You owe it 2 your dreams.
August 17, 2008
Dreaming is a dangerous thing…more so when done with your eyeballs showing. It alters the norms, makes you think beyond logic (often uses a different kind of logic), overlook the sane voices and sides with the one that tugs at your heartstrings. Ours isn’t a very different story.
Born out of a 4pm class banter, FulMarxx journey wasn’t all hunky dory. Shiladitya knew it wont be easy…the very concept of short films seemed unfeasible to many ..”too futuristic, not suitable for Indian viewing sensibilities”… Some said.
The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations…the fear is not of the dark, but of the unseen. But dreams are crazy things; they cling onto you as if they are the only way forward; the only right path… and FulMarxx was never born to conform anyway…was it? 7 months of toiling day-n-night, running from a sponsor to the other and putting all the acts together… on 26th of April 2008 FulMarxx was a reality… bigger and grander than what the founders had ever imagined. Over two days, 43 entries out of a total submission of 189 shorts were screened and the quality of the films screened spoke volumes of the fest’s success. FulMarxx Shorts Fest is now India’s biggest short film festival, with a resounding international participation… and that, in the very first year of its inception…with renowned Bollywood personalities like Tanuja Chandra, Onir and Makrand Deshpande on the jury…media splashed the papers with FulMarxx bytes. When pan India visibility was unthinkable, participation from 18 countries is what it ended with!!
It was a bold start (at least we thought it was!) and a brilliant one too. India is a country in transition…for every handful of masala flicks we had a ” Iqbal”, a “Bhejafry”,” Aamir” and a “Tare zameen par”… all path breaking films in their own right. Even though the Bollywood potboilers continue to rule the roost the kafka-esque thriller NO SMOKING became hot topic for coffee time conversations.
FulMaxx is an offshoot of such changing trends. It realizes that a story doesn’t have to dwell on its audience for a whole 180 minutes to be told. In times when more and more people desist from taking out 3 and a half hours for a flick, FulMarxx comes as a breath of fresh air. In its quest to encourage shorter formats of story telling, FulMarxx also raised a few pertinent questions…what makes a story worth telling, are there any standards? What makes it good or bad? And who decides?
As we move into the second edition of FulMarxx, here is hope that the insanity continues and a few more walls be shattered, in the discovery and promotion of the New. India will see the world with new eyes, eyes we never knew we had…and a dream lives on
See ya at the movies
FulMarxx Shorts Fest VER 2.0: 25th, 26th & 27th APRIL 2009
Submission starts 1st OCTOBER 2008
Cheers
Sherwan Ahsan
- FulMarxx Shorts Fest : India’s Largest Short Film Festival
Entry Filed under: Cinema, Documentary, Fictional, Film Festival, Filmmaking, First Film, FulMarxx, Independent Film, India, Makrand Deshpande, Narrative, New Age, Onir, Shiladitya Bora, Short Film Festival, Short Films, Tanuja Chandra. Tags: India, Short Films, Ahmedabad, FulMarxx, FulMarxx Shorts Fest, Shiladitya Bora, India's Largest Short Film Festival, India's Biggest Short Film Festival, Documentary, Fictional, MICA Ahmedabad, Onir, Tanuja Chandra, Makrand Deshpande, Iqbal, Bheja Fry, Taare Zameen Par, No Smking, Movies.
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1.
suyash | August 18, 2008 at 3:41 pm
very well written sherwan…its like u know fulmarxx so well… and to shiladitya hats off to project, a dream like this!!
2.
Rabi Gupta | August 18, 2008 at 4:18 pm
hats off to those who conceptualized this idea! nd to u Sherwan, u perhaps seems to be just the right person to promote this idea.. keep the good work going, lucks!!!!!!!!!
3.
shourya | August 18, 2008 at 4:47 pm
heyy sheru u do me proud with ur wrtings..but when did taare zameen par become a path breaking flim? whadda new did those guys do?
please enlighten me…
4.
Chintan Jhaveri | August 18, 2008 at 5:25 pm
well done sheru…m proud of wat u ve written…keep up the good work…coz we ll need dem frm u in the future…bt well written bro…
5.
Anshul Bhargava | August 18, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Very well thought out initiative taken up by MICA PGPCME batch and very well conveyed to us by Sherwan .. Hope to see the FULLMARXX event even bigger in it’s 2nd edition. All the best guys
6.
Sherwan Ahsan | August 18, 2008 at 7:39 pm
dear moy,thankyou soo much for dat gesture(u almost floored me[:D])
apropos of ur query, (n this is my PERSONAL opinion )
i believe that it was indeed very courageous of a mainstream superstar to have taken up
1.a project which had another actor as the protagonist…when the superstar himself played a mere support(dat was a first in bollywood)
2.a subject which (until now) wasnt even remotely considered mainstream.
3 a story which dealt with a difficult topic with such ease,and maturity..that made everybody(including my mother..n dat is rare)connect with it
4 a film with minimilistic commercial trappings,which addressed such a huge audience, gave the viewers something to bring back home,provoked them to think…and all this without sounding preachy and elitist(something which has often remained elusive for “parallel” indian cinema….a rarity in present times.the change has been striking..ask ur neighbourhood children.
for the aforementioned reasons,i believe(n hopefully so would you),dat it indeed is a path breaking film
7.
shourya | August 18, 2008 at 8:16 pm
must admit was ur response been disappointing to say the least
when you take bollywood movies as your yardstick of novelty..then probably a movie with me shitting in the open fields will be path breaking….
probably it is only in our narrow world of cinema experience that we find topics classified into mainstream and non maimstream, we believe the protagonist need always be a superstar…because thats when u start earning money…and when you say the movie provoked men to think….newsitem could have done the same…
my personal take on the movie was it identified a very sensitive subject of parent child relationship and manipulated it to the hilt and came out with a well veiled ultra commercial and shallow movie…
one more thing..find out in the second half when the so called superstar makes an entry…how much screen space does your protagonist enjoy henceforth?
And to say the least perceptions do differ..and every one who has an ass has an opinion..but when you talking of cinema as an art form..only I would expect you to use words like ‘path breaking’ with a little more surity and significance….because people whose films defined cinema’s grammar have been adressed in the same breath…
8.
Sherwan Ahsan | August 19, 2008 at 6:06 am
great to see the enthusiasm here..keep it up guys!!!
@moy
1 i wasnt takin bollywood as my frame of reference…but was obviously considering movies dat affect INDIAN audiences…otherwise Gael García Bernal would have been the biggest superstar of our times and french cinema, the best.plz also realise that movies have a commitment towards the society…n if u wanna convey something u better speak their language..no use putting up a moronic face to nudge an idea…that wont bring in the audiences. its futile to run a great film in an empty theatre n itz noteworthy here that tzp had a revolutionary effect on its audience without setting a sepulchral tone. it blurred the line between art and commercial cinema,in more ways than 1
2 we are talkin of cinema here..so lets keep newsitems aside
3 yes,the disputed superstar did make an entry..but dont u think it was required?his job was to bring in the audiences..how many of us would go to watch a darsheel safary starrer??n i disagree,if u say that he owershadowed darsheel there
4 veiled”..yes..but isnt dat a quality of good cinema…convey the point minus the baggage?
hope dis would bring some respite to ur queries..n yes perceptions do differ..as the rayban line goes…we r not the same,inside
9.
betur | August 28, 2008 at 7:23 pm
hi all.sorry was late to this forum.went thru post excellent work from every one.evry one have some point thts really his gud.hope this continues like this and get effective feedbacks so that adi(shilaaditya) can make this big one. now the point here is how i was impressed by him. read this, this may be a true inspirational story for atleast one.b4 tht excuse me for English. I am an engineer. .
After my engineering I was in confused state that what should I do though I had a s/w company offer(cts). Ok joined that ,but started hating my job. Then maine apna first script likhi “system”. I posted them to my frnds I got a mixed responses as I have said them to be very frank. Then one of my frnd knew a kannada producer who produced several movies toh usne muje udar le gaya. I was on the top of world kyunki muje who producer se milne le ja raha tha. But we got to meet his son, we met in jayanagar which was 20 kms from my place it was 8 pm. So he started asking about my script I said this is genre and etc etc……. tab he asked wat r u dng? I said I am s/w engineer . he said jaake apna kaam kar aa tumhari hasiyat ki baat nahi in a sweet manner(exactly filmy way wen a fresher want to be asst director). I asked y? wat the fcuk is this( obvious in my mind). He was giving some bullshit reasons. I just got pissed off. I was crying like a hell inside. My face was like beaten up like black and blue. I was like having no life having no faith in me. Then I started roaming to producers asking friends ,relatives etc.
Obvious reason every were rejection but was used to it. Meanwhile I had tremendous pressure from my boss where I was working. One fine day I talked to Shiladitya Bora about pgpcme course. Though he was in my there Orkut list for a very long time. Bec I wanted to get out of company I thought I would prepare for CAT and in to get MICA (pgpcm) course. Since I was in a confused state I was asking regarding the course and I asked a bullshit question if I come to MICA will I become director. He said this is not the place for u join ftii pune. But due to parents pressure I was not ready to go there.i was completely feeling low that time though I know he was correct. But said I am interested in media related stuff since I watch many movies. Yeh sab hua ek din baad I saw his gtlk message of fulmarxx. Then I saw the site then I came to know about his first short film called journey.then I saw his profile I thought yeh banda bahut upar pahuchega beta. I kept a constant touch with him. He counseled me and made me clear yeah this is the thg I want to do I got very clear. Then took a form and filled for pgpcme course however I was not completely satisfied as I was not doing regular MBA. Then I came to Ahmedabad for the MICA/MICATE test. I called adi before leaving banglore he told hostel main aaja. I reached ahmedabad a day before the exam. I though yeah this is the place which I am going to make it big . I reached priydarshan apptments. Saw adi for first time fagging hugged him and said thank u dude for making my mind in my mind. Then I got freshed up meanwhile met doley ji and vipin. They were very relaxed then I though this course is gng to be cool. Then sonal with her parents came to meet
Adi they were really sweet.Then it was 6 pm wen adi became free then I asked how did fulmarxx begin. He told the his story the same is which he told in the classroom but with lot of humor in it. We talked for 2 hrs then ruchir called he came to hostel to know abt the next day’s programme he was bit tensed but adi was convincing him arey ho gayega bey ho gayega. Then we went to bakery in his car enjoyed for an hour or so. Then back to hostel met doley again he talked about his venture called indyn which was an appealing one. Then we started discussing abt it. It was 11 in the nite then I and doley went to a road side daba had fried rice and orange juice . I was impressed by the life style of ahmedabad. Wen we were returning from dabha doley showed me IIM A I was like totally dumbstruck it was not an institute for me it was a for temple for me. That nite we were awake till 1pm. The next day I went to college gls campus I was like wtf is this coll. Adi ne bola thu tension mat le faculty acha hai. Then I got relaxed a bit. Then gave the test. I interview was very bad,they told me get out for 5 times. Then I was 100 pct sure I was out. I was bit nervous, but happy that I met seniors who had a VISION and GOAL though they looked very very casual. The next day I was about to leave at 2.20 pm. Before I was having lunch I met shilpa didi. She had a lots of ideas ,enthu,zeal and route to success. Then I realized arey yaar every one is here to make a mark over here and I am sure that these 70 ppl will be very very successful in their life.i messeaged adi that I want to be part of fulmarxx but he went offline.that was ok. I carried this ideas with me and started to start up my own venture which was nothing but to establish a coaching centre at mysore for GATE. But I have did a lot of research of this hence was very confident about my plan. Meanline I was thinking about wat shilpa didi told about the plan. I started working on it. One fine day I got a mail tat I was in the first waiting list. I was like oh god wat is this. Then I recalled OSO dailouge (jab tum kuch sache dil se chaho tho puri……). I had faith that I will be thru. Now I am thru. I was happy to see shiladitya,doley,vipin and shilpa didi as they have helped me a lot.Since then I made many friends from my batch as well as senior batch. Its not even a week we have become very good friends. And every one from our batch has a great vision and I am confident that every one will be successful achieving their dreams. Wen I came here I met many seniors who helped me a lot thanks a ton TMAF
(gaurav,balgopalan,ravi,das,puja,varun,Rajneesh,Anupum(the dude Love him),sandy and so on.). From my batch made some really great friends varun,jo,sashi,aman,utapa,kerthana,podar,shreya ,swapnil(look for him he is sensational)etc sorry for them who I don’t recollect their names rite now.
Now my aim is to bring Fulmarxx to different level. Before closing one last thing I want to share wen I asked adi y ru dng this Fulmarxx . His answer was he wants to be next RONNIE SCREWALA.i did not talk any thing and said No more explanation!!!!!
Hope this story wont bore u much and hope some one gets inspired with this.
All the best,enjoy this 15 months ……….
ADAB…….
10.
fulmarxxshortsfest | August 28, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Shreyams…..I dont have words to express how I am feeling…..really touched…
Shiladitya
11.
Jatin Bhavsar | September 6, 2008 at 4:16 pm
hi Friends, sorry for joing this conversation very late….but I am expressing my feeling for FULLMARX and our BIG BOSS>. Shila…
I remmeber the day when I asked GRJ that when we are going to have presentation and words from Shila on FULLMAXX…and we are eagerly waiting to listen to him abt his journey…sir told he is going to present tmrw…I was very exited to listen to him…..
I remember the way shila has shared his experiences with us on that day….I was feeling like my blood running 10 times faster than it does…. I was very much inspired by his passion in his eyes and words and ultimately the work ….
I wish Shila gr8 success in his venture and I hope it changes the Indian Cinema to the next level…..where we start our own oscarss and the quality of movies which remain timeless…………. and inspire,influence and entertain.. generation after generations……. wish him all the success he wants ..
I remember one gr8 quote by Walt DIsney:
” We don’t make movies to make big bucks…but we make big bucks to make gr8 movies…. ”
I hope our ignited souls -the source of biggest energy….as said by Dr Abdul Kalam…. enlighten our nation …
Dear Shila,,,
we are always there to pray and wish for your gr8 sucess…
Wish you all the best…..
People….join this drive of change in history of indian CInema now…
Be the ambasador for the chage …brought by FULMARXX>>..
Participate wholeheartedly in the FUlMAXX Short FIlm Fest version 2…
FulMarxx Shorts Fest VER 2.0: 25th, 26th & 27th January 2009
Submission starts 25th August 2008
.
12.
hari | January 12, 2009 at 2:18 pm
It is very well Shreyams, i dont have any words to express my feeling. keep continue .