National Award-winning filmmaker, Atanu Ghosh is trying to help the people in need during the pandemic in his own way, with the help of his documentary ‘Pandemic Perceptions’.
The 27-minute documentary, ‘Pandemic Perceptions’ just costs 50 rupees to view. Atanu says this collected money will be sent to NGOs working for the COVID-affected people. “I can only make films. So, I am trying to help in my own way. It’s a small initiative,” shares the filmmaker.
“I thought it would be interesting to explore the psychological and social impact of Covid-19. So I sent text messages to various people asking them to record their thoughts on their mobile phone cameras. Most responded with eagerness. The general trend was to confirm or contradict the varied faces of human crisis and depict tales of endurance and struggles dealing with anxiety, pain and loss. Some shared tales of forging new bonds, others mentioned reviving lost connections. But if the tales of certainty of flux, exploitation of people, recession and solitary fights with death were overbearing, there was comic relief too,” said the filmmaker.
He had come up with the idea in June last year.
Atanu’s documentary is on the experiences of 16 urban Bengalis across the globe, including a doctor, a filmmaker, an actor, a musician, an author and a social worker throwing up interesting perspectives about the lockdown.
While a psychologist talked about how Covid-19 had prompted her to join those who were rushing to lawyers’ chambers to draft wills, an actor spoke about his meeting with an out-of-work thief who had become an active member at a community kitchen initiative.
