Shoojit Sircar(I)

Cinema entered the ordinary life of a young, sports and soccer enthusiast Shoojit Sircar, studying in Delhi, India, quite by chance when during the XIIth grade a friend suggested accompanying him for the viewing of a film. Unbeknownst to Sircar, this film would mark for him the beginning of a whole new way of looking at life. The film was Satyajit Ray's 'Pather Panchali' ('Song of the Little Road'). Curious and much impacted by this 'art form', Shoojit went on to watch the entire 'Apu trilogy' including 'Aparijito' (The Unvanquished) and 'The World of Apu'; and all other films by Ray, besides films by film-makers Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen. There are three films however besides Ray's 'Pather Panchali' that Shoojit specifically credits for giving 'birth to the cinema within him'; and for encouraging him to look at everything in life, differently; these are - Truffaut's '400 Blows', Vittorio De Sica's 'Bicycle Thieves' and Oliver Stone's "Platoon". Another important turning point in his journey was when he joined 'ACT ONE', a theatre group in Delhi, led by director, Mr.N.K. Sharma. There Shoojit handled backstage, across all departments - giving him the experience of creating theatre with minimalist resources, along with being rooted in the rigor and discipline that comes with living the life of theatre. His first big break as independent director ironically was a commercial on football, which he followed with a music video, 'MANN KE MANJEERE'. While most music videos of the time catered to the 'pop' form of storytelling - this one explored a more realistic journey, that of a woman, played by Mita Vashisht; a single mother who breaks away from an abusive married life and chooses to become a 'truck driver', then quite the traditional bastion of the male. Composed by Shantanu Moitra, with lyrics by Prasoon Joshi and sung by Shubha Mudgal, the video was viewed by over 20 million people at the time, its impact described as '"Mann ke Manjeeré has made a breakthrough by claiming public space for women's aspirations." Shoojit's first major directorial feature 'YAHAAN' (2005), on the turmoil faced by the Kashmiri people - won him the best director award in the Osian Film Festival 2005. He followed that with "VICKY DONOR" (2012), a film that dealt with the issue of infertility and brought the taboo topic of sperm donation onto a dining table conversation, 'Vicky Donor' went on to win three national awards including 'Best Entertainer of the year'. He followed that up with the hard - hitting political thriller 'MADRAS CAFE' (2013), throwing light on one of the most tumultuous periods in the sub-continent history - the Sri Lankan civil war. A year later, he brought us the much loved slice of life, 'PIKU' (2015) - a father-daughter comic drama, centered around an ageing, possessive father and his constant 'bowel problem'; aptly played out by Amitabh Bachchan and Deepika Padukone; winning over 18 awards from across the nation. And then came, 'PINK' (2016) - a film that gave voice to millions of Indian women; that proclaimed a 'No means No'; a film that proved to be not just a movie but a 'movement'; With 'OCTOBER' (2018), Shoojit Sircar shared a most poetic, soulful, personal take on love... And with the absurdist satire, 'GULABO SITABO' (2020), an unapologetic take on human greed! And most recently, the powerful and cinematically rich period biographical drama, 'SARDAR UDHAM' (2021), a film about India's pre independence movement with a compelling take on the 'revolutionary vs. terrorist' debate. With such a diverse and distinct repertoire of films, Shoojit Sircar today stands out as one of the most important and original voices of Indian Cinema. Besides bringing forth such quality cinema, Shoojit Sircar has also taken up the mantle of backing projects as a producer, producing the much appreciated and well received (Bengali) features, "Aparajita Tumi" and "Open Tee Bioscope"

As an ad film maker, Shoojit has been recognized internationally through works like the Cannes award winning, 'Lead India campaign' by The Times of India group, which brought together most respected Indian icons. His last (digital) campaign, an authentic reflection on modern parenting, has become a major talking point, going on to garner millions of hits on social media.