The green frame

After winning at the Ecofest 2009 Pune and being nominated for the CMS Vatavaran awards (Green Oscar) 2009 New Delhi,the film has been scooping up accolades and good wishes internationally. It was recently featured at ‘Ecofilms’ – Rodos International Films and Visual Arts Festival in Greece,where Mohite was felicitated by the mayor of thepicturesque Rodos. “It was a wonderful experience,and gave us valuable exposure. Our film was a very small effort in front of the massive presentations by other filmmakers,but it stood out for its honest appeal,” Mohite says. He emphasises that the film is of educational value for the younger generation,as they will be the harbingers of future change. Plans are in place to distribute the film to schools and other organisations. Mohite is also in talks with the city multiplexes to play the film between regular shows.

Do You?is the first part of a trilogy of short-films to be based on the environmental cause. The subsequent installments will be titled Now You and It’s You . The no-frills frame shows two young kids saving pennies with which they buy saplings every month – a simple gesture that can bring about a huge change. “Seven-year-old Miteesha and five-year-old Yuval Gulati who have been featured in the film weren’t told that they were being filmed! The habit to save was instilled in them by their mother. The idea is so ingrained in them now that they question anybody who plucks even a leaf off a plant. This is the impact that the film seeks to make,” Mohite says. The film was made on a shoe-string budget of Rs 150 and was shot by Ketan Hendre on a handycam.

Mohite,a qualified engineer and MBA degree holder,made this unusual trip into media when his documentary for a college fest got rave reviews. “I realised that the power of this medium is immense. If you take a relevant social topic and showcase it earnestly,then people appreciate it wholeheartedly. While making and promoting this film,I have met and interacted with many brilliant and kind people who have been impressed by the film and have agreed to render unconditional support to its cause. It just makes me feel that the universe definitely conspires to help you when you set out to do something right,” the young director says. One such person who has lent his encouraging hands to the project is well-known director Ashutosh Gowariker. “I approached Gowariker when the idea for the film germinated in my head. I started filming only when I got his go-ahead. When the finished product was taken to him,he told me how proud and happy he felt after watching the film. This kind of encouragement spurred me on to believing in the film even more. I am a great admirer of Gowariker’s prowess as a filmmaker and the social messages he includes in his movies,and to get such feedback from him is a big deal for me,” Mohite explains. Gowariker has even shot a 15-second message in support of the movie. “I am a rank novice in this trade,and I did not have any professional actors at my disposal. We may not be technically very strong,but I firmly believe that as long as the message is delivered,nothing else matters,” Mohite signs off.