An Aptitude for Visual Communication
New Delhi, June 9 - Saba Dewan, documentary filmmaker, studied at the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia way back in 1987. Her documentaries focus on communalism, gender, sexuality and culture. Some of her notable films include Dharmayuddha, Nasoor, Khel, Barf and Sita's Family. All her films have been screened in Indian and international film festivals. She's also worked on a trilogy focusing on women performers. Her film Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi depicts the lives of bar dancers, Naach is about the lives of women who dance in rural fairs. The third of the triology is a film about the life of courtesans and is called The Other Song. She recounts her days spent at the institute:
I was the third batch at AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. I joined the institute soon after graduating in History from St Stephen's College. MCRC in our times was in many ways a world of its own. I joined Jamia at a time when I was not particularly sure what I wanted to do in the media, even the difference between a feature film, TV or a documentary was not clear to me, at least initially. Once I joined Jamia, the focus was on documentaries. We were fortunate to work with Professor James Beveridge from Canada, who made us imbibe a love and passion for documentaries. Jamia was an extremely relaxed place to study in - essential for a liberal arts institution as this one. It helped us mature into young adults.
These days, I've seen students apply for almost every course. This flummoxes me as it's simply not possible to have such varied interests. My advice to youngsters is that they should apply to MCRC only if they have a passion and interest in working with the visual medium. They need to have an aptitude for visual communication. Several students from the centre join television after they complete the course because money is better; very few go in for documentary work, as it's perhaps the least paying of professions. There are many who have made a name for themselves but remember it's a tough journey. Filmmaking is all about hard work and struggle. So, be prepared to rough it out.
Author: Vandan Ramnani (HT Horizons)
Date: 11th June, 2010
For further details about related courses and colleges please click below:
This account contains a repository of informative articles by external authors with domain expertise in various aspects of guiding students on how to go about pursuing their undergraduate and postgraduate studies in... Read Full Bio