Watch a classic by a Versova-based initiative that is creating a vibrant space for conversations between film professionals and emerging artistes
The poster of Chittagong (2012) redesigned by Raya Sarkar (right) The poster of Dharavi (1992) redesigned by Kritika Aggarwal
When Killa (2014) director Avinash Arun watched his debut feature film at the first screening of Versova Homage Screenings (VHS), a decade after the release of the film, he was met with a roaring applause and left the hall teary-eyed. He had just experienced something deeply emotional that comes with returning to the first project and reliving everything that went into making it. As the audience snaked out, he took a few minutes before following them for an interactive one-on-one session about the making of his film. “This intimacy is what VHS is about,” says Rohan K Mehta, founder of the initiative that recently completed a year of screening indie productions and cine classics.
An artist presents Payal Kapadia and her team with a reimagined poster of A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021). PICS COURTESY/Mohit Manwani
A VHS event is built on the idea of developing a community around filmmaking that learns from each other. Mehta believes that the city, despite being so central a location for filmmakers and creative artists contributing to cinema, lacks a space where emerging artistes can freely approach professionals. He recalls working as an assistant director and production designer, “When you work on sets for others, you don’t always understand how to get finances, get the crew on board, and get the cast aligned,” he tells us. “When you’re assisting others, they are the ones who are arranging for these things, and you aren’t privy to such aspects. So, when I had a script ready, I didn’t know how to make my film. I didn’t have a community to learn from.”
Hansal Mehta at a film screening organised by the club
Mehta went in search of this community in 2023 to the Goa-based Screenwriters’ Lab, an annual project under NFDC’s Film Bazaar, which offers young screenwriters mentorship. “At the lab, I found mentors who honed my script and taught me about these aspects. Everybody was a film professional there and one could talk to anyone.” What he couldn’t learn over the years, Mehta reveals, he learnt in a matter of a few days. The impact of the mentorship programme nudged Mehta to bring something similar to the city, which would encourage free-flowing conversations and connections between professionals and emerging artistes in the field all year round. “Since the industry is so unorganised, some kind of organisation makes a difference.”
Mehta and his brother Prayrak Mehta, with their team, have screened 20 different films over the last year, including cult classics like Satya (1998), Udaan (2010), Ship of Theseus (2012), and independent films and debuts of well-known filmmakers like Payal Kapadia and Hansal Mehta. The Q&A section is the most exciting aspect because an established filmmaker moderates the session with the filmmaker in focus. In this scenario, emerging artistes get to actually understand what went into the making of the film from the masters and the snags to avoid.
Rohan Mehta
The team doesn’t compromise on the quality. This is why they prefer screening in cinema halls. Mehta explains, “Since we talk about the technicalities of the film, we should get to observe them and watch how the film is intended. We started with a preview theatre, a 50-seater hall. We called everyone we knew for the first screening.” By the fourth screening, the numbers spiked to thousands that were registering for the screenings to watch the magic of these films come alive on the big screen again. The team had to begin a curation process, since the seating for such screenings is limited. They now screen all the registrations, and the IMDb profiles help them gauge the work of those registering. Though tedious, the process has helped them ensure that those who are genuinely interested in educating themselves about the medium and will contribute to the community are not left out. “You have to maintain the sanctity of the place you’re screening at, so we can’t exceed the capacity of the place. But each time we try to curate new people, so we can get as many creatives [to benefit from this] as possible.”
The project is currently running on the team’s personal financial sources; they hope to keep it sustainable by reaching out to more people. “It’s a high technology initiative. It’s expensive to screen in, say, a PVR because there are a ton of processes, like government regulations to start with.” In addition to this, there are internal costs and costs of booking theatres. What they’ve been most fortunate with and grateful for is the response from the filmmakers, who have been warm and welcoming of having their films screened. Every artist looks for an opportunity such as this to get a space where they can display their work, Mehta concludes. “As a filmmaker I want to show my film to people who really want to watch it. Art is nothing if it doesn’t have its patrons.”
Upcoming screening
On April 22; 5.30 pm onwards
Film Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989), dir. Saeed Akhtar Mirza
E-mail contact@versovahomage.com (for registration and venue details)
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