Films are seen as a source of entertainment to a large mass of people all around the world. Each of us has our favorite genres of films, from horror to comedy, to romance. Today we discover a filmmaker, Supratik Ganguly – the change-making filmmaker, who has made it his very own goal to change the world one film at a time, stopping at no obstacles and hurdles.
Supratik Ganguly – The Change-Making Filmmaker
Supratik is a young director who has seen many successes in his newly budding career as a filmmaker. As we delve into his personal life, we discover that Mr. Ganguly studied in a Media Science course at a very well reputed college, ILEAD, taking Journalism as one of his majors. Like most of us, he had a plan that he aimed to follow while joining college. He planned to stick to Journalism as his primary career option.
Throughout his collegiate education, he found an interest in filmmaking in projects. He quickly discovered and recognized the lasting impact and image that films create on his audience. “Filmmakers and journalists share the burden of creating an impression on the audience,” Ganguly explained that he found his expertise in filmmaking and that he was able to better convey emotions and messages to his audience through this medium. He saw a lasting impact on the consumers of his films. It was more lasting on the target audience as compared to his journalism work.
Supratik Ganguly found his footing in the filmmaking industry as a graduate of ILEAD. His first project was titled “Anth,” Hindi for “The end,” in 2019. He decided on titling his work Anth as a personal wordplay to start his career at “the end.” Anth received a great deal of recognition and also won multiple awards. Even in his first work, he took the direction and story writing and screenplay all upon himself.
He was also challenged by working with actors who had a limited amount of experience in theatre and acting. Ganguly finds that he enjoys making films by himself without taking assistance from someone else. He works on the idiom, “too many cooks spoil the broth.” He believes that he can portray his vision in mind for the film and its delivery.
Ganguly has since begun multiple projects, a few of which are still in the process of production. He works in the genre of thriller and aims to deliver a message through that as well. Currently, Supratik Ganguly has two international feature films that are a work in progress, while one has already begun production in his hometown of Kolkata. He has made films such as “Calling the Joker” and “The Last Night.” He made sure that each of these films addressed the problems that we face as a society.
Ganguly’s most recent project was “The Last Night.” The filming process was to set sail on March 14, 2020. Ganguly had made all the travel arrangements to start the shooting process. Little did he know that the pandemic would drive his country into nationwide lockdown just a week after. Being an international film, the artists acting in the film were from different countries and different settings.
The artists were from Argentina and South Africa. Because of the pandemic, neither of them could travel to a commonplace and shoot the film. Despite this behemoth hurdle, Supratik was strong-minded to complete the project he had so carefully curated and planned. His only aim was to complete the task at hand. He knew that it would be a colossal ask and that he had to figure out a way to direct the film without being physically present.
“Trust in me and follow my instructions,” Ganguly asked his artists. He managed to guide and instruct the actors on where to place the camera for the most favorable camera angles, what setting the shot must be taken in, and what costumes each of the actors should wear. He focused on completing the task at hand and delivering a unique piece of work to his audience.
The challenge he faced was to conduct the shooting process without professional equipment and instill in his artists the confidence and trust to complete the project with their means. He knew that he had to keep the quality level of each of the similar shots since each artist was shooting on their phones.
He was surprised to find that the filming process took only two months, including the editing. Upon being satisfied with his and his team’s work, he immediately submitted it to multiple film festivals and award functions. To his surprise, he won multiple awards and was nominated for many more as well. Soon after, the short movie was screened in the theatres of Los Angeles and London.
This success catapulted his career and got him offers from within the country as well as internationally. With his experience directing a film from his home, he found it easier to work with other artists amidst the pandemic without putting anyone in harm’s way.
Through this, Ganguly started up a worldwide venture called World24. He founded the venture in 2018, which spread like wildfire exploring 43 countries around the world. In this venture, people worldwide come together to spread awareness about specific topics, be it in movies, videos, writing, or pictures. Ganguly says that this increases his reach in terms of people and artists who would like to come together to create more beautiful pieces of art.
His aim for World 24 is to keep growing and expanding its reach to many more countries. As of today, Supratik Ganguly has three projects that are underway. Two of them are international feature films, and he is directing one in Kolkata.
As of March 2021, Supratik Ganguly has published a novella, The Killer, on multiple platforms in 8 countries. The print copy of which was released in bookstores in Brooklyn and New York. The book is of murder mystery with a good dose of a chase between the police and the murderer. I think it is safe to say that Supratik Ganguly has found his footing in the entertainment industry and that success seems to follow him wherever he goes.
Supratik firmly lives by a quote said by Swami Vivekananda, “Life is a struggle, fight it.” He believes that giving up in challenging scenarios is the easier way out of problems. He shows steadfastness in completing the work at hand despite any obstacles and hurdles that may come his way. Facing the issues and navigating his way through them is what he finds to give him the confidence and encouragement he needs. “It wasn’t easy to direct a cloud film, but because I did it, I get recognition,” Supratik said in an interview.
In the future, Supratik Ganguly aims at widening his reach to the audience. He says that he would like to dabble in different genres and find a way to deliver a strong message through different genres as well. He understands that film is a fluid form of media with a broader reach and mustn’t be curbed by languages. Ganguly foresees working in more regional languages of his country and working in the thriller genre of Hollywood. “It is my duty as a director to deliver to the audience, and films don’t choose languages.”
Supratik Ganguly is giving it his all to change the world one frame at a time. One film at a time, with stories that inspire and invoke thought processes that spur change in the society we live in. And who doesn’t love a great movie?
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Well researched article! It’s excellently written! This is very positive story, need more stories like this.
Sure Allu. HatkeStory is thriving to bring such great journeys.
Love the detail in the article, explaining his life and career progression in a neat chronology that was easy to get invested in. Props to the writer for this piece.