Speaking about the short film’s central idea and what makes it different, Palash Dutta said, “This story essentially talks about the core values of a brother-sister bond which has been embedded in our Indian culture and traditions for many decades. But there’s a twist towards the end, when we reveal how a work relationship equation between a transgender person and her boss forms a unique storytelling of an extended family in a workspace, becoming siblings by choice, and that is beyond our own blood relationships.”
The film aims to look at relationships beyond labels and societal definitions. According to Palash, Ek Nayi Dor also attempts to highlight the importance of accepting people for who they are, without discrimination. Talking about how the film supports the LGBTQIA+ community, he said, “It propagates and tackles a very sensitive, socially relevant and topical issue of breaking societal norms and accepting all genders under the umbrella of humanity. It also highlights that we all, in our personal daily lives, have formed an extended and chosen family within our workspace and social friend groups, like mooh bola bhai, behen, mooh boli maasi, aunty and so on.”
He further added, “The third gender and people from the LGBTQIA+ community also have their own desires to choose their own extended family, and they shouldn’t be denied the basic right of freedom of speech, expression and a right to live. This film will open up conversations and form a nice public awareness social cause film. I eventually want to hold screenings with various NGOs and send it to international film festivals.”
Ek Nayi Dor was shot over two days. While the film was shot at real locations, including the lobby of a hotel, the indoor portions were filmed at a makeshift location. Despite being mounted within a limited time and budget, Palash believes the short-film format allows filmmakers to communicate powerful stories effectively.
Explaining why he feels short films have become increasingly relevant, Palash said, “I feel through short films one can say a lot of things in a short span of time with a great visual impact. In today’s times, people are so caught up between their personal lives and work pressure, and their attention span and tolerance levels are dipping. Short films come as a breather and are impactful. Of course, they can also be made in less time and with smaller budgets.”
He added, “People nowadays switch off the TV, surf channels or walk out of a movie theatre if they are not engaged in the first 10 minutes of viewing. So, short films give you the opportunity to tell a compelling story within a limited duration.”
Ek Nayi Dor marks another addition to Palash’s journey as a filmmaker. He has previously made four short films — I Am Fine, starring Ananth Mahadevan and himself; Silent Ties, featuring Renuka Shahane and himself, which has won 38 awards; Thanks Mom, starring Sharad Malhotra, Akanksha Puri, the late Pravina Deshpande and Palash, which has won 27 awards at various national and international film festivals; and Dance of Joy, which he wrote and directed and starred in alongside Shilpa Mehta and Laila Pannda.
Alongside filmmaking, Palash has also continued to explore acting and other facets of the entertainment industry. His recent acting projects include Inspector Avinash, starring Randeep Hooda, Urvashi Rautela and Abhimanyu Singh, as well as Masti 4. He had earlier appeared in Masti 2 and Masti 3, with his scenes continuing to be remembered and circulated by audiences even years after their release.
Talking about his upcoming work, Palash revealed, “My upcoming project is a web series, Show Stopper, starring Shweta Tiwari, Saurabh Raj Jain, Digangana Suryavanshi, Zeenat Aman and many more known celebrities. I have also shot for two TV ads, one with Abhay Deol and another with Wamiqa Gabbi, which are about to release.”
Palash has also expanded his work beyond acting and filmmaking, venturing into anchoring, moderating and hosting. He has moderated sessions at the Jagran Film Festival, including an interaction with celebrated casting director Mukesh Chhabra, as well as an ‘In Conversation’ session at the WAVES Summit with Oscar panelists. He has also hosted red carpets for Bright Outdoor Media Style and OTT Awards.
Meanwhile, Palash is also working towards producing larger projects. “I am also in the process of putting together and mounting a web series and feature films as a producer with known and popular actors,” he concluded.
