'Indians have a confused sexual identity'

His earlier work dealt with sexual themes too. But Gandu by its very title has drawn attention to the alternative film scene in India. The theme of confused identities that Q explores in his films is reflected in his name too. Originally Quashiq Mukherjee, the filmmaker prefers to go by the moniker Q.

“Everything else has been given to me by others, the name is something I have given myself,” he tells DNA as he talks about his film that won jury awards for best film and director at the recent South Asian International Film Festival (SAIFF) in New York City.

What filmmaking experience did you have before making G---?
I have been part of the independent film scene for a while now. Prior to G---, I made films called Love In India and Bishh, and am involved in making documentaries. My work — including my films — is on the subject of shame and morality attached to sexuality as a nation. Where did this morality come from? We Indians have a confused sexual identity as individuals; I experienced it myself. My films reflect that point of view. It is not merely a device to seek attention.

Yet G--- has got the buzz going.
Yes, that’s because the film did well at the festivals it was shown at, following which it has managed to create some sort of a buzz here. But that’s not really surprising. In India, we have a culture of not valuing our things till they get acknowledged somewhere else. And this happens with everything, not just cinema.

Do you think the film will find a wide audience? There may be censorship problems if it is to be released for mass consumption.
I don’t see why there should be a problem. Audiences as well as filmmakers are prepared for anything. It’s the middlemen that aren’t ready. That may be the case all over the world, but in India, we have moved from a state of economic embargo to Das Kapitalism, and have not been able to find our art in the process. But there are a few filmmakers who believe that art has to find its way to the audience. The state won’t do it, corporations or profiteers aren’t doing it either. So, it’s left to the artists eventually.
As filmmakers, we have a device at our disposal and we use it to communicate ideas with individuals.

Eventually, the audience will demand to see my films. Alienation from content is not part of human nature. The mindless garbage being shown to audiences in the name of cinema and TV nowadays may find a ready audience, but why not give them a choice? For years, theatre, jatra etc have communicated information through entertainment. We [alternative filmmakers] are doing the same now. Development, as a form, is organic and has to be supported over a period of time and that’s what we are doing — we’ll keep at it and the audience will eventually want to seek entertainment in a non-conventional manner.

Do you think a film like this, which may not get a commercial release, will find a voice on the internet?
The film is bound to resonate much more among the youth. They are curious about the film’s inherent sexuality, and also the music. They have access to the internet, and the film is bound to make a mark there since it’s a more liberated front and not yet trapped by the mainstream media that subvert distribution channels and keep it for themselves. There will always be moralists who will be outraged. But most people aren’t as vindictive.

[After a pause] The world, currently, is bursting with creative energy due to strife. Art is bound to thrive in an environment like that. It’s a brilliant time to be an artist.

While making a film as bold as G---, is there ever a fear of crossing the line? Where does a film stop being irreverent and start being vulgar?
There is nothing like a borderline, everyone has their own borderlines. What’s the point of limiting yourself, or having self-censorship. You are only saying half words then and will never be able to communicate with your audience.

As far as risqué content goes — or pornography — there are a large number of artists who are hugely revered all over the world, who are working with pornography. Let’s face it: pornography affects half the world. I would love to make some real, brazen pornographic films. It will f--- your mind. I have many ideas, which can fill 10 years of creative work. But right now, the primary goal is to survive and keep going.

Who have been your inspirations as a filmmaker?
I never really watched films in my former years; I was definitely never moved by classic cinema. Since I was a Bengali, my father was fond of arthouse films and even though I was exposed to them, I never took a great liking to them. My conversion to cinema began in the post-modern 1990s with the indie film boom in Europe. I watched a lot of those films and still do, and am largely influenced by them.

Even though you may not be impressed by classics, as a filmmaker from Kolkata it may have been hard to ignore Satyajit Ray.
Frankly, I have never really been inspired by his cinema. Yes, Ray was always a factor while growing up. And even though his illustrations and writings have made a great impact on me, his films never did. My inspiration came from musicians, and other documentary filmmakers.

You said somewhere that Kolkata is the ideal place for playing with alternative theories. How is the city different from other cities for a filmmaker to work in?
It’s the intensity of the place. It’s also a very challenging city to be in. But most importantly, the city has a history of cultural movements; of people thinking out of the box, which is not always so in other parts of the country. The city is used to people with liberal ideas, you can’t take that out of us. The language is phonetic, which augurs well while narrating a story. Plus, it’s a cheap city to survive in as an artist. But Kolkata can be frustrating too. It’s a slow city and things don’t always move at the pace you want them to.