In the land of dreams

While technology makes things easier for people, it did the opposite for Chetan Shah, whose English movie Framed, got stalled in 2007 because there were no theatres playing movies shot in digital high definition format.

But while most would have been saddened, Chetan decided to re-edit the film into Hindi till technology finally caught on to him. The writer-director speaks more about the movie Sapno Ke Desh Mein, which would be releasing in Bangalore on May 14.

On technology, Chetan says, “We made the movie in high definition digital format because it is cheaper and we did not have to worry about conserving footage. It is also easier to manipulate the scenes in post production. We had a valley in a scene which we changed into a lake in the movie,” he says laughing.

The plot revolves around a group of students whose prank results in their dean’s death and soon they uncover a sinister plot behind it and have to implicate the real culprits to establish their innocence.

How did the idea come about? “Actually, when I decided to make the film, I couldn’t think about making a blockbuster or a romantic movie considering my budget limitations. So I chose the murder mystery genre and wrote the script on my experiences,” he says.

But what is the reason behind naming the movie so? “It is called In the land of dreams, because at the core are these young students who have strong Indian values but are exposed to global influences and during the length of the movie, how these values are tested,” he says.

While the movie was conceptualised without music, finally it has come to become an important part of it. “The background score is only guitar but it is not linear music. Prasanna has added layers to the sound to arrive at a full fledged symphonic sound,” says Chetan.

“The movie also has four songs composed by four different music directors and each one of them is woven into the natural atmosphere. One is at a college cultural function and another is an impromptu karaoke performance,” he adds. Though the movie has a fast paced narrative style, the music is used to enhance the mood of the scenes as well as create a stylised soundscape for the images.

“We have avoided melodrama in the movie,” he says. “If the scene is sad, there is no sad music to manipulate the audience’s feelings,” he adds. So what are his expectations now.

“Right now, I am just concentrating on the release in Bangalore and Hyderabad on May 14,” he says. “Hopefully, people would go watch the movie and enjoy it,” he adds.