Half ticket to ride

Bitten by the writing bug early on, city-based management professional  Sandeep Balan can’t really remember a time when he wouldn't capture memories through the pen. And fortunately, the passion is taking him places, indeed. Half Ticket, a recent short film by Ultra Shorts on urban relationships and the magic of blind dates, which marks his debut as a script writer is creating waves worldwide. On crossing over a million views on YouTube and 10 million views on Facebook, the journey has only begun for this Bengaluru boy. In a candid chat, he tells us more.

“Writing has been a childhood hobby, which I've consciously nurtured over time. My love for rustling up stories since school led to an active short stories blog, which was active up until a couple of years ago. I'm grateful that people around me, even the management at my workplace have always encouraged me to write and offered help in whichever way possible,” shares the 34 year old, who works in the digital domain of a Bengaluru-based brewery group.

Fuelled by the magic around blind dates and first meetings, Sandeep reminisces how the idea for the script sprouted out from his personal life. “During my engineering days, Yahoo Messenger was the 'in' thing to do. I recollect how so many guys in my hostel would be stoked about the fact that the girl they were crushing on finally added them. The story also took me back to the days I used to pursue my girlfriend, who is now my wife. I've always loved the unadulterated excitement that usually accompanies puppy love. The plot portrays the same,” adds Sandeep. The short film revolves around two strangers who graB hold of a half ticket to a derby, only to acquaint each other at the venue for the first time. The 25 minute short film has been shot in Mumbai.

Enthused about how the concept has been well-received, Sandeep elatedly adds, “I think the story is relatable to today's youth. While there are myriad options and dating apps, the core of dating remains. Also, life is all about going with the flow. And that's probably the essence of the film which probably builds a connect with most people of this generation.” Soaking up all the praise coming his way, this Bengalurean with a flair for words lets us in on what lies ahead. “Well, for now, the entire team is happy that we've been successful at re-creating the magic of first dates on screen and reflect the same. I believe boy-meets-girlstories will never go out of vogue. There's an irrefutable charm associated with it. That aside, I hope we get zeroed in on at upcoming documentary festival,” opines Balan with his fingers crossed. Juggling work with film making, the days are packed. But again, Sandeep reiterates how there's always time for play. " I love catching up on reading, pursuing photography, and writing whenever I get the time of course. I've always been interested in video making. Should probably pursue it more often," he signs off.