260 entries. three winners. Two Mumbaikars win at the Short Film Competition by UTV World Movies. Meet Vicky Khandpur and Param Shiv, who will have their films screened on television, this Sunday
260 entries. three winners. Two Mumbaikars win at the Short Film Competition by UTV World Movies. Meet Vicky Khandpur and Param Shiv, who will have their films screened on television, this Sunday
The announcement of the short film competition by UTV World Movies in February made many young filmmakers sit up and take notice, because of the prize: a chance to have the winning entries showcased on the channel. 
A still from The Price and A still from Lost and Found
The entries dealt with diverse subjects. The only condition? The duration could not exceed 10 minutes. The winning films were an interesting mix comprising a stop-motion film about a lonely guy called Lost and Found by Param Shiv, an exaggerated version of how guys feel about marriage called Do I by Vikram Ahuja, and an abstract tale of a young man's visit to a prostitute titled The Price by Vicky Khandpur.
Lost and found
It took three years for Param Shiv to make his six-minute stop-motion animated film. He made the sets and characters with clay and rubber, taking pictures of them to make the film. "25 pictures make one second of video," explains the 25-year-old. Lost and Found is about a lonely man, who has lost his wife and is living alone, with the hope of someday meeting someone.
"He keeps checking his mailbox to see if he has got a letter from someone," says Shiv. "One day a ball comes to his house which talks to him. The man is reminded of his childhood days," says Shiv, adding that he has used the 'flashback' mode in his film. This is the first film made by Shiv, a graduate in Fine Arts, who has not had any formal training in animation. "I learnt by the hit-and-trial method," he declares with pride. Currently working as an assistant director with Yash Raj Productions, Shiv hopes to someday make it big as a director.
The price
Vicky Khandpur has been a steady cam operator for serials and films for 11 years. He has worked with films like Slumdog Millionaire and Aamir. But the need to tell his own stories led him to short film-making. "Having been in the industry for so long and having worked with so many directors, I realised I wanted to master the art of story-telling in my own way. I started making short films in 2007 and have made six to seven, so far," says Khandpur.
The Price is an abstract tale with an element of suspense. It is about a young man who visits a prostitute for the first time and 'the price' he has to pay for it. "The film gives a social message in an unusual way," he says.
Khandpur, who hopes to make his first feature film soon, is already in the process of writing the film. "It is a suspense film and I will soon start getting in touch with actors for it," he signs off.
On Sunday, 9 pm
The films will be screened on UTV World Movies.
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