Sourabh Shukla’s award-winning Kannada indie film, ‘1888’, explores the impact of demonetisation

Sourabh Shukla’s award-winning Kannada indie film, ‘1888’, explores demonetisation’s impact

According to Sourabh Shukla’s bio, he is “a self-taught filmmaker who made a drastic shift in his career from being an engineer at an MNC to pursuing his passion for filmmaking.” However, given the number of engineers-turned-filmmakers in this part of the country, studying engineering seems like a prerequisite for a filmmaker. So, hardly “a drastic shift.”

Hundreds of engineers with a DSLR in hand jump into the bandwagon of wanting to be a filmmaker, to be in the limelight. It is not easy to be a filmmaker because the industry is highly competitive, and success often requires a combination of luck, talent, skill, and perseverance. While the first two may be factors beyond one’s control, skills and perseverance can be cultivated and honed. Sourabh, who has been teaching himself filmmaking for almost two decades, has done precisely this. The recognition he has received in film festivals (Best Director Award at the Onyko Film Awards 2023 in Ukraine; the Outstanding Achievement Award for Best Debut Filmmaker at the World Film Carnival 2023 in Singapore; and more) for his Kannada feature, 1888, are a vindication of his efforts.

The 115-minute film, set during India’s 2016 demonetisation period, is a gripping thriller that follows a trio of characters caught in a high-stakes chase for a bag of cash. The plot revolves around a former actress-turned-politician, an LIC agent, and an anonymous individual, each with their own reasons for seeking the cash. The film’s title is based on a car’s license plate, which plays a pivotal role in the story. The cast includes Neethu Shetty, who has previously appeared in notable Malayalam and Kannada films, including Photograph opposite Mohanlal and Gaalipata alongside Ganesh and Ananth Nag.

“We started working on the film in 2017, shortly after demonetisation. We wanted to explore its impact on various aspects of society. We conducted extensive research, including interviews with undercover cops and IB agents,” says Sourabh, “We faced setbacks like footage deletion and had to reshoot portions of the film. The entire process took around four to five years, including editing, festival submissions, and marketing efforts.”

Amazon Prime and Apple TV recently picked up 1888. It is also available for streaming on pay-per-view services like Movie Saints and the free streaming platform VDOJar.

Sourabh has mixed emotions regarding the film’s journey. While he was pleasantly surprised by the awards and recognition it received at film festivals, he was equally frustrated by the challenges of securing a wider audience through OTT platforms.

“When we made the film, our intention wasn’t to create a typical art-house movie. We wanted to experiment within the mainstream framework and release it theatrically,” he says. However, due to the pandemic and declining theatre attendance, he and his team decided to send it to festivals. They had hoped the film’s critical success would lead to a deal with a major OTT platform, but that did not materialise.