‘In love with Sairat and paneer butter masala’

A few months after Nepali actors-students visited the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), students from Germany are at the institute for a month-long exchange programme where they are being taught about Indian cinema. The programme will also see students from FTII going to Germany in September. Besides learning about production, film-making and photography, the German students,
accompanied by their dean, are also working on small documentaries about Pune’s culture, and sampling Indian delicacies.
A first-of-its-kind programme
This is the first time that German film students are at FTII for a learning programme and their experience, they say has been good. The aim of the course is to familiarise students with Indian cinema. Their style of films will be observed in the days to come by film historians as well. Indian students visiting Germany later will also undergo a similar course.
“It is a great learning experience for us. We started by watching Satyajit Ray’s Pathar Panchali and are going forward chronologically and genre-wise. I am looking forward to watching documentaries as well,” shares Thorsten Schütte, dean of film studies at Filmakademie Baden Wurtemberg (FABW), Germany, adding that one has to be like a sponge to absorb every new thing that they are learning. He also finds this the perfect time to visit Pune. “Germany is in a drought-like situation currently. So, it is a fresh change to be visiting Pune during the monsoons. The weather is lovely, and we are enjoying it a lot,” he says.
As part of the ongoing programme, the students will be making documentaries about the city and most of them have found interesting subjects. “We are making a documentary on rickshaw drivers. We took an auto and asked the driver to take us to his favourite spots in the city. However, he misunderstood us and took us to all the tourist places and a couple of temples. We did find some interesting facts though. The drivers work for 16 hours a day and have no holidays! It is a difficult life,” shares Ann-Katrin Boberg, a production student.
Thorsten, on the other hand, made an interesting observation, one which he plans on documenting. “When I was taking a stroll on the streets, occasionally, I would come across a person sleeping. Be it old or young, I saw people taking rest in their car or on a bench and there is a certain beauty to it. It is like time stands still when you see people take a pause on busy days and just rest for a while,” he says.
Another student, Daniel Popat, is interested in making a documentary on the bus driver at FTII. He thinks it makes for an interesting story. “While speaking to the driver, we found out that his father and, before that, his grandfather was also a driver here. We visited his house to learn more about him and his background,” shares Daniel, who is half-Indian and has a faint idea about Indian cinema. “I watched Dhadak back in Germany, but when I came here I found out that it was a remake of a Sairat. I watched Sairat and must say what a great movie it was,” he adds.
Leonard Caspari, a photography student, is keen on learning about Indian films. He shares, “Presently we are learning about the black and white era and silent films. These show the diversity in India cinema. I am eager to learn about the modern era films apart from the cliched song and dance-loaded ones. I have been to India before and have shot a film from the European perspective. However, this time, I want to shoot a film from the Indian perspective.” Leonard wants to capture the effect of the monsoon in his work.
Love for paneer butter masala
When in India, dine like the Indians do; that’s the German students’ mantra and they have fallen in love with a few dishes too. “Paneer butter masala has become my favourite food here,” says Leonard, while Thorsten adds, “We had a spicy dish made with okra which was delicious. I also loved the spicy red lamb. The food is yummy and well prepared.”