Skhizein Me. (Short Film)

Film Festival Selection:

• SiGNS 2015 9th Edition - Federation of Film Societies of India - Kerala.
• 5^th Half International Festival 2015 – Insight. Palakkad, Kerala.

Synopsis:

A troubled man seems to be engaging in a gruesome act witnessed by a spectator. The man, covered in blood, prods and entices the spectator to watch his masterful work. The spectator’s lack of interest makes the man angry.

Production Note:

This short film was shot over a single night with a crew of just three members, the director, camera man and the lead actor. The post production work was completed in another twelve hours, over a couple of days.

Credits:

Produced and Directed by Pradeep Kumar (Oldboy Productions Pvt. Ltd.)

Actors: Ragavendran, Pradeep

Cinematography: Balaji VC

Editor: Dorai Prakash SA

Sound Design: Dorai Prakash, Pradeep Kumar

Art Direction: Pradeep Kumar

This is technically my debut short film as all my previous works were part of my film school years. My last short film which I wrote and directed was back in 2012 as my graduation project at film school. That film's overall cost was around two lacks involving so many people and a lot of issues. I pushed myself too much to achieve quite some impossible goals. Even though that was my fourth short film I consider it to be my worst film. When you are distracted by a thousand problems you forget to concentrate on the most primary things you require to execute your ideas. Handling incompetence teaches you to not compromise, ever.  

To shoot another film after so long with a minimal crew of just three, plus the editor was quite a liberating experience. This film only cost me around four thousand rupees to make. All the people involved believed in the story and we tried to make it better. This proved to be a far more satisfying experience compared to my last project which I now consider a disaster. 

Pradeep Kumar   

The Art of Acting

Some of the most brilliant Actors are not even part of the Film Industry. No wonder many mediocre and talented film actors aspire to the next level - POLITICS.

My Beliefs - Part 4

Learning is constant. We learn from the intelligent, we learn equally or more from the stupid and idiotic.

Before you criticize, question yourself about what you eventually would contribute with your critique.

Most of the times, your opinions do not matter. To the very few to whom it does, be sure to share.

Hate is too strong an Emotion to waste on people who don’t matter.

You are as brilliant and idiotic as the people you are surrounded by.

Every idiot believes he or she is a Genius.

Playing multiple personalities in real life is considered to be normal, we play diverse roles according to our assumptions and facts we know about the rest. The ones who cannot or do not want to act these roles continuously will mostly be considered abnormal.

If I look absolutely ridiculous and stupid to you in whatever I say or do, in all probability you look the same to me :)

Cheers
Pradeep Kumar

My Favourite Films

I've restricted my list to English and Foreign language Cinema. I had two simple criteria for making this list, movies that were mind F'king / Inspiring and the ones that I've watched a gazillion times. 

So In very specific, reverse order here's my top ten till now.

Police Story I - Jackie Chan

Kill Bill - Quentin Tarantino

12 Angry Men - Sidney Lumet

Fight Club - David Fincher

Alien - Ridley Scott
Bladerunner - Ridley Scott

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain - Jean Pierre Jeunet

The Silence of the Lambs - Jonathan Demme

Godfather I - Francis Ford Coppola

and of course the No.1 is...

Oldboy - Chan Wook Park

and the next ten in no particular order...

Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance

Lady Vengeance

The Shining

Snatch

JFK

Evil Dead

Cannibal Holocaust

Singin' In The Rain

Notting Hill

Spygame

Mother, Daughter, Wife / Girlfriend, Sister Syndrome.

Whenever men say a woman is a mother, daughter, wife, sister suggesting that they should be celebrated and worshiped, somehow I always think, isn't this the same reasoning the conservative bigots give to keep women shackled and be slaves to men.

The only two things a woman does not have a literal option of choosing is to be a Daughter and a Sister. Every woman has a mother and father (optional) in the practical sense. If she has a sibling, she is a sister too. Of course she can choose to disown the relationship at a later point in life.

Every woman can choose NOT to be a Mother or a Wife and if she chooses either of these, will this society still celebrate and worship her?

Like many, I grew up surrounded by these archaic views. We still live in this male dominated society, but things have changed. We choose between sense and nonsense as we evolve. 

I have evolved up to a stage where my endless pondering keeps arriving at the same conclusion. We maybe unequal in a lot of things, but one shouldn't have a false sense of superiority complex just because you are a man. Women do not need worshiping, women do not need to be put on a pedestal by men, women do not need to be made Gods.

Cheers
Pradeep Kumar

Reality Check

I was happy to see so many babies and kids all over the place...

happy to see some smile...

happy to hear some gibberish...

until the moment I realized...

I was sitting in a children's hospital and all of them were there for a reason

:(