29 Nov 2018 | 05:07am IST
Goan ‘Seetee’ at IFFI 2018
‘Seetee’ was the only Goan short film screened at the 49th International Film Festival of India. Gopinath Chandelkar is a Goan who takes pride in being the director of the short film, with his first time screening at the International festival
Mellisa Pacheco
When the sons of the soil work towards taking
the name of Goa to greater heights through
their talent and toil, Goa shares in their pride. One such son is Gopinath
Chandelkar, who studied mechanical engineering, found his profession in spices
and then became the founder and director of Revas Production and Foundation
Groups; and whose goal is to spread smiles among children and experience the
joy from within. Gopinath has made four short films and one documentary film.
‘Seetee’, his fifth short film, was the only Goan short film screened at the
49th International Film Festival of India under the Goan section cateogry; and
one of the two Goan films screened at IFFI.
Talking about his film’s achievements,
Gopinath said, “It was first selected at the Delhi Film Festival, where it was
officially screened. I’m very happy and proud that ‘Seetee’ was given the
greater opportunity of being screened on an international platform such as
IFFI.”
As told by the director, the 15-minute film relates entirely to
the common man and the things we deal with in our everyday lives. ‘Swachh
Bharat’ is the subject around which the whole movie revolves, but Gopinath has
taken this in an innovative manner with a slight twist to give a message deeper
than what the topic actually portrays. The film also portrays a relationship
and the bond between a father and a son. The professional life affecting their
personal bond is also given focus in this short film.
Gopinath, as a filmmaker, believes in trusting his gut feeling,
pondering over it and then if it excites him, working on writing the script.
“It took me 3-4 months to shoot this film. We started from June
and continued till the end of September,” Gopinath stated.
No film is complete without facing challenges. Gopinath too
faced issues with the continuous climate changes taking place in Goa,as well as
concerning some characters as the story was based on real life and there was a
need for shots of real situations. Patience is a major factor mastered only by
a few, and to get the perfect shots, Gopinath is of the opinion that you have
to wait for the right moment patiently to get that perfection in your film.
Speaking about the talent in Goa, he said, “There is a lot of
talent in Goa. In order to achieve your goals, you have to be willing to put in
hard work, commitment and concentration. I never approached filmmaking as a
career, but just as my hobby that I chose to focus on. I am delighted to have
found such a beautiful opportunity.”
Giving
new meaning to the concept of ‘Swachh Bharat’, Gopinath said, “You need to be
clean from within, from your mind, thoughts and feelings, only then will it
reflect in your behaviour and personality.”