The Hindu Business Line : Her viewfinder

Reema Kagti does not belong to a cinema family. Her father has a farmhouse in Assam. Her folks are simple and have no connection with films whatsoever. “They saw my film when it was released in Mumbai. They came and stayed with me. Now they are happy about my being a filmmaker,” says Reema. Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd is her first directorial venture. Starring a group of talented young, as well as experienced actors — including Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani, the crit ically acclaimed film saw moderate success at the box office.

The off-beat movie weaves together the stories of six couples on their honeymoon and travelling on the same tourist bus to Goa. It is at once a comedy about fumbling into martial bliss, a drama about discovering the challenges of being married, a social comment on how society and upbringing affect people’s views on the institution of marriage. The 33-year-old director says she was delighted when her parents encouraged her to continue her studies. She did a course in mass communication and graduated from Sophia College, Mumbai.

Zooming in

Reema Kagti

Starting off as a story writer and assistant director, Reema learnt her craft by watching other directors at work. An ace behind the camera, she has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry such as Mira Nair, Ashutosh Gowarikar and Farhan Akhtar. “Working with several leading directors is a great help because it enables you to see them at work and learn their techniques and styles,” says Reema, adding that every director, be it man or woman, has a unique style of working. “Filmmaking is very expensive... you have to find a healthy balance between commerce and creativity,” she says.

Talking about Honeymoon Travels, she says, “I wanted a title that would reflect the quirky comedy that the film is. It is funny, fresh, honest and real... I think an average person will find lots of connecting points. The film cost Rs 6 crore and was shot in 52 days in Mumbai and Goa.” The encouraging response to Honeymoon Travels has enthused Reema to start work on her next project. “It’s going to be a thriller,” she says. “I am working on a script. I have done the first draft. I am looking around to pick the right cast. Shooting schedules depend on who I pick to act in it.”

Poetic drama

Japanese filmmaker Mayu Nakamura also does not have a cinematic background. Her father Tsutomu Nakamura is a poet and her mother edits a journal.

Mayu left Japan when she was only 16 to study at a boarding school in England. Later she did a master’s programme in English and studied at New York University’s film school.

Mayu found it tough to convince her parents when she decided to get into film direction. In Japan, cinema is a male-dominated field. Initially Mayu herself was scared. But in no time she has managed to become an established name.

Her first feature, The Summer of Stickleback, is a low-budget film made using her own script.

The film is a poetic drama of innocence and set in Kyoto around the 1990s. Her 18-year-old heroine Mizuho is a smart and strong-willed woman whose insatiable need for love drives her to the brink of self-destruction.

Deserted by the father she adores, Mizuho is left craving for love and intimacy from men. Hoping to recreate the family she has lost, Mizuho becomes pregnant from an expatriate American, who has a secret past as a Vietnam War deserter.

Her earlier short film, Calling in Tokyo, won the Gold Remi Award at the Houston International Film Festival. The Summer of Stickleback was invited to the competition section of the 2006 Pusan International Film F estival and the film was released in Japan in October 2006. Mayu roped in two well-known Japanese actors, Akira Emoto and Jun Fubuki, who have turned in good performances.

Also on board was veteran documentary cinematographer Yamazaki, who has shot many dramatic features including Hirokazu Koreeda’s Cannes award-winning Nobody Knows, Distance and Afterlife.

Mayu says The Summer of Stickleback has been appreciated by audiences at various film festivals. Young and middle-aged women responded to her film with warmth, but men over 50s or 60s did not like it. She would love to find out why.

On the film’s showing at the Osian festival, she says, “It’s been a great experience being in India and showing my film. I loved every moment of my stay here.”

The festival proved beyond doubt that cinema is no longer an exclusive male domain, and that women have entrenched themselves solidly in this fascinating and most popular medium of entertainment. They bring a refreshing and distinct approach to filmmaking and enrich the medium. More power to their elbows!