Documentaries Inspired me to Make Films Says Bharathiraja

It was a documentary film that made ace Tamil film director Bharathiraja to pursue his career in films. The award-winning filmmaker revealed how he dabbled in a documentary film on cotton, while addressing the inaugural of the 13th Mumbai International Film Festival of documentary, short films and animations in the city on Tuesday. It was only after working in the documentary film that he came to know about the nuances of filmmaking. “Although I was interested in films, it was only then I got some knowledge of how a film is made,” said the veteran director. Hailing the efforts of documentary film makers, he said it was a challenging task, as they had to put forth their ideas in 20 minutes with a lot of analysis. “Documentary films are the most difficult ones to make unlike the feature films. It requires lot of analysis,” said the noted film director. He said that with the advent of technology, film-making had reached new heights. “Earlier during our days, we had to carry our works. Now the younger filmmakers just have to carry it in their pen drive,” said Bharathiraja. He also highlighted that with the advent of technology, IT professionals and engineers were dabbling in film making. Actor Devyani also concurred with Bharathiraja, stating that it was easier to make a feature film, but making a short film was a challenging task. N Pakkirisamy, Regional Officer of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), said documentaries were a form of expression. He stressed the need for the government to be tolerant towards films which criticised them. “These dissenting voices should be heard,” he said. He also emphasised on the need for honouring the regional documentary filmmakers. A total of 56 short films will be screened in Chennai till February 9 and this is the first time it is open to the public. The films will be screened at the MGR Film and Television Institute and the Russian Cultural Centre.