‘Ahmedabad gave me perspective to grow as a filmmaker’: Ajitpal Singh

The moving story of a friendship between two young boys captured in Rammat Gammat, a Gujarati short film is currently receiving accolades at various international film fests. Ajitpal Singh, the writer-director of the film is a happy man to have his film screened at the world premiere of the prestigious Oberhausen International Film Festival where it won special mention in Children and Youth Competition.The film was also screened at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival where it was selected among 10 short films from across the world for ‘Bridging the Borders’ Award. Talking about it, Ajitpal Singh says, “I am delighted to start our festival journey with the world’s oldest and most prestigious short film festival Oberhausen, which is credited to discover the works of some of the legendary filmmakers like Wim Wenders, Roman Polanski, Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog, Andrea Arnold to name a few. Just to be there felt wonderful.”
THE DESIRE TO TELL STORIES
I grew up in Punjab till I was nine years old. In 1985, we shifted to Gujarat from Punjab. We lived in a place near Kalol. Those times were different following the assassination of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. We were the only Sikh family in the village and we did feel insecure. While growing up, I was conscious of my identity and on some occasions I did feel alienated. Those experiences have stayed with me. For me, all creative process is personal. Unless I identify with the story at an intimate level, I can’t move ahead.
Rammat Gammat is a simple tale of friendship which is about two boys in rural Gujarat – a rich boy from upper caste and a poor boy from the lower caste – whose friendship is stretched to the breaking point when one of them is gifted a pair of golden yellow football studs. Even though the story unfolds in today’s time in a different context, it is inspired from my own experiences and memories of my growing up years.
LIFE BEHIND THE CAMERA
A filmmaker needs money and freedom. There is no point if you have the money but not the freedom to tell the story the way you want. The greatest joy is being true to your vision and belief and not compromising on the quality and content.

AN INSPIRATION CALLED AHMEDABAD
I owe a lot to Ahmedabad. While growing up, my exposure to art was limited. But when I joined St Xavier’s college, I got an exposure to the exciting world of art. It broadened my understanding of life and art. I did my graduation in Chemistry. I didn’t do well in my studies to do either engineering or medicine. After my Class XII, I read a lot of Premchand’s works. I wanted to be a storyteller. I also learnt a lot while working on a project in NID. Getting exposure to world cinema gave me valuable insights. Ahmedabad gave me perspective which adds
richness to my life as a filmmaker.
TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE FILMMAKING MORE DEMOCRATIC
When I was in Ahmedabad, making a film was an expensive affair. The available technology was expensive and not that advanced in quality too. Technology has made filmmaking democratic. But then, there are not so pleasant things too. Many people just don’t prepare before shooting. So they don’t get into detailing and
develop the nuances of story-telling.
THE CHALLENGES
Now, the time has been good for short film makers. Curating platforms have given the space and resources to new filmmakers. The process has become more democratic and in the end, it’s content that rules. I firmly believe shooting a realistic film is a challenge. A story should flow organically, it should not look as if it’s constructed. I am in the process of writing a feature film. But I want to do a short film on Ahmedabad. There are stories that are within me which need to be told.