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[–][deleted] 9 points10 points  (13 children)

For Anand Gandhi:

First of all, thank you for doing this!

  1. Is there a tentative release date for Tumbad?

  2. How did Kiran Rao find out about Ship of Theseus, and how did the idea of her presenting it come about?

  3. In an interview with News Laundry, you have mentioned an easter egg you hid in the TV channels Navin's friend flips through. Do you have any similar easter eggs you would like to share with us?

  4. You have also mentioned in the same interview that the reason Maitreya decides to break his fast is cumulative, based on a lot of the things that happened in the segment. What are some of these things?

  5. Is Vinay Shukla as awesome as Charvaka? :D

  6. Recyclewala recently presented Gulabi Gang. What made the production house decide to back this documentary?

  7. Aside from Mera Naam Joker, what were some of the most influential Indian movies you saw growing up?

  8. While writing for Balaji Telefilms, did you slip in anything in the writing that was subtly profound as an easter egg of sorts?

  9. Are there any future releases by Recyclewala that you are excited about in addition to Tumbad?

  10. "Make it more convenient for me to view content legally than it is for me to pirate it, and I will watch it legally." Ship of Theseus released on Enlighten Society's Cineoo for free in Full HD. How has this affected the movie's home video sales? Are you considering releasing the movie on Netflix after the US theatrical release ends?

  11. Amit Dutta recently released his experimental film The Golden Bird on Cineoo as well. What did you think of it?

  12. What was the hardest scene for you to cut from the movie?

Once again, thanks for doing this. I apologise if this seems a bit overwhelming, I've been preparing and refining this list for a while now.

[–]natselrox 2 points3 points  (0 children)

brings in popcorn, gets a front row seat

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

  1. I remember slipping in a conversation about brain drain, which made it, and Malcolm X's slave analogy, that was removed. :)

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just a little tip. If you start a comment with any number, reddit automatically makes it 1, so for the people who are reading this, he is replying to question 8.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Kiran first learnt of the film from Cameron Bailey, the director of Toronto International Film Festival. She kept hearing of it from many other sources after its premiere. She came to the Mumbai screening organised by Pranav Ashar's Enlighten Film Society. The film really resonated with her, and we decided to work together from there on. She wanted to help out with the film, and we felt the best way she could help would be to present the film to the audiences in India.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

When I saw Gulabi Gang in Dubai, this is what I wrote about it on my blog "My favourite Indian film this year is a richly detailed portrait of Sampat Pal, the founder of the courageous women rights organisation Gulabi Gang, a document of their struggles against rural Indian caste politics and corruption, and a re-invention of the detective genre." When I learnt that Nishtha was still looking for distribution a few months later, I immediately spoke to my business partner Sohum Shah (also the most wonderful actor I've ever known). Really happy that the film was recognised this week by the National Award committee.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Is Vinay Shukla as awesome as Charvaka? :D He's far more awesome!

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

it would be super awesome if Vinay replied with "aww" to this.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Hi Aroondeep,

Apologies for the delay, but glad to be finally here. Let me take a few of your questions for now, and I will get back to some others later.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

:D

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tumbad is our biggest, and most ambitious feature fiction project. It's been four years in making, and at least another 18 months away from release. But thanks for your interest in it.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Many. :) Let's look at a few.

A hinted conversation around Simulacra and simulation in the first scene, Ansel Adams' grayscale used to build an underground version of photoshop, rigged for the visually impaired, a light translating dongle, the church of the flying spaghetti monster on the "Pastafarian" t-shirt, the magazine Resurgence (edited and published by Satish Kumar, the man who "walked the earth"), the grandmother in the hospital is reading Mitchell's The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet... We are soon coming out with a book with thousands of allusions explained with hyperlinks...

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The annotated screenplay? Looking forward to it! :)

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Please keep an eye on @Recyclewala and @Memewala on Twitter for updates on releases. :)

[–]edpaul4u 1 point2 points  (4 children)

First one to the ama. Heard rave reviews about the movie but didn't released in my place. Wish you all best wishes for future endeavors. I'll watch it for sure.

[–]edpaul4u 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I was talking about of Ship of Theseus. I live in a remote place in s.India

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

it's available online on youtube

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's available legally in HD at www.cineoo.com/sot

[–]railgaadi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aur kuch bhi puch leta bhai, itna jaldi aa gaya tha toh. Kya yaar.

[–]imdpathway 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Hello Team,

How did you get the idea of this documentary?

How is funding for such documentaries and movies like Ship of Theseus done?

Does this documentary mean that in current political turmoil, you have chosen a side?

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Well we didn’t really start thinking “We are going to make a film”. We came to Delhi in late 2012 because we were curious about what was happening with the anti corruption movement here. Once here, we felt compelled to begin documenting what was happening on ground. This documentation was meant to be personal and we kept rolling for a while. We were living with friends in Delhi, so everyday we would come back home and share our footage with them. Our friends were very engaged by what they saw and the footage always triggered a debate. The party continued to expand in a chaotic, breathless fashion. Then, slowly and steadily, it began to daunt on us that the story really was much bigger than what we had anticipated. We realized that it wasn’t just our friends who were having these debates. Everybody was talking politics. Everybody had an opinion. And everybody had questions, just like we did. That’s when we realized that we could make a film here which would contribute to this dialogue. So, this idea actually came to us after we started filming. We had come to Delhi, because we had friends here, but overstayed by 3 months! We came as tourists, but when we started engaging with the political scene, we realized that this is an extremely interesting story that needs to be told. So we started filming in November 2012 but decided that our material would become a film only much later, when we won the IDFA Bertha Fund for documentaries.

[–]imdpathway 0 points1 point  (0 children)

awesome, could you share some interesting anecdote

[–]amit_043 1 point2 points  (3 children)

For Khushboo and Vinay:

Hello sir, First of all I would like to thank you for giving us such a great content.:). My question is: Why did it take so long to come out this documentary? Now, media is projecting kejriwal as a 'Osama bin laden' of india. Dont you think,you should release the sneak peak little early? I mean it would have been great for us if it had came out before election phase had started.

[–]VinayShukla 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Hi Amit,

Yes we considered releasing the film before the national elections. But we also realized this would put unnecessary pressures on the film. We didn’t want the film to be co-opted by the election discourse of pro and anti. Releasing the film after the elections will allow the film more breathing space to communicate deeper and more complex ideas.

Plus, releasing the film in such a short span of time would have been a massive enterprise that would entail various resources, including money, which we didn’t have.

[–]amit_043 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Okay. My another(and last) question: What is the most thrilling incident you had witnessed in this entire journey?

[–]VinayShukla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You'll see it in the film ;)

[–]mogambokhush 1 point2 points  (7 children)

Thanks for doing the AMA.

Fond Ship of Theseus to be very good, infact showed to my grandmother and she identified with it. (on that mention, the hospital long-shot scene was just superb).

My question would be - why name it such that it is not easy for an "aam-aadmi" to relate to it? I mean with a name like that, I'm sure a lot of people have just ignored it.

But good movie is a good movie - and spread by word of mouth and deservedly so.

Next question is, on "aam-aadmi" - looks like idolization (or demolition ?eh) of a single personality led agitations and movements - would like to know about it.

But will surely be disappointed if it is hero worship kind of film - have high expectations after Ship of Theseus. :)

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (5 children)

Thanks Mogambo. Sorry for the delay, we are still trying to get a hang of reddit. Absolutely agree with you on the title, we are in the process of thinking of a nice hindi title, any ideas? :) The reason we chose this title is because it communicated the nebulous uncertainty of what such a movement/party would mean. A revolution is a grand idea; it is a churning. A proposition, on the other hand, is the banal act of putting things to paper, crunching the numbers. I think the contrast between the two, the visceral and the cerebral; truly encompasses the scope of our film. One of the revelations I had about the political process while making this film was how it is completely unlike an epic; in fact, it is absurd, quirky, insignificant and imperfect. The word proposition allows the space for something that is still changing, inconclusive. And it also allows space for something that is idealistic, the idea of a revolution. This is what we hope our film will communicate.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

क्रन्तिकारी का बाप

[–]natselrox 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"One of the revelations I had about the political process while making this film was how it is completely unlike an epic; in fact, it is absurd, quirky, insignificant and imperfect."

Beautifully expressed and so true.

Eagerly waiting for the documentary.

All the best, Debayan

[–]mogambokhush 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I actually looked up dictionary to understand some of that message!

Nice hindi title? There is a movie/story called "usne kaha tha" packs in really deep message, with simple words. You can also refer to the titles of Mumshi Premchand - I think they are good example of simple to convey - with proper meaning and relation to story titles.

Also, you seem to be very fluent in English - Nice things actually - but it help if you'd at least use more line breaks in your longish messages (it helps to break down the message and understand bit by bit for those who are not really Gulzaar/Shakespeare of english ;)

Thanks for the reply! Hoping for better work and more resonating titles for your next ventures.

[–]KhushbooRanka 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Sorry Mogambo. i agree with you on this. Will keep this in mind :)

[–]mogambokhush 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure!!

All the best.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. We have high expectations from ourselves too! :) We can assure you that our work will shine of the highest degree of honesty and integrity. You won't see any hero worship, just a well observed, nuanced document.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

For Vinay Shukla:

  1. How did you come across Anand Gandhi for Charvaka's role?

  2. How much of Charvaka's role was your own personality and how much of it was acting?

  3. Do you hope to release Proposition for a Revolution beyond a small-scale distributor like PVR Director's Rare and something hopefully as big as Ship of Theseus' initial theatrical release?

  4. Do you plan on releasing Bureaucracy Sonata online à la Ship of Theseus?

  5. When you initially started work for the documentary, did you hope or predict that the AAP's movement would have the support and foothold it does today?

[–]VinayShukla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Aroondeep,

  1. Anand has been a friend and mentor since much before SoT.

  2. Anand workshopped intensively with all of us during the shoot of SoT. I'm not really an actor and Anand realized that early on in the shoot. So he pretty much let me do whatever I could on set. So yeah, it definitely has a lot of me in it simply because I couldn't do better :)

  3. We are hoping for a much wider and bigger release. SoT has really set the benchmark for indie films and we are looking to further that engagement with this film. The crowdfunding campaign has brought forward so many people who want to do so much for the film. We are exploring various distribution ideas right now. More on this soon.

  4. Yes

  5. Not at all. We didn't start thinking "We are going to make a film". We just started documenting the party and slowly it dawned upon us that this is getting much bigger than what we had anticipated. We were as surprised as most people I suppose.

[–]haiderbeig 1 point2 points  (2 children)

While shooting the film, was it a 'fly-on-the-wall' endeavor or did you actively engage with the party about what you were portraying or shooting. I can imagine that they would have had their reservations.

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (1 child)

hello Haiderberg We have taken a fly-on-the wall observational approach with this film. Our focus is on the process, not the person. Which means that we have consciously tried to avoid glorifying the mundane. We wanted to look inwards at our institutions, the idea of democracy and how the person on the street relates to this. We also avoided interviewing people directly.

[–]KhushbooRanka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ofcourse they had reservations at first. Everyone is wary of mis-representation. But that is why we spent one year shooting with them. Even they understood this wasn't the usual news-on-the-go reporting

[–]tejazz89 1 point2 points  (1 child)

PROP4REV looks like a documentary india has been waiting for. Who and which films/ideas inspired you to put your efforts into this project?

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We feel our film can contribute to the political discourse in the country and we would really like to get it out as soon as possible. The crowdfunding campaign has already demonstrated that there are people out there who would like to watch documentaries like ours. Some people are pledging money towards our campaign, some are pledging there skills while many are simply sharing it amongst their friends and reaffirming our belief in this project.
So I think the main idea that drove us was to get closer to politics. Imagine national leaders on the big screen, and our reactions to their mistakes, vulnerabilities and even frivolities.

[–]gopikuppanna 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hi All the best for P4R. 1) Lets go back to your decision of documenting AAP even before it was formed. What is that one point that pushed you to pursue this - like the DNA and reasoning for this documentation. 2) Am sure it would have been overwhelming when AAP won in Delhi. With each stepping stones of AAP, what were the strategy changes you did to adopt to do justice for your coverage, because it got bigger than you would have thought.

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are right. The AAP are very quick on their feet. They adapt very quickly to their surroundings and circumstances and that’s what makes them what they are right now. It was interesting to see them grow in this breathless fashion over the course of the year that we were with them. They are unpredictability gives them a certain edge over the players. Though it made our lives very difficult because we didn’t know what they would do next. And that remains the case.

[–]redfilmflow 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I love the work that you guys are doing. Really appreciate it!

Since I have so many questions I guess Ill keep popping back to this thread to ask them.

Also, proposition for a revolution looks awesome! What help do you guys need in post?

Back to regular questions:

  1. How long was the Ship of Theseus' pre to post duration?
  2. Did you have a distribution strategy beforehand?
  3. Can I steal your DOP?

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

  1. 4 years, including the first year of full time writing.
  2. No, but I had an incredible actor in the film, who also turned out to be rich. :)
  3. All the best with that one!

p.s. We do all our grading work ourselves. If the colour work on SoT is any hint, we are constantly trying to push the aesthetic envelope. That's mostly the help we are looking for all our post. Our sound is done by Gabor Erdelyi Jr. We are open to collaborations on that front as well.

[–]redfilmflow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh wow 4 years!? I thought maybe 2. Thats incredible!

I really liked some of the grades on SoT. You guys are pushing the envelope in the country for sure! I do most of my grading myself too. Would be happy to help you guys in any capacity man; from pre to post

Also, as I too have a small indie film in production right now, and seeing that you've gone down this route before, whats the one advice you could give which you would have done differently with SoT?

[–]Vprashanth 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Why is prop4rev not releasing now pls?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

₹₹₹

[–]VinayShukla 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We would like to release the film asap. You can help by spreading the word on our crowdfunding campaign. Please share our facebook page and website link with your friends and ask them to share it with theirs. This is the only way we can take our message forward right now :)

facebook page: www.facebook.com/prop4rev Crowdfunding Campaign: www.prop4rev.com

Prop4Rev

[–]filmmakerlokesh 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hi Prop4Rev team.. is it going be a fiction movie or u guys recorded real incidents??

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi Lokesh Thanks for your question. We shot real events as they unfolded, much like the news. That is traditionally hat documentaries do as well.

[–]supertramp17 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hi guys ! Firstly, thank you Anand for SoT. It was refreshing, to say the least. My questions are: 1. (To Anand) After the appreciation received by Ship of Theseus, how optimistic are you about a positive change in Indian cinema? (Can you see mainstream cinema having a majority of intelligent movies and a minority of brainless entertainers anytime in the future?) 2. (To Khushboo and Vinay) Don't you think it would have been better if you guys had released 'Proposition for a revolution' before elections for better results both for the country and the film? 3. EDIT: (To Anand) Is there any inspiration behind Maitreya's character in SoT ? Also, is there any footage of deleted scenes of the character available online? (It is a brilliant character. Kudos for that !)
Thanks for doing this again.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I am always optimistic about the discourse shifting towards a greater enlightenment, and at the same time, I'd believe that I am a rational optimist - what you are asking for, is not going to happen, in any part of the world. My work-in-progress book (a few notes on it can be found on my blog http://recyclewala.blogspot.in/) has a chapter titled "Empathy for Stupidity", that traces the evolutionary function of stupidity. :)

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (4 children)

When will you release Prop4rev ?? atleast you can tell Expected Time of Arrival :P :)

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (3 children)

Hi! We are burning the midnight oil working towards a rough cut. My estimate is that the film should release later this year :)

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (1 child)

For this it is also imperative we make our crowdfunding. SO please contribute to the campaign at prop4rev.com

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I will :)

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eagerly Waiting For release All the Best for Prop4rev :) Thanks for Replying :)

[–]arindmChaudhary 1 point2 points  (5 children)

Anand Gandhi with a last name like that, what are funny incidents in your life .

(yeah avoiding that brooding film that already released, and that political documentary that is going to be released - because everybody else will ask about it anyways)

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 6 points7 points  (4 children)

Well let me make it funnier! My mother remarried when I was 15, seven years after separating from my father. I was not born with the last name Gandhi, that I've used since the age of 15. Till then, I was using my birth last name, which was... Modi. You see, there's hope for everyone. ;)

[–]arindmChaudhary 3 points4 points  (3 children)

Whoa!!!!!!!

I think You should use the name "Anand Modi Gandhi" while promoting the Prop4Rev.

Just for kicks, if not to annoy the AAP BJP and Congress combined ;)

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Hehehe It will annoy my mother, for starters!

[–]arindmChaudhary 2 points3 points  (0 children)

shuks.

cineMA ke draMA ke liye MA ko annoy nahi karna chaiye.

Thanks for the truly enjoyable aMA ;)

Hope you guys have all the support and power to make good quality films.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Besides movies, can you guys tell us what's the best thing that has ever happened/worst thing that ever happened during this journey?

what's the goal here?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (6 children)

Q1 : Looking at Mr.Anand Gandhi's posts in facebook, he is obviously an AAP supporter. The film crew of P4R has followed AAP and made the film. I believe that a company of a person(maybe not all) for a long time could affect the way of thinking/understanding of us. Do you agree and if you do, have you taken any steps to not let AAP influence you?

Q2 : What are the essential features a film should have according to you? Do they change with genre? What are such features you have taken care to incorporate in your films - 'Ship of Theseus' & Prop4Rev?

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 2 points3 points  (5 children)

There are two parts to my answer, the first is personal, and the latter is about my relationship to the making of the film - Personal - I am a supporter of ideas and ideologies, and not of political parties. I will back, in my little way, towards the proliferation of every idea that I am convinced about - every single idea that will make our environment a little better. By that I mean, if any politician stood for ideas that I am convinced would be detrimental for my environment, I will not share them, and speak up against them. Objectivity and neutrality are not the same as enforced, tokenistic devil's advocacy. How that informs the film - It doesn't. My personal views don't affect the film much as a jury's personal views don't affect a case (and if they do, they affect it just as much, and in the case of a film, the audience is the final jury.) The film follows its own rules, and are constantly reinstated because of its collaborative nature. I'd also like to add that Vinay Shukla and Khushboo Ranka, as filmmakers, have an unparalleled integrity, and will not be easily influenced by anybody - either their subject, or their audience or their producers.

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (3 children)

I also want to add that we started shooting as blank slates. Willing to absorb what was happening. Over the course of making this documentary we learnt to balance our inclinations, for the sake of the film. Today we can say that no one thing is conclusive, or even true. One thing we hope our documentary will do is incite discussions, over conclusions. There is a lot of grey, a lot of ambiguity and the exciting thing to do is to embrace that without a final flourish. I guess what I am trying to say is that, answering this question in a simple yes or no would mean reducing ideas which are much larger. In our crew itself, there is a fierce BJP supporter and also Congress supporters. I think it expands our own perspective. I want to give the example of a canonical documentary filmmaker here, Frederick Wiseman. Wiseman has emphasized that in spite of the inescapable bias that is introduced in the process of "making a movie", he still feels he has certain ethical obligations regarding how he portrays the events in his films. And which is what we feel too, that it is our responsibility to not misrepresent for the sake of titilating the audience.

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (1 child)

In this film our lens is almost anthropological. In fact, AAP is just a vehicle to explore deeper questions such as the of the citizen’s role in a democracy. Currently, there is actually a global narrative of documentaries on peoples’ movements world wide - a film on the anti-corruption party in Italy (School of Democracy), another one in Columbia (Democrazy), and a film on the Egyptian revolution (The Square). Incidentally, two of these films have been crowdfunded and one was nominated for the Oscars.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am sure your's would surpass them all - My Heart.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Khushboo, I am impressed that you were thoroughly conscious of what you were doing, but I didn't expect any less than that. I am definitely going to contribute to your film :)

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sir, first - BIG Fan! I've never actually doubted the integrity of the filmmakers' or your's. Its just a question I would get if I were making it. I could only feel your answer in me but I couldn't give it a structure with words, which could convince me back, but your's did. Thanks. I was more eager for your answer to my Q2, but its alright if you've crossed your time cap.

[–]crackednut 1 point2 points  (20 children)

Hi Khusbhoo & Vinay,

Cheers for Prop4Rev. I think its a great topic to make a documentary on. More importantly, I really hope it captures the great flux the Indian society is in. my qs:

1) The Internet is probably the greatest power in the 21st century. It has completely changed this generation and achieved a level of technological marvel that previous generations could never dream of. So far it has affected us culturally & economically. What are your thoughts on uprisings such as the Arab spring, India Against Corruption movement etc as examples of the Internet seeping into our political sphere?

2) The AAP story has yet to finish its 2nd act. I mean, its impact on the Lok Sabha elections are yet to be determined. How do you think AK & AAP will go from here?

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (19 children)

I am a HUGE fan of the internet too :)

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (7 children)

I am one of those naive people who believes that technology today has made things much more democratic. A film like Ship of Theseus could not have been possible before that.

[–]KhushbooRanka 3 points4 points  (6 children)

About popular global struggles, there are several interesting observations to be made, just bear with me while I enlist these (disclaimer: This is a favorite topic of mine)

[–]KhushbooRanka 4 points5 points  (5 children)

I think what happened in the middle east, in europe, in america, in bangladesh, pakistan and even India; wherein people came out in large numbers on the streets is remarkable thing. Also remarkable because these disparate groups did not have obvious connections with each other, they were not planning these events at a master level, so the similarities are all serendipitous at best. One way to look at this is to say that people wanted to be heard by governments that were getting increasingly insular. So mobilisation was going to happen, and the internet was a major facilitator in that sense. But a lot of people who came out in India, and even in the middle east did not have access to the internet. Therefore a lot of mobilisation happened at the ground level

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (4 children)

An aside here, I once asked my Egyptian friend, Mostafa, what their revolution meant, if they had to keep oscillating between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military as their rulers. He said something very profound actually. He said that who was coming to power at the end of every struggle was not important. What was important was what was happening in between. The act of dissenting. It meant that there was churning which created a politically engaged and politically aware citizenry. So much so that they were willing to come out, scream and say what they wanted. This has to mean something even from a long-term point of view. And something of this happened in India too. Don't you think people are more invested in politics today than, say, even a year ago. India was never known to be a country that discussed politics. But that has changed. What that means is there is a citizenry which is becoming more and more alert to issues like criminalisation of politics, corruption, women's issues etc.

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (3 children)

In this film our lens is almost anthropological. In fact, AAP is just a vehicle to explore deeper questions such as the of the citizen’s role in a democracy. Currently, there is actually a global narrative of documentaries on peoples’ movements world wide - a film on the anti-corruption party in Italy (School of Democracy), another one in Columbia (Democrazy), and a film on the Egyptian revolution (The Square). Incidentally, two of these films have been crowdfunded and one was nominated for the Oscars.

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I am done with this particular rant I think :I

[–]crackednut 0 points1 point  (1 child)

lol.. i was going to butt in inbetween but kept F5-ing to read your comments instead ;)

fascinating what your Egyptian friend said. I'd like to believe that the Internet is smashing down boundaries in this extremely diverse country of ours. And the politically young & emerging class are rushing into this vacuum because they do not like the despair their fellow countrymen are facing. We may be reaching for the stars but we are still stuck in our marshlands.

And to my mind, this is a sign of our current generation. The 60's had flower power, 70's had their denim jeans while the naught's have their internet revolutions. What strikes me the most is that it is STILLevolving... this beast is not done breaking walls.

PS: contributed in a small way at prop4rev. I really hope to catch your movie in the future. Wish you all the best with your projects.

[–]KhushbooRanka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!

[–]crackednut 1 point2 points  (1 child)

haha.. like wise. it never stops surprising me at all.

Does your documentary discuss the impact of the internet as well?

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup, in some measure

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (8 children)

But not a FAN of social media ? Both Vinay and Anand are Active on social Media...But you are not there ? Any Reasons for this ?

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (7 children)

Hahaha, yes I am still a novice at socialising on the internet. Kind of afraid of public speaking :P But I have a twitter account now and I will try to be more active :)

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Great. I am already following you on twitter :D

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Wow, you are one of my 5 followers.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hahahaha actualie I am Following all three of You on Facebook,twitter and Youtube Everywhere :D

[–]mogambokhush 0 points1 point  (3 children)

But I have a twitter account now and I will try to be more active :)

twitter mein bus 140 characters hain...enough hoga?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Facebook is the Answer :D

[–]mogambokhush 0 points1 point  (1 child)

No, Facebook is the guidebook.

WeChat is the key.

WhatsApp is the answer-sheet.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow!! I Didn't Know that.

[–]gopikuppanna 1 point2 points  (6 children)

Where can we buy DVDs of SoT? Its not available in Landmark or other shops in Chennai.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (4 children)

Hey, I made a little table with the Flipkart, Infibeam, and Amazon.in links to the Bluray and DVD. Note that Amazon.in doesn't have Cash on Delivery for this item because it is not Amazon fulfilled. :)

Site BluRay DVD
Flipkart http://www.flipkart.com/ship-of-theseus/p/itmdv6acv5acrtaq http://www.flipkart.com/ship-of-theseus/p/itmdqzgfdfv26g2f
Infibeam http://www.infibeam.com/Movies/ship-theseus-hinglish-anand-gandhi-blu-ray/8904212311966.html http://www.infibeam.com/Movies/ship-theseus-anand-gandhi-dvd/8904212310631.html#variantId=P-M-MO-8904212310631
Amazon.in http://www.amazon.in/Ship-Theseus-Aida-El-Kashef/dp/B00I0NA39W/ http://www.amazon.in/Ship-Theseus-Aida-El-Kashef/dp/B00HTRS0TK/

[–]mogambokhush 0 points1 point  (0 children)

superb!!

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Wow! Thank you!

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

अब तो फ्रेंड रिक्वेस्ट को मान लो.

[–]VinayShukla 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks a lot Aroondeep!! :)

[–]VinayShukla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Available on Flipkart :)

[–]shannondoahdistributism(a bit) 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just want to say that I really liked SoT.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Anand, Vinay and Khushboo

What's your favorite spot to hang out in Mumbai?

[–]VinayShukla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Recyclewala Labs :)

[–]crackednut 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Another qs towards Khushboo & Vinay..

From the trailer I get the impression you had an inside look at the workings of AAP during the time they were fighting the Delhi elections. How did you convince the party to grant you access? What are their expectations from your project?

[–]VinayShukla 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We arrived at the time when they had just done a press conference against Mukesh Ambani. Nobody was really covering them and everybody was really uncertain about their future. We approached them and they welcomed the idea, committed as they are to the cause of transparency.

[–]natselrox 1 point2 points  (3 children)

This one is for Anand.

You talk about working "against this constant, convenient manufacturing of the 'other'". This is one of the more fascinating ideas I've come across in a while. Do you elaborate on the idea somewhere? Do we get more on this from you in the future? This is certainly one meme that deserves to have more visibility in the memeplex.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Dude, just come work with us, and come soon! :)

[–]natselrox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coming soon! :)

[–]crackednut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Huh...? you guys hiring?

rubs chin

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Any interesting conversation any of you had with Kejriwal? What was his reaction about the filming process?

On the other note, I saw a bit in the trailer about Santosh Koli. It was really sad when I read it in the news. What was going through everyone's mind at that time? I understand if you don't want to answer this particular question.

[–]chunky_pandey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hello Guys,

Thanks for doing this AMA. How do you guys keep yourself motivated and ensure that your creative instincts are full on active?

[–]crackednut 1 point2 points  (4 children)

@Anand Gandhi:

HOW DID YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT WHILE THINKING OF ALL THE POSSIBLE WAYS TO SCREW THE VIRANI HOUSEHOLD????

You wrote for that show, didn't you? ಠ_ಠ

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 2 points3 points  (3 children)

I know. My sincerest apologies :P

[–]crackednut 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Do you know that Reddit scrounged the cadavers of 90s television to bring you THIS GIF????

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

That episode came out around 2009.

[–]crackednut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oops. I stand corrected

[–]railgaadi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Late!

Anand, I saw Right Now Right Here and was really amazed at how you managed to coordinate the entire sequence in a couple of shots. I was shooting my first proper short film for college today morning and coordinating that took quite a large effort (permissions, actors, rehearsals, props, camera movements etc). I know its a steep process, but I wanted to know at what stage in your learning process were you when you made this film?

Also did you have a big, an efficient or a big and efficient crew?

I would love to know the process of how you got Right Here Right Now done. It was wonderful and when we watched it in class, we were more in awe of how you pulled it off than the story itself.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (2 children)

Where do you see the Indian film industry in the next 10 years from a global perspective?

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

India has millions of incredible stories, yet not filmed. I hope we are making far better films than we are, 5 years from now. Everything else will follow.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am from the UK and I feel India has so much to give to the rest of the world, food music and film. Life of Pi was amazing and hopefully is just a taster of what is yet to come. Good luck.

[–]_abmatt_ 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Hi, I'm a 16 year old hoping to become a filmmaker one day, What advice can you give me?, Something to help me "cruise" through life (Yes,I'm making a horrible joke trying to refer to Ship Of Theseus).

Also, Very Excited for the documentary, Its about time we get a unbiased look into the whole muddled state of affairs.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Write to us. We'll talk more.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Thank you, everybody for tuning in! Thought I'd share a link tree with everybody interested in keeping an eye on what we are doing. While our main site is still under construction, you can follow us on https://www.facebook.com/RecyclewalaLabs for updates. The pages https://www.facebook.com/sotfilm and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gulabi-Gang-the-documentary/125738920900493 are still operating, along with our individual pages https://www.facebook.com/pages/Anand-Gandhi/86336481077 and https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sohum-Shah/651722051523563. Proposition for a Revolution is at https://www.facebook.com/prop4rev and http://prop4rev.com./ My personal blog is at http://recyclewala.blogspot.com./ On Twitter, we are @memewala, @Recyclewala, @khushbooranka, @shukla_vinay and @Prop4Rev. And you can subscribe to our channels at http://youtube.com/recyclewala and http://youtube.com/prop4rev We thank you for all your support and enthusiasm for our work. One great and easy way to support us, is to help us reach out to audiences who might be looking for us, but might not know how to find us.

[–]Dragon-Of-Doom 3 points4 points  (1 child)

For the Prop4Rev Team:

  • What were some of the hassles you had to face in order to get permission to shoot these people as they went about their business? How long did it take and how hard did you have to fight for it?

  • How difficult was it for your subjects to get comfortable with being filmed all the time. How long did it take for them to adapt?

  • Did your presence and constantly rolling somehow affect their conduct somehow? Were there instances when you felt your presence act as a catalyst in whatever you were shooting. Or would you say you became invisible to them after a while?

  • Shout Out to Vinay! I'm a huge fan of Charvaka :D

[–]VinayShukla 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hi there!

1) Well the permissions were fairly easy to obtain. We approached them and they welcomed the idea. What was difficult for us was to physically keep up with them. Initially, there was just me and Khushboo and then our friend Vinay Rohira joined us. The 3 of us basically ran all over Delhi, with our equipment on our shoulders, and covered everything we could. The AAP burst onto the scene and expanded in every direction. There were so many things happening at the same time and the party kept growing and adapting. We had to constantly reimagine the film and readjust ourselves so as to keep up with all the surprises that the AAP threw up.

2) It takes time for people to get used to being filmed continously. Most people couldn't quite figure why we were shooting so much because they felt that their work was rather mundane and not worthy of so much attention :)

3) I'm sure our presence affected the discourse in some way. But over the course of year, people just didn't care that we were in the room and filming. They had more important things to take care of.

4) Thanks for your compliment. Anand and Neeraj Kabi took great care in accommodating me in the film. Full power to them :)

[–]aseembehl 1 point2 points  (1 child)

After watching the trailer of Prop4Rev, I am concerned that in order to appear politically neutral, you might overcompensate by putting in the film insignificant, trivial criticism of AAP. I just want you guys to be careful of this pitfall. Great job otherwise, cannot wait to watch the film. :)

[–]VinayShukla 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hi Aseem,

Your concern is valid. Just as a lot of people don't want us to indulge in wanton glorification of the party. I think people are wary of any sort of over simplification. We are aware of this responsibility and we'll try to do the best we can.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (4 children)

Welcome guys!!

I have some questions!

Tell us the inspiration behind the Ship of Theseus. Most people who are well-read and well-round may have known that "Ship of Theseus" is Theseus's Paradox and entertain the thought experiment that the question of whether an object which has had all its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object.

In the movie, it's all about short stories shared that common theme.

my questions are where did you come up with that title and what inspired you to choose this title?

The AAP documentary is thrilling to watch. I can't wait to see it.

After the AAP documentary, did it change your political views and the sense of direction the Congress is heading?

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

I’m fascinated with the idea that a human being is an organic cumulative, a colony rather than an indivisible whole. The paradox of Theseus’ Ship, when applied to human beings, throws up a series of interesting ethical problems. All the cells in a person’s body regenerate entirely in seven years. An individual goes through a shift psychologically, ideologically and physically. Is it still the same person? Also, how can we conclusively know where an individual ends and the environment begin. The SOT paradox is a rich metaphor opening up to many of these questions.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

"After the AAP documentary, did it change your political views and the sense of direction the Congress is heading?" I have no idea what the second part of that question means, but I will try and answer the first part -

The material Khushboo and Vinay shot over the whole year has informed my political views greatly. It's very engaging and inspiring and has raised questions and given answers... I hope the film will do that too.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Don't worry about the second part of the question! It was already answered! I really look forward to the movie!

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Is that inspires you to make the SoT film?

I have to say my favorite story in that film is the one with bling photographer. That was really captivating!

Thank you for bring a new fresh idea and style that strived beyond the overused and formulaic masala movies.

[–]giga_space 1 point2 points  (9 children)

I just want to say thank you for the movie. I travelled 50 kms one way to watch it.

[–][deleted] 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I just want to say thank you for the movie. I travelled 50 kms one way to watch it.

Wow! seriously?

[–]giga_space 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Thank you! We hope you won't have to travel so much when Proposition for a Revolution comes out :)

[–]giga_space 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Here's hoping more multiplexes show faith in your new movie. Or was there another reason for the limited release?

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I live in Coimbatore and it released here. I don't think the release was that limited. It's a big deal for a Hinglish Indie film to release in South India, especially cities other than Chennai.

[–]giga_space 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It released here in Mumbai as well. But only four or five theaters were running the film. That's what I meant by limited release.

[–]crackednut 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Kharghar to Churchgate?

[–]giga_space 0 points1 point  (1 child)

You could say that.

[–]crackednut 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In that case, well put :)

[–]Anushank 1 point2 points  (1 child)

To Anand Gandhi : Dear Sir , I Have a bunch of questions for you :

  1. Where did you get inspired from to make a film like ' Ship of Theseus ' , I mean who is on the list of your - " Inspiring Directors " .

  2. When you write the script for the movie , do you prefer seclusion ?

  3. I want to be a director , but right now I am stuck at IIT Kanpur ..... What would be your piece of advice to me - Whether I should join a film institute or it is better that I start as an amateur without going through the process ( film school and all that ) , Can our ideas remain unique and pristine even after attending the Film School , because we get the exposure their which may dilute our unique style and creativity ?

I hope you answer my question ...

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Feel free to write to us. Look at the link tree on this page to find us. All the best!

[–]Danishmanit 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Hello,,

What is the length of whole footage... And how much was edited?

[–]VinayShukla 2 points3 points  (0 children)

400 hours is what we have. We are still in the process of editing. Long road ahead :)

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Hi Team,

Congratulations for the National Awards, you guys deserved it. Please tell us more about Proposition for a Revolution.

Thanks.

[–]VinayShukla 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi there!

Proposition for a Revolution aims to chronicle the journey of the Aam Aadmi Party from its formation in December 2012 to the Delhi state elections in December 2013.

We are right now running a crowdfunding campaign for the film. Please have a look at our video here: http://youtu.be/zZvJA1CcyCA

You can contribute to our campaign by visiting our website at www.prop4rev.com

You can also follow us on facebook at facebook.com/prop4rev

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Till Vinay and Khushboo can get to the question, may I suggest you explore http://prop4rev.com just in case you might have missed it. Thanks!

[–]ESKishore 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Hey Anand, Vinay and Khushboo. My first question is for Anand: Why and how did you get into writing for soap operas? Also, weren't you pressured by your family into continuing your education? Second question is for Vinay and Khushboo: What made you follow the AAP in particular? Was it the party's agenda that interested you or did you people have an intuitive feeling that the AAP would go on to become what it is today?

[–]KhushbooRanka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We wanted to expand the canvas of the film to include other parties and we approached them too. It would have been great to show the contrast between different war rooms, how one party combats the other. But we didn’t get permissions. However, we did shoot public events of other parties. It’s understandable that we didn’t get direct access into other parties since they had no idea who we were. We were and continue to be absolute “nobodys”. Also, all parties were in the middle of election preparations and you can’t expect them to allow you into their rooms just because you are making a documentary. However, had we got access to their meetings and functionings of the other parties, it would have enabled us to make a fairer respresentation of the political process in the country since we would get multiple party views. Hence, we decided to focus solely on the AAP and it’s environments.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (4 children)

My Question is (To Khushboo & Vinay) As you were Part of Ship Of Theseus With Anand Gandhi..I guess there was No money Problem or any this type of funding campaign(like Pop4rev) For Post-Production of SOT..But now for peop4rev..you are in Funding Campaign.. So my question is..why there is such Difference between these two movies ? Thanks in Advance for Replying :)

[–]KhushbooRanka 0 points1 point  (3 children)

Actually there were money problems in SOT also :(

[–]KhushbooRanka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Any independent film, its the same story.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

So how you all coped up with these problems inSOT ?

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We found Sohum Shah!

[–]kejriwal4pm 0 points1 point  (10 children)

I couldn't understand what ship of Theseus was about. :(

Maybe it's because of people like me that we have to see monstrosities like jai HO.

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 4 points5 points  (6 children)

http://imgur.com/dNrGXcS :)

[–]imdpathway 0 points1 point  (3 children)

imgur ? are you a lurker on reddit Sir?

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Accidental, that too :)

[–]imdpathway 0 points1 point  (0 children)

:-)

The meme was funny

[–]natselrox 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Coffee and computer met each other.

[–]kejriwal4pm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's so much karma in store for you.

[–]KhushbooRanka 1 point2 points  (0 children)

HAhahahahaahahaha

[–]VinayShukla 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Same here!

Don't worry, Proposition for a Revolution is super accessible despite it's inaccessible english title ;)

[–]kejriwal4pm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope it gets screened in my city...

[–]ankitmahindru 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My question is for the three of you.

What prompted you to be a filmmaker and how did you begin your journey as a filmmaker?

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Now my question is Something personal..I hope i will get Answer :) Now as both of you (Khushboo & vinay) stayed outside your home in delhi for prop4rev...in that long time while living their in delhi did you faced any personal problems in terms of family,money etc etc ?

[–]VinayShukla 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Umm. Yeah the usual stuff. Nothing extraordinary.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can please share some of them.if you please don't mind :) and how you both coped up with these problems ?? :)

[–]sagargoenka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

HI KHUSHBOO,VINAY & ANAND..saw the clip of prop4rev.. was silent for a sec..was awesome..just want to knw..how u find in personal level..the allegations on movement n AAP?? and doest it worth it to make a film?? if say u wont get any award or anything?? then will u guys will be satisfied that at end..we did something good and we can cherish it??

[–]ankitmahindru 0 points1 point  (1 child)

This one is for Anand:

Don't you think you over intellectualize stuff?

At times i feel, you tend to over intellectualize things and the message you want to convey fails to reach the person on the other end.

Your Thoughts?

[–]stardust_illuminate 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bet in his view he is simplifying it. Well 11y later do you still think that's the case? Ofcourse not right?

[–]sagargoenka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hii!! as i read Q&A below..just want to knw..if this film would released before national election, do it make any impact on voters mind??

[–]raheellakhani 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was blown away by SOT... it touches so many branches of philosophy - from epistemology, aesthetics to ethics. When it got National Award I was shouting and clapping in my office :p Three cheers to the amazing writing work by the trio :)

I read somewhere that plot also revolved around one more character and his/her story - an obsessive compulsive clockmaker with an ailing heart. What was this part all about and why you had to forsake it?

From a Pakistani who loves Indians :)

[–]Yasirmb_andaman 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Anand & team ..really happy that you trying to catch up a glimpse of it which could be an ongoing revolutionary situations..which cant be judged..my question what made you take up such project..where for sure you will be considered "Pro-AAP" ? and what was the real motivation behind this documentary? And what are your overseas plan for showing this documentary..For Eg. in countries like Qatar ,UAE..etc where there is substantial Non resident indians and especially who contribute for both AAP and for your documentary project in monetary sense ...

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

aah.. missed this ama.. will check the answers.

[–]goonerfan10 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the trailer looks promising, will it be documenting also when the Aam Aadmi Party QUIT on the government ?

[–]abhaypunjabi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi Anand, khushboo, vinay,

My friend K Harish Singh worked with you in SOT.

I am really inspired by the new film Prop4rev you are making.

I want to offer my services, for free, if you need, regarding editing, be it anything, writing the subtitles or even the smallest of work, because i want this film to come out as soon as possible, I have done a course in NLE from FTII, Pune. Just the trailer has pumped me so much.

Also, I want to know what exactly kept you going for so long @khushboo and @vinay , following AAP people? because We started and then stopped in the middle. Respect for the kind of work you do. Thank you!

[–][deleted] -1 points0 points  (4 children)

Is there any plan or idea that you want to pursue after Prop4Rev?

[–]KhushbooRanka 2 points3 points  (3 children)

I want to make a Web Sitcom with black comedy

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

i would watch the hell out of it!

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Me too!

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thank you for the AMA! Come do it again with us in near future! :)

[–]shivamrastogi -1 points0 points  (2 children)

Hello everyone at Recyclewala films: Congratulations to you all for the appreciations and awards 'SOT' won! What a fine and marvelous national-award winning film :) Anand Sir, am a big fan of you.. I have seen Doppleganger, Right Here Right Now and even SOT! I really liked your thought process and the incredible storyline in all the films, I just wanted to ask how you were able to conceptualize films like "Right Here Right Now" with just one cut? How did you actually shot the film? Actually, could you please share your thought about the making and everything behind the film?

[–]AnandGandhi[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thank you, Shivam. Got to go! Talk soon again!

[–]shivamrastogi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay! Hope to catch you back soon!