Former IT researcher finds success in making films with a social impact

Tanmay Shah, founder and CEO of FridayFictionFilms, believes limitations breed creativity. In an interview with Bizz Buzz, Shah, a former IT researcher turned filmmaker, shared his unconventional journey and the company's mission to create social impact films

What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers, particularly those with limited resources or unconventional backgrounds?

Coming from an unconventional background works as an asset. If one masters a medium, then lateral knowledge also adds a lot of variety to the overall filmmaking trajectory of a maker. Working with limited resources gives an opportunity to invent new ways to produce films. It gives a chance to newer ways to solve production problems.

Could you elaborate on the inception of FridayFictionFilms and your journey within the film industry, as the company's founder and CEO?

I was working as a research associate at IIT-Bombay, implementing algorithms for traffic intelligence systems, and a design student approached me from the design department to write a script for a computer game. This pro-bono assignment led to making a small film for the launch of the game. My newfound passion and fascination with the medium of film led me to leave my job to make films independently. In 2015, the 52FilmProject took place, where I created 52 films in 52 weeks based on social issues. Furthermore, I established my company, which specialises in crafting films for corporations from different sectors.

How did the concept of the '52FilmsProject' come about, and what were the main hurdles you encountered in producing 52 short films in a single year?

The idea was to make films on social issues persistent at the grass-roots level. I wanted to highlight the issues individuals face in their everyday lives. I wanted these films to reflect the essence of reality for a larger audience and to create a separate voice around social issues that needed to be talked about and not limited to big-screen films that raised them. I thought, why not make one short film every week since there were 52 Fridays in 2015? My initial plan was to execute the film production during the weekdays and to release the film on Fridays on our YouTube channel. As I wanted these films to represent real people more rather than enacting a scripted story, I cast people I found on the streets as my actors. For instance, I turned the bank managers working in a private bank into actors in these films. And that is how the base of my zero-budget 52FilmsProject came into existence.

There were many hurdles such as, I didn't want any repetition of lead characters in the films, and because of that, we faced the challenge of finding different people every week to act. Convincing new people every week for the permit to shoot on their premises was another task. Handling the pro-bono project was tough when we couldn't move forward with the script due to the alignment issues of the actors and the location's allotment timings on Tuesday, especially when we had to release the film on Friday. Working with kids from private and municipal schools in villages was another task. Also, during the monsoon, it would rain for almost 5 days straight, and pulling out a film with no additional resources was again a big challenge. In 2015, due to the political turmoil in Gujarat, all internet services were temporarily suspended. It was a difficult time for us as it was difficult to upload our film on Friday on YouTube, but somehow we managed during those nerve-wrenching times.

'Pinch of Salt' is a notable achievement in your portfolio. What inspired you to delve into the narrative of salt pan workers in Gujarat, and what was the impact of the documentary on both its audience and the subjects portrayed?

As I was working for an NGO, I had to make a film for their fundraising. During that process, I got to know about the salt pan workers, who they are, and how they work. I wanted to showcase the people behind this process and how, for the past 500 years, these people have spent their lives for it. I wanted to tell their journey in a musical way and not just state the facts. I used the local poems written and sung in the Rann as a backdrop and made the film. The film won 19 awards at international film festivals around the world. Set in the Gujarati language, the film went through more than seven different language-speaking nations. I wanted the music of the film to be original music from the local musicians from the Little Rann of Kutch. In one of the film festivals, the best music background score was awarded to the salt pan worker. It was a moment of great delight. The film moved people; while travelling in the USA, Amsterdam, and Puerto Rico, the audience felt a connection with the people shown in the film and could also empathise with the salt pan worker’s hard life.

Your transition from IT to filmmaking is quite noteworthy. What significant moments or experiences influenced this career shift, and how did your IT background contribute to your success in the film industry?

It was a spur of the moment. Not in my wildest of dreams I thought I would be making films. I just followed what I felt at that moment, the joy of seeing what was on a piece of paper as mere characters as real people on screen. Also now so many more will see the film and will be able to feel these characters that was a powerful tool. More than IT, it was my good hold over Mathematics and Physics that made understanding cameras fun and easy.

With accolades from record-keeping bodies, how do you approach creativity and innovation in filmmaking, particularly when faced with limited resources or zero-budget projects?

Having limited resources invites a great opportunity to find newer means of making films. A lot can be achieved with just a camera, a tripod, and editing software. If one focuses on experimenting with ways of storytelling and does not link it with being overly dependent on filmmaking equipment, the entire production process finds ways to create means to ends. You never know; in this process, a newer style of making can be developed with this mindset. Also, even when equipped with the resources, there are certain situations where it is not allowed to use those resources due to permission constraints, space constraints, or safety measures. The makers find ways to make it happen by best utilising the available resources.

Your TEDx talk, ‘is dreaming enough?’ touched on significant themes. Could you elaborate on the central ideas of your talk and their connection to your journey and storytelling in your films?

The TEDx talk is about realising what is a dream and how it is a function of time and space. It reflects on how we have so little time over a lifetime to follow our dreams. It also talks about how dreams and sub-dreams are so different. At times, we confuse sub-dreams as dreams and think that is what we want to do and end up giving up. I followed my passion for making films and made 52 films in a year. I also figured out how so many people have a sub-dream of acting in films in India so I catered to that and worked with 150 such individuals to act in my films.

Looking to the future, what are your aspirations and objectives for FridayFictionFilms, and what can audiences anticipate from your forthcoming projects?

FridayFictionFilms in upcoming years, is willing to make films exploring newer social issues like climate change and catering to corporations with an inclination towards social causes related to financial literacy, safe driving and child education. FridayFictionFilms will be working on large short and feature-length documentaries about art and music this year.

Discuss the impact of streaming services on the Indian film industry?

The impact of streaming services in India is quite a unique one. Not only is it embracing more homegrown content but also providing more recognition to the creators of shorter formats of entertainment. Through these endeavours, various kinds of production values get a distribution advantage, along with bringing fresh vernacular content into the mainframe.

Highlight how Friday Fiction Films is adapting to this changing landscape and exploring opportunities in the digital space.

FridayFictionFilms was always in harmony with the digital space with its initial productions being on a platform as widely consumed as YouTube, to having a short film on streaming platforms such as Disney+ Hotstar. Along with these strides, we are on the lookout to even put forth shorter content for consumption on such avenues, so that it reaches the audience in different ways.

Discuss the importance of film festivals in promoting independent cinema.

Film festivals have created a great platform for independent cinema. One that creates space for viewers to come and view independent films, interact with makes and also create opportunities for collaboration in future projects.