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The tall success of a short film
3rd Stanza is an ode to modern-day relationships and has garnered international success.
Thirty-seven-year-old Tarun Wadhwa’s film 3rd Stanza, which has been selected for Indian Film Festival Stuttgart 2020, is the winner of Best Story-Short Film (National) at Rajasthan International Film Festival 2020, got a Special Festival Mention at the 10th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival, and was officially selected for The Liftoff Session United Kingdom and Rome Independent Prisma Awards. Now the film is based on the classic boy-meets-girl setup.
However, what follows next are several chance events that lead to attraction and (of course) complications. The 40-minute long film that stars new-age actors such as Shashwat Sharma and Shakti Jadon (and Roohani Bhatia as DOP), unravels the journey of two young people who despite being level-headed find it hard to reach common ground.
Relationship issues
“It’s an unfortunate truth, but I feel relationships are somewhere lost in Indian cinema. And, the only ones that seem to successfully make to the big screen are toxic. Even in real life, they have lost meaning and often taken for granted. But, without them, I think human beings are just like strays. We can only find our sense of belonging with the people who’re in our lives. And, that’s what the film stands for as well,” muses Wadhwa.
“My wife often asks me why I decided to marry her,” he continues, “And, I tell her this: ‘No human being is perfect. You aren’t perfect. And, I’m definitely not perfect. But, it’s the relationship between two people that can be perfect.’ A lot of people who end up using dating apps for one-night stands often start blaming the apps for their relationship status. But, the problem isn’t with apps. It’s with the people who’re using them.”
Mastering the craft
Wadhwa’s journey as a filmmaker has been driven by two things: promise and passion. And perhaps this is the reason why in the cinematic world that has a dizzying variety of choices, 3rd Stanza stands out.
“When I wrote the script, many people appreciated it but asked me to come to Mumbai to shoot it. I did not have a sufficient budget. Many people told me to cast big stars in the film, but I decided to take it on as a challenge and shot the film in Delhi with newer actors. Filmmaking is always about good storytelling, not big stars.”
In the last two decades, the young filmmaker has worked on over 1000 live TV shows in five years with Homeshop18, digital ads and documentaries, and has been part of an International Documentary Voyage for Change, which is the winner of Coup de Coeur du Jury (Special Jury Award) at Positive Cinema Week, Cannes 2019.
“When I started like any other film student, I used to hate Indian cinema. But, as I grew older, I understood the importance of understanding one’s audience,” he says.
His journey has also been replete with personal struggles. He lost his father, an avid music lover, at an early age and later in his life, he lost his mother to breast cancer. This was at a time when Wadhwa was offered the golden opportunity to work with television show Bigg Boss, in Mumbai. But, he decided to let the opportunity go and stayed back in Delhi to see his mother through the treatment.
Being positive
Despite these challenges, he remains optimistic about the future and hopes that young, upcoming filmmakers can do the same.
“I live, breathe and eat cinema. Most people who are my age give up by this point. But, I never stopped making films or learning. Good cinema can bring people happiness. Characters can become dear to the audience in a short time. And, I want to spread the same kind of joy with the films I make,” he smiles.
From HT Brunch, July 19, 2020
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