The camera tracks along a hospital’s foyer and towards an anxious family waiting for the birth of a child. The family members rejoice with the newborn’s arrival.
They plan a visit to Tirupati for tonsuring the baby; they pick names and rehearse saying them, compare its facial features to relatives, and generally celebrate the occasion-only to find out that they have the wrong baby because of a mistake by the nurse. The identification and briefing of the baby’s caste, creed, faith and profession all takes place within minutes of birth. Identity, this beautifully captured short film directed by Sarjun KM strikes a sharp chord with viewers and leaves them thinking. A Chennaiite, and aspiring director, Sarjun has been an explorer, dreamer and doer of great things. The themes he likes to focus on are both abstract and momentous.
He has worked under two colossal, distinguished men from the Tamil film industry who have shaped his perceptions of filmmaking and taught him the touchstones of cinematography and film production. “Directors Mani Ratnam and A.R. Murugadoss are my guru(s) when it comes to learning filmmaking and distribution,” says Sarjun.
He exults with admiration for those yesteryears, which shaped his paradigm learning of the subject. Apart from making short films, Sarjun also had his share at making a music video starring Jil Jung Juk fame Sananth, called Sandaaliye. “It’s a folk love duet, which blends theru koothu artistes and includes a bucolic setting in the video,” he adds. His other work include a special mention short film titled, Kolza which explains a three dimensional view point of a rape victim and the incident. “The growing horrors of our present world gave life to the script of the short film and it has won widespread attention and fame from people around the world. It was selected as the best short film and the best writer award at the Amrita University’s National level short film fest,” he says. With feature films, he wants to primarily focus on a romance or a thriller plot. He is also planning to make a feature on honour killings and is hopeful to promote it on international platforms.
Although he’s picked up his basics from legendary men, he is a short filmmaker at heart. “Go wild and wide in short film making,” he says. Short films put no restrictions or require permission to make and it is powerful enough to convey a subject within a short span of time. He wishes to always keep experimenting with this and is very hopeful for the future too.
