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| Dij` Vu, which depicts the life of a student studying at IIT, received accolades from all those present at the screening |
Anshul Sighal’s film Déjà Vu screened at IIT Powai, gives an insider’s view of life inside the nation’s most prestigious educational institution. The sensitively made film deals with the burning issue of students driven to the edge
Elsie Gabriel
With a spate of suicides in the IIT and the pressure that these students grapple
with, IITians at some point during the one-hour-45 minute film could relate
to what was playing on screen. Directed by an alumnus, Anshul Singhal, Déjà
Vu deals with this issue haunting the campuses today with great sensitivity.
Déjà Vu is the story of an IITian who contemplates his very existence
at IIT, wondering whether the world inside IIT is same as the world outside.
The pressure of friendship, studies and the highly competitive world takes a
toll on him.
Says Anshul, “This is a story about not-so-happy IItians that deserves
to be told. There were two suicides: one in Kanpur and the other in IITB while
the movie was made. It also created a sense of urgency to use this medium to
spread awareness.”
The film is close to Anshul’s heart as a large part of it comes from his
stay at the IIT campus. One character is inspired by his experiences in times
of stressful.
“The biggest challenge I had was whether the student audience would accept
such a story about IIT. But then I thought where there is a challenge there
lays an opportunity,” further elaborates Anshul, a chemical engineer from
IIT-B.
Déjà Vu, not only captures different aspects of the lives of students
but also the professors and the interpersonal relationships that exist between
them. It takes you through the emotional highs and lows that any IITian can
identify with, voices Professor T Kundu from the Physics Department who encouraged
Anshul for this project.
“Anshul made this efforts to create an eye-opener for the students. He
has done justice by portraying that if there are numerous problems there are
also solutions to follow.”
Eminent film director Ranjit Kapoor was all in praise of the young debutante
and the after its screening. He says, “The open format categories at the
Cannes Festival would love to see such entries. Anshul has innate abilities
to express himself through cinema for sure. He will go a long way as far as
celluloid is concerned.”
The film was screened to a full house of over 3,000 IITians and it certainly
touched a chord. Vivek Shah, a third year engineering student, says, “If
you are an alumnus, the film will take you down memory lane and if you are still
in IIT, it will make you sit up and look at things, the system and most importantly
the friends around you in a new light.”
Anshul plans to send it to various national and international fests, as well
asscreen it during orientation programmes so that future IITians can take a
cue from it.
mp.plus@gmail.com
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