Mr. Ramesh Sippy, renowned director and producer, visited Whistling Woods International (WWI) recently to share his expert knowledge with the enthusiastic bunch of students. Mr. Sippy is well known for directing the popular and critically acclaimed blockbuster ‘Sholay’ and was pleased to interact with young film professionals.
Mr. Subhash Ghai introduced Mr. Sippy and spoke of him in high regard, adding that he himself had learnt a lot from him and his working style by watching his movies. He invited the industry stalwart to plant a tree at the WWI campus so that future generations would remember his work in the years to come.
Speaking on the difference between a great and an average director, Mr. Sippy said, “One needs to have passion for cinema and believe in oneself, without which no big filmmaker can be a great director or reach his/her ultimate goal. The only way to fascinate the audience is by showing your spark of passion and that difference in your work.”
He stressed that passion was the most important requirement, backed with a lot of homework like watching and studying movies followed by techniques and learning on how to go about it in the right way. He further added, “In our time, we did not have a school or an institute like what you have today. You have a wonderful institution. This institute gives you a tremendous learning opportunity.”
It is commonly thought that there is an artist in every technician and a technician in every artist. On being asked if he thought like an artist or a technician while making a film, he gave a very interesting example. He said, “When an artist, say a painter starts to paint, there is a certain imagination and he is growing by that, so even the painting, which is a flat piece of canvas, comes to life by his passion, bringing out what he wants to convey to his viewers in his painting. Without any sound or any technique, he applies different strokes of texture which is the technical part of it. But what ultimately comes out of it is a canvas full of colors and it’s the heart and his passion that the artist in him brings out. The same goes in making a movie. The artist within you has to be awakened.”
The students were keen to seek his expert advice for future actors from a director’s point of view. He said, “I’m greedy and am always looking for more than there already is. If any scene is not up to the mark, I have never told an actor so; I have appreciated him/her and have encouraged them to give it one more shot. You should always egg them on to excel but self-discipline for them is extremely important. Don’t go out of this room thinking that luck is all it takes; your passion, hard work, discipline and your understanding of the character you are trying to portray are important factors. Finally WWI is here to guide you in the best way possible. ”
Apart from highlighting his career in the film industry, he shared his expert knowledge on different aspects of filmmaking, including direction, production, script-writing and casting with the students.
At the end of the session, he expressed his delight to be present at Whistling Woods International amongst the eager and aspiring bunch of students and wished them luck in their future endeavors to make it big in the film industry.
