India’s oldest production house spinning a new reel
LEGACY BOUND Set up in 1906 and having funded, distributed Satyajit Ray’s masterpieces, Aurora, led by its maverick producer, sets eyes on short films to ensure revenue and relevance
KOLKATA:“I don’t care if my films lose money. Perhaps, 25 films will do so. I am ensuring a steady revenue stream from other sources to finance them. I want to make films different both in terms of content and how they are watched,” says Anjan Bose, 73, as he thumps the century-old table in front of him. There is fire, and challenge, in his eyes.
Bose cannot be dismissed as an old, well-heeled crackpot. Filmmaking is in his blood. He heads Aurora Film Corporation, the country’s oldest surviving film production and distribution firm.
His grandfather, Anadinath, set it up in 1906 and his father, Ajit, took it to greater heights.
Over the 112 years, Aurora has left behind a number of milestones. It was set up at a time films were shown in Calcutta by JF Madan in makeshift tents on the maidan and private lawns.
It produced the country’s first film for children (Hate Khori, 1939) and the first Bengali film that became tax-free (Raja Rammohan, 1965). In 1917, the British government asked Auroa to produce films for the entertainment of its armed forces.
Taking risks, too, is in Bose’s blood. In 1955, his father came forward to distribute Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali when no one else was willing to take the risk. He also distributed Ray’s Aparajito (1956) and Jalsaghar (1958).
This appetite for risk has prompted Bose to demolish a profit-making studio in Salt Lake, and build a 20-storeyed structure to accommodate studios for shooting films and provide postproduction facilities. At least 10 floors are being sold or leased out to companies that will provide Bose the funds for his films.
Bose is betting big on short films. “They are the future. The trend is clear globally and is bound to catch on in India,” he asserts. He wants to produce films mostly under 15 minutes, though he is not ruling out feature films and documentaries. 1906: Aurora Cinema & Bioscope Co is established 1907: Agreement signed with Pathe & Co to institute a touring cinema unit, set up branch office in Mumbai 1916: Acquired a movie camera
1917: Invited by the British-era government to make films for the entertainment of troops
1921: Produced full length feature film, Dasyu Ratnakar
“It’s a fast-expanding market. Films of two- and five-minute duration are also catching the imagination of viewers abroad. Apart from TV channels, the digital medium is lapping up these films,” said Shyamal Karmakar, former dean and currently professor of editing at Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute and himself a filmmaker.
“With its diversity, India offers an inexhaustible possibility of offering ideas for such films,” Karmakar added.
Interestingly, Bose wants to stay away from established directors. “I am looking for fresh talents from the Film and Television Institute in Pune and SRFTI in Kolkata,” said Bose. 1955: Distributed Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali 1956: Part funded, distributed Ray’s Aparajito 1958: Produced, distributed Ray’s Jalsaghar
1960: Produced first Bengali film to be shot abroad (Bhogini Nibedita)
2018: Charting new journey with short films, new distribution channels
He has produced a short film titled “Malai” (Ice Cream), shot in Oriya. Directed by young duo Rajdeep Paul and Sarmistha Maiti, it is based on an exploitative marriage custom in Odisha.
“I am trying to get it premiered at a global film festival. I want to make 20 films like this that will be picked up globally,” says Bose. He expects the quality will draw foreign TV channels.
“He told us to stay off the beaten track. He does not want more of what’s going on...,” said Maiti who completed his course at SRFTI in 2012. “It was a challenge to work for a house that produced timeless masterpieces.”
Aurora’s office on Lenin Sarani in central Kolkata unlocks the doors to a completely different world. The one-storeyed building is well over 100 years old, where Anadinath Bose shifted office in the 1920s. His grandson has retained all the furniture.
A modern computer, mostly used to watch films, appears strangely out of place.
Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen learnt their initial crafts at Aurora studios. KL Saigal, Pramathesh Barua, BN Sircar, Uttam Kumar and Kanan Bala, too, were involved with it for a number of years.
“We are shy of publicity, but we are true to the fundamentals. In 1958, my father spent ~90,000 to create the sets of Jalsaghar,” says Bose.