Film-maker Irfan Kamal talks about his inspirations that prompted him to make the award winning movie, Thanks Maa
In a country where countless numbers of kids are getting abandoned every day, the issue seems to have escaped everyone’s attention.
For Irfan Kamal, it was his inspiration for his award winning film. Irfan, a debut filmmaker has made a film on abandoned kids.
Interestingly, the film has been named Thanks Maa. “It's quite sad that so many kids are being abandoned every day in our country.
Not only poverty, there are so many other reasons for it. After reading an article in a newspaper, it just ticked me and I decided to make a film on the subject,” says Irfan.
Based on the social theme of abandoned babies, Thanks Maa, is the journey and dedication of a 12-year-old boy, who is on a mission to find the mother of a two-day-old abandoned baby.
“I consulted a few NGOs working on this issue and it came out that it’s an acute problem in our country.”
This year, Edinburgh’s International Film Festival (EIFF) 2009 has acknowledged the potential of Thanks Maa, and is going to compete with films from around the world. The film has been nominated for the Best New International Feature Award at EIFF 2009. debutant director, Irfan Kamal has also been nominated for the prestigious Skillset New Directors Award category.
“This is really a great honour and I am looking forward to the screenings of the movie. The film will be screened on June 20 and 22 there; it’s a great opportunity and exposure for a first time director like me,” he adds. He is also screening his film at the prestigious Cannes film festival. “I am screening the movie on three days — May 14, 16 and 18 for the distributors. Besides boasting of great audience, Cannes is also the place for buyers of cinema of various kinds. Since the movie has garnered positive reviews at EIFF, I am hoping to get good response,” he says.
A college dropout, Irfan joined the film industry early in his career. After acting in a few forgettable movies, he realised that his true calling was in direction. “To be honest, I always wanted to be a part of the filmmaking process, be it whichever way.”
Since he has already made a head start of his film career, does he see himself making typical masala movies? “I consider Thanks Maa a pure masala film. I am sure I would make masala movies, a little different like Thanks Maa,” he ends.
His other inspirations
Besides his father, Irfan has derived his cinematic influences mainly from two directors, Manmohan Desai and Charlie Chaplin “Besides them, I also follow works of K Asif, Mehboob Khan, Raj Kapoor, Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg,” he says.
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