Asian “art” independent film – The Violin Player – seen at the 24th Raindance Film Festival

 

Bauddhayan Mukherji and his wife attended the showing of this film, having come from a festival in Zurich,  Europe the day before.  The Violin Player was scripted and directed by Mukherji and is independent film at its best.  I defy anyone to predict what happens in the second and third acts of the film without seeing it.  It is multi-layered and open to a multitude of final interpretations but Mukherji did tell the audience that the story was partly based on an actual occurrence to one of his contacts in Mumbai, though apparently in the original true story the violinist refused to play. Mukherji insists the heart takes over the mind in the film and he wants the audience to “watch the match not play it”. The story definitely leaves the audience wondering what happened afterwards, and the lengthy play on ones concentration at the beginning of the saga draws the viewers  in and has underlying nuances which are hinted at.

Looking at how hard it is for qualified and talented musicians to make a living, talented film makers, and young people in the acting world, Mukherji says this is a survival story of 3 people who are almost or actually crossing the line to survive, and we are the people who view their attempts to make something special out of their difficult lives.  He states “dichotomy still lives and with it there is hope”.  This is Mukherji’s second feature, his first being 3 Obsessions.  He insists his films are for a niche audience.  He works in advertising and makes commercials for the film industry. I enjoy traditional Bollywood movies of which more are made per year than in Hollywood.  However, I must say that Independent film is an underestimated excitement for all of us who have a “visual dependency” and these are both so stimulating and rarified at present that I feel they should be featured more in multi-media including on our television screens.  Some are definitely not suitable for younger audiences.

I  met Mr Mukherji and his wife briefly and remarked that The Violin Player has echoes of Hitchcock in its content.  Mukherji knows his films are niche but we must all as viewers learn to appreciate the less visited aspects of the imagination which, with a little work is transported to us via film media.

Independent film makers who make it to festivals know how to transport their viewers to new and sometimes afore-u nivisited dimensions leaving the viewer with food for thought and new stories to mull over.

Whilst I am one of the people who thinks that “old” films including James Bond should have regular showings in some cinemas, which the Prince Charles does do, I am also a film lover who loves new stories.  Being a screenwriter myself, I hope to have one of my scripts long or short given “long shrift” and I have witnessed at The Raindance 24th Film Festival in London that there is virtually no limit to what you can transport from a laptop or writing pad to the silver screen.  Look for these films mentioned in The Saturn Herald and  if you can see them elsewhere, do try to do so and enjoy.

Penny Nair Price