The Untitled Kartik Krishnan Project
Encyclopedia
The Untitled Kartik Krishnan Project is a 2010 Indian film produced and directed by independent
filmmaker Srinivas Sunderrajan. It is a Hindi
-English
drama-thriller film with English subtitles shot on HDV
in black-and-white
. It is touted as India's first Mumble Core
film. The film was shot entirely on location in Mumbai
, India
. It was screened at the 2010 Mumbai International Film Festival
in the New Faces of Indian Cinema Section on October 26, 2010 and on June 5, 2011 at Transylvania International Film Festival in competition
, Kartik Krishnan (Kartik Krishnan) sits behind his desk coding HTML
websites when he chances upon a blog on cinema featuring Independent filmmakers. This sparks his intentions to make his own short film, thus leading him to contact Srinivas Sunderrajan (Vishwesh K), an independent filmmaker who had met Kartik's idol and famed director Quentin Tarantino
at an international film festival, who in turn agrees to guide Kartik through the process.
As Kartik begins piecing the story, cast and screenplay together, several inexplicable phenomena start emerging in his life including a sinister stalker (D Santosh) dressed in official government clothing; and the sudden appearance of a strange future-telling antique toy.
Troubled with these bizarre developments and the unresolved feelings that he harbours for Swara Bhaskar (Swara Bhaskar), his office colleague, Kartik embarks on an extraordinary journey that transcends love, life and logic itself.
, many times the extras and the crowd in the frames did not even know that shooting was being done.
At any given point of time, only the director, the cinematographer and the lead actor, and depending on which location was being filmed - the secondary character was present on the sets. Mid-way through shooting the original script, the main location (the protagonist's house) collapsed. One day the building was there, and the next day the third floor caved in on the second. And so the location was cordoned off, even though 60 percent of shooting was still left to be done at that location.
The script was outlined, yet completely improvised by the actors with the director often giving the actors a free hand. In keeping with its meta fiction genre, the film's characters were named after the actors who played them and many instances in the film have been based on real events which transpired between the cast and crew.
The initial edit was done on a borrowed Macbook
(in-between shooting days) and later the post production, VFX & Sound Design
(Vijesh Rajan) of the film was done in a one month time-span on a home computer so that it could be sent out within several film festivals' deadlines. After seeing an initial screening, director Anurag Kashyap
helped to promote the film.
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
filmmaker Srinivas Sunderrajan. It is a Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
-English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
drama-thriller film with English subtitles shot on HDV
HDV
HDV is a format for recording of high-definition video on DV cassette tape. The format was originally developed by JVC and supported by Sony, Canon and Sharp...
in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
. It is touted as India's first Mumble Core
Mumblecore
Mumblecore is an American independent film movement that arose at the turn of the 21st century. Filmmakers associated with the movement include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg, and Barry Jenkins....
film. The film was shot entirely on location in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It was screened at the 2010 Mumbai International Film Festival
Mumbai International Film Festival
Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
in the New Faces of Indian Cinema Section on October 26, 2010 and on June 5, 2011 at Transylvania International Film Festival in competition
Synopsis
In a bustling office in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Kartik Krishnan (Kartik Krishnan) sits behind his desk coding HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
websites when he chances upon a blog on cinema featuring Independent filmmakers. This sparks his intentions to make his own short film, thus leading him to contact Srinivas Sunderrajan (Vishwesh K), an independent filmmaker who had met Kartik's idol and famed director Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
at an international film festival, who in turn agrees to guide Kartik through the process.
As Kartik begins piecing the story, cast and screenplay together, several inexplicable phenomena start emerging in his life including a sinister stalker (D Santosh) dressed in official government clothing; and the sudden appearance of a strange future-telling antique toy.
Troubled with these bizarre developments and the unresolved feelings that he harbours for Swara Bhaskar (Swara Bhaskar), his office colleague, Kartik embarks on an extraordinary journey that transcends love, life and logic itself.
Cast
- Kartik Krishnan as Kartik Krishnan
- Vishwesh K as Srinivas Sunderrajan
- Swara Bhaskar as Swara Bhaskar & 'Maya'
- D Santosh as 'System'
Production
The film was shot on weekends over nearly a year since most of the actors had day jobs and they could only afford to spare the weekend. Also, since there were no location permits, the cast and crew used to sometimes end up without a location for a week, which meant the shoot had to be shifted to the next week. Since the cast were all good friends of Sunderrajan, they agreed to work for free. A lot of the 'time stretch' happened because of location unavailability. And when the location was ready, the actors would be unavailable due to other commitments. True to guerrilla filmmakingGuerrilla filmmaking
Guerrilla filmmaking refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by low budgets, skeleton crews, and simple props using whatever is available...
, many times the extras and the crowd in the frames did not even know that shooting was being done.
At any given point of time, only the director, the cinematographer and the lead actor, and depending on which location was being filmed - the secondary character was present on the sets. Mid-way through shooting the original script, the main location (the protagonist's house) collapsed. One day the building was there, and the next day the third floor caved in on the second. And so the location was cordoned off, even though 60 percent of shooting was still left to be done at that location.
The script was outlined, yet completely improvised by the actors with the director often giving the actors a free hand. In keeping with its meta fiction genre, the film's characters were named after the actors who played them and many instances in the film have been based on real events which transpired between the cast and crew.
The initial edit was done on a borrowed Macbook
MacBook
The MacBook was a brand of Macintosh notebook computers built by Apple Inc. First introduced in May 2006, it replaced the iBook and 12-inch PowerBook series of notebooks as a part of the Apple–Intel transition. Positioned as the low end of the MacBook family, the Apple MacBook was aimed at the...
(in-between shooting days) and later the post production, VFX & Sound Design
Sound design
Sound design is the process of specifying, acquiring, manipulating or generating audio elements. It is employed in a variety of disciplines including filmmaking, television production, theatre, sound recording and reproduction, live performance, sound art, post-production and video game software...
(Vijesh Rajan) of the film was done in a one month time-span on a home computer so that it could be sent out within several film festivals' deadlines. After seeing an initial screening, director Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Singh Kashyap is an Indian film director and screenwriter. As a director, he is known for Black Friday , a controversial and award-winning Hindi film about the 1993 Bombay bombings, followed by No Smoking , Dev D and Gulaal...
helped to promote the film.
Festivals
- In Competition, Berlin Asian Hot Shots Film Festival 2010
- New Faces, Mumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film FestivalMumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films , is a festival organised in the city of Mumbai by the 'Film Division', Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It has been organised since 1990, and focuses on documentary, short and animation...
2010 - Dramatic Competition, South Asian International Film Festival, New York 2010
- In Competition, Transylvania International Film Festival, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2011