SRFTI alumnus’s film goes to Czech fest

KOLKATA: ‘Guras’ — a feature film by SRFTI alumnus Saurav Rai who hails from Baramangwa near Darjeeling—is the only Indian entry competing at the 57th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival this year. The Indo-Nepal co-production is competing in the festival’s Proxima segment. Rai’s earlier short film was the only Indian entry selected for 69th Cannes Film Festival’s Cinefondation.Rai, who shot the film in the tea gardens of Mirik and Baramangwa, will be in the Czech town for the first of the four screenings on July 5.
Behind the story of a nine-year-old girl’s lost dog, ‘Guras’ explores issues like village politics, the futility of farming and the hyper-real world of folk tales and mythology. Speaking about how ‘Guras’ was conceived, Rai mentioned how his parents bonded with domestic animals once he and his siblings left home for work. Rai saw how restless his mother had become after she lost their dog Tinkle. “The only hope for us was a barking sound of a dog across the valley. My mother travelled to all the neighbouring villages in search of Tinkle. I was moved to see her determination and conviction. I simply couldn’t resist telling this ordeal. For me, my mother was a small girl, desperate in search of her lost dog,” he said.
The title role of Guras, played by Tulsi Khawas of Chukhim village near Bagrigote, is the soul behind this film. Apart from local talent, the film features popular Nepal actors like Khagendra Lamichannay and Menuka Pradhan. “Karlovy Vary selection has been a huge morale boost. It also encourages the patrons from the region to support other similar ventures like ours. Cinema in our part of the world is still in its nascent stage, ever trying to survive, evolve and exist. Hopefully, selections like these give us some encouragement,” Rai said.
Thankful he got his “life-altering” SRFTI stint, Rai requested cinematographer Subal KR who was a batch junior to him at the film school to join this unit. “Collaborating with Sudeepta Sadhukhan for sound mixing, Ankita Purkayastha for sound design and Lokesh Kanithi for music was engrossing. Having such collaborators is a huge boost,” he said.