FD chief Kuldeep Sinha is quite upbeat on this count. From upgrading film making technology and training of technicians to holding film festivals and introducing digital textbooks in collaboration with educational institutions, the man has many plans lined up. One project particularly close to his heart is starting a television channel exclusively for documentary films.

"As pioneers of the documentary film movement, we are eminently suited to run this channel. It would be the first TV channel of its kind, not only in India but in the whole of Asia. I am sure that with regular telecasts on this channel, the gap of understanding between documentaries and the audience will narrow down."

In the early 1980s, the exhibitors rebelled against paying one per cent of box-office collections for showing "government approved films". The issue landed in court and the exhibitors won. The stoppage of FD screenings in commercial theatres across the country came as a huge body blow for the organisation from which it is yet to recover.

At one stroke, it lost not only its revenue source but also the visibility it had enjoyed with the masses. To make matters worse, television came into India in a big way, rendering it redundant.

Left to survive on grants from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, FD has since remained a dormant organisation — a slumbering giant commanding an enormous work force, infrastructure and equipment worth crores (mostly gathering dust) and landed property located in prime locations in almost all major Indian cities. Once every two years, it shakes itself up to hold the MIFF (Mumbai International Film Festival) for documentary, short and animation films in February and thereafter, relapses into slumber.

Given this background, Sinha’s efforts at starting a dedicated documentary channel on TV should come as a shot in the arm for FD. For one, its films would once again, find a platform to be "seen". Two, its resources should be optimally utilised. Three, short filmmakers across the country, would find a rallying point as in the good old days and build upon common synergies. Four, with intelligent programming and smart marketing strategies, it can even be financially self-sustaining, if not profitable. And finally, regular telecast of documentary and short stories would raise public awareness about this much neglected area of filmmaking and over a period of time, create a brand equity for the channel.

All this sounds fine. But who will put in the money for such a channel? Tragically enough, the government is expected to step in here also. As Sinha puts it: "The basic objective of a documentary is to record and present events for posterity. This is education stuff, like textbooks." "Documentaries are an integral part of a nation’s heritage," declares filmmaker Jabbar Patel, who has made six films for the FD in the past.

However, what could be difficult for FD is changing its mindset. Contemplating a TV channel, by itself betrays outdated thinking in this age of rapid technological progress sweeping across the film and media sectors. Today, everybody is talking of ‘nanoisation’ of films — short clips that tell a story, which can be delivered across multiple platforms like the internet and mobile telephones for good money. FD should be positioning itself to exploit these emerging opportunities.It is only with such out-of-the-box thinking that FD would be able to reclaim its past glory.

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