MUMBAI: Life during the lockdown was far from ordinary with everyone being stuck in their houses, fighting a common, unseen enemy and a story on exactly this was what attracted actor Satyajit Sharma to be part of the short film Every Life Matters. Produced by Girish Arora, the film talks about the trauma faced by people from different sections of society.
“I got the script and I liked it very much. There was this connection that happened immediately. Apart from the fact that it was a simple story, it was loaded with emotional content and as to how people connected with each other and so on. It drew me to that story and the time we were in. I was immediately on board. I wanted to do it,” he says.
He adds, “It’s a simple tale to tell. What attracted me was the way it was told. The emotional content of it. We were all vulnerable during that period. That is what hooked me, honestly speaking. Personal integrity and honesty also played a part. Sudeep (Sarangi, actor) was so passionate about it and that passion tends to rub on you. You say that someone believes in it and you want to be part of it. And you believe in it yourself eventually and find more like-minded people. Dadhi (Pandey, director) and I had worked as actors recently on a show and we have known each other for 20 years.”
Talking about working with Girish from Sane Insane Pictures, Satyajit says, “He is an amazing man. He is personally invested in his crew and the people who are working for him. That’s a big deal. He is not someone who will delegate work to his staff and disappear. He is a hands-on kind of guy even before the crew has arrived. Personally, arranging for breakfast and meals for people. It created a very homely atmosphere. He has our back and we know that. That is very reassuring to know and be aware of. This was a beautiful experience because of Girish himself. That’s the kind of person and producer he is.”
Satyajit, who plays a businessman in the film, says that the way his character evolves is what attracted him to the story. “He is this very rash, rude, typical successful man who doesn’t care about the people around him. He is a goal-motivated businessman. But as the story unravels and you realise that he also has his demons to fight and baggage that he is carrying, somewhere in the corner of his heart, he is not as hard as he seems to be. That duality, paradox in the character, that kind of unravelling is always exciting.”
Meanwhile, with OTT and online content gaining popularity, this is a great time to be part of the industry, says the actor. “It’s a great time to be part of the industry. The fact that the volume of work has increased. This helps everyone, technicians, actors, storytellers…everyone benefits from more work in the pool. I think it’s a great time. As far as storytellers or people who are concept writers, for them, it is so much more exciting. They can tell a lot of stories that they could not have had in the conventional mainstream medium. The short film format has come into its own and is a big deal. Take for example this film…these are well-crafted stories, well written. And then you have people like Girish who are willing to invest and shoot it like a full-fledged project. These avenues are great,” he says.
The jury of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival recently awarded the short film Every Life Matters as 4th Runner up.
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