Then what?

TV host-DJ-actor Luke Kenny, who screens his debut film in the city this evening, claims that's the only question you'll be asking while you watch his male and female protagonists stuck in an elevator for a night

TV host-DJ-actor Luke Kenny, who screens his debut film in the city this evening, claims that's the only question you'll be asking while you watch his male and female protagonists stuck in an elevator for a night

Is there anything Luke Kenny doesn't do? Not much, apparently. He sings, acts, produces, takes on the role of DJ if asked nicely and, um, also directs movies when the urge overwhelms him. For those who missed his debut film, 13th Floor, the feature-length film will be screened in the city this week before making its way to satellite and an eventual home video release.



Set in Mumbai, 13th Floor starts with a power cut that traps strangers Suraj (Purab Kohli) and Naina (Sandhya Mridul) in an elevator overnight, compels them to chat, before racing toward a rather surprising climax. "It was the early-2000s," says Kenny, "and people were interested in backing new ventures. My writing partner Devaki Singh and I had a great script, and approached a few producers. When that didn't work, we decided to fund it ourselves."

After a month of pre-production, the team took the plunge. They shot chronologically, in a digital format, over just six days. Post-production, on the other hand, took a whole year. Why Purab and Sandhya? "I knew Purab from his days at Channel V," Kenny explains. "He loves trying different things and, interestingly, we both wanted Sandhya as the female lead."

What the director remembers best about the time is the way it all came together. "The score was created by a pilot," he says, "the sets by an interior designer, while my cameraman was a fashion photographer!" And why should anyone want to watch it now? "To see the best you can do with the least," says Kenny. "We had the smallest sets and cast. A true story works only when an audience constantly wants to know what happens next."

Rather ambitious for a guy who's never been stuck in an elevator. Give it a shot, will you? 13th Floor is being screened as part of a Shut Up and Watch initiative, a Zee Studio film club that organises monthly screenings, and Luke Kenny will be present.

At: Oxford Bookstore, Apeejay House, next to HR College.
Call: 6636 4477
At: 6 pm
Entry is free

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