WWI Masterclass are sessions where our students get to meet and interact with industry professionals. Like all other Masterclasses, this week too we had industry professionals – the makers of Bey Yaar, but the one striking difference about this Masterclass was that all the guests were our Alumni. Alumni who were part of the masterclass included its leading stars Divyang Thakkar, Samvedna Suwalka, cinematographer, Pushkar Singh, executive producer, Amit Desai and associate director, Viral Desai.
They shared their journey and spoke about their transition from a film school student to entering the film industry as actors, assistant directors, cinematographers and the struggle they faced in the process. Abhishek went on to state that conducting a WWI Masterclass and interacting with the present students feels like a ‘Homecoming’. It was an amazingly proud moment for each one in the auditorium to hear Abhishek say that ‘Bey Yaar’ had a longer theatrical run than many Hindi films”.
This Masterclass was conducted by Paresh Kamda, a WWI Faculty, who has mentored Abhishek Jain – Director, Pushkar Singh – Cinematographer and Amit Desai – Creative Producer of Bey Yaar, while they were students at the Whistling Woods International. Paresh Sir congratulated the entire team on the film’s huge success. Abhishek Jain shared his gratitude to his mentor, saying, ‘It was you who introduced us to the beautiful films and various works of notable film directors across the world.’ Paresh Sir also shared an interesting fact that Abhishek, Pushkar and Amit also worked together on their Diploma Film at Whistling Woods International.
The masterclass began with Abhishek thanking his professors while narrating his journey of making this film. He said, “I thought I found a new audience in Gujarati people after my first movie, which was a superhit. Being a Gujarati, I wanted to tell something about the youth of Gujarat. I know there has been a generation leap and I can’t connect with my contemporaries. Hence, I decided to take a fresh approach to the subject and ‘Bey Yaar’ was the outcome.” He advised the students to practice ‘patience’, which was the most important thing he learned at WWI. Abhishek shared his intent behind breaking the existing mould and realm in which the Gujarati film industry was operating.
Pushkar Singh, Cinematographer of Bey Yaar shared his experience of working on the film. He was also the cinematographer in Abhishek Jain’s directorial debut, Kevi Rite Jaish, but he shared that working on this film was a different experience altogether. He said, “This film was more fluid and has a story that’s actor-driven.” For the same reason the treatment too was different from what it was in Kevi Rite Jaish. This film depending on the narrative, had to have three block/set of treatment and lighting.
Divyang Thakkar, shared how a formal education in Acting always help him in giving the best to an opportunity by understanding the nuances required to make the characters relatable and believable. He went on to mention that a detailed understanding of all the departments that are involved in the process of filmmaking, makes it easier for an actor to grasp the intensity of a scene or a situation and deliver accordingly.
The entire team was surprised to see their mentor, Founder & Chairman, Subhash Ghai, sitting and smiling in the audience along with the faculty members. Abhishek immediately stood up and thanked him for grooming and supporting all the aspirants to become successful professionals. In response, Subhash Ghai expressed his deeply felt emotions for their success and the way they carried themselves with dignity and made their mentors proud. It was a matter of great pride for Subhash Ghai, President of WWI, Meghna Ghai Puri and all other Faculty to greet the entire crew of Bey Yaar for the masterclass.
The session ended with a very positive note by Abhishek Jain, where he said it loud and clear, “Be very sure of what you want. It does not matter if you make Hindi or regional films, there is always an audience if the product is good”.
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