Shot in Shimla with locals, 3 short films script history

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 15

Shot in Shimla with local talents, three short films have scripted history by earning the distinction of being aired in Amazon Prime channel in the US and the UK.

These three films, “Footsteps from the Hills”, “A Yellow Bench” and “An Interrogation Room” of four, 10 and 14-minute duration, have won accolade and brought laurels to the state. These youngsters, aspiring to foray into the world of films, have set an example for all those who have talent, but no avenues that “No obstacle can block your way if you have zeal and will.”

The films shot by Inkingenious Media Private Limited, in collaboration with the Journalism and Mass Communication Department of Himachal Pradesh University, are directed and produced by Anurag Anand with local cast and crew.

“I came to Shimla to make a serial on “Ghost Stories of Shimla Hills” by Minakshi Chaudhry. I met then chairperson of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication Vikas Dogra who introduced me to his talented students and the idea of making a short film cropped up in my mind,” said Anurag.

“I was so much impressed by the virgin talented that we ended up making three short films which is being aired on Amazon prime channel where very few Indian shows get selected,” he says.

“Footsteps from the Hills” featuring journalism students Umesh Singh Makta and Neha Thakur is a new era love story in which the souls of two lovers, who committed suicide, talks about their journey, mistakes, fights and role of the family members in separating them, sitting on a cliff. The film has been shot near the Baldeha fire station, about 20 km from here.

“A Yellow Bench” is a horror trailer which revolves around a man who comes, resumes his walk and sits at his favourite yellow bench after an accident. He meets with a girl who reveals his inner secrets and takes him to trans just to reveal that he accidentally killed her old friend after she refused her proposal and slapped him. At the end, the spirit compels the man to shoot himself. The short movie is shot at the ground above Holly Lodge, the residence of former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, and features Sanjay Sharma and Shruti Rohta in lead roles.

A pass-out of the department Umesh, who featured in two films and edited all three, says that he is chasing his childhood dream to be part of film making but never thought that the opportunity will knock at his door in Shimla. “I am so much into movies that my friends call me Zee Cinema kid. I got to learn a lot, specially the nitty-gritty of film making. While shooting ‘A Yellow Bench’, we waited for four days to shoot a scene as climate, fog and monkey menace played spoilsport and final shot has to be captured during rain,” he recalls.

“An Interrogation Room” with Naina Thakur and Umesh Singh Makta in the main role, the movie, shot in the department, revolves around interrogation of a woman serial killer. The movie takes a curious turn when the colleague during search finds out that the interrogator is one of the targets.“It was an unforgettable experience and apart from art direction, I learnt the camera setting, lighting and grew as a professional,” says Amit Patiyal, another passout of the department who works as art director.

The team members included Umesh Singh Makta- editor, Amit Patiyal- art director, Hitender Thakur - visual effects; and Anshul Guleria - sound, all from the HPU while the non-HPU team comprised Siddharth Chauhan - cinematography (Footsteps from the hills); Shreya Sharma - cinematography for “A Yellow Bench” and “An Interrogation Room”.