News Headline
Ad, marketing duo makes silent short film
MUMBAI:How long does an ad man have to say whatever he wants? Thirty seconds, at the most 60 seconds. Ex-advertising man and currently B4U chief marketing officer Rajnish Lall and O&M creative director Sudip Bandhopadhyay have taken ten full minutes. The surprising thing is they won’t even say anything in it. It is a silent film!
Actors Rahul Bose and Nauheed Cyrusi at the shooting of The Fall
Meant for the short film festival circuit in India and abroad, The Fall is a slickly shot love tale. “Usually, films have a lot of bombardment of dialogue. Our film’s story is effective even without dialogue,” explains producer Lall. “As for the duration, for someone who has put in ten years in advertising, even 30 seconds is a lot of time. I feel ten minutes are more than enough to make a complete feature film. The important thing is that the idea of our film could have been stretched to two full hours. We could have added songs, unnecessary dialogues like everyone else does. But I wanted to make a crisp short film,” he stresses.
“Language is not a barrier in our film. I have tried to speak through my camera or sound effects instead of normal dialogues,” explains director Sudip Bandhopadhyay.
So ahead they went, dramatisng the concept, writing screenplay, making shot divisions and finalising the actors and crew, all on a shoestring budget. Sudip contributed a salary advance while Rajnish Lall managed to collect the rest of the funds from somewhere.
“Believe me, no one in our team, right from Rahul Bose, Nauheed Cyrusi, cinematographer Vishal Sinha (who shot Bhoot), composer Sandeep Chowta, was paid. We had cans of film but no money to process it, so Adlabs helped us there. The whole film was made in Rs 70,000 and shot in a single day on 25 November. We canned all 74 shots of the film in an eleven hour shift,” remembers Lall. “We achieved something considered almost impossible. Since the budget was less, we had to do our homework, decide on all the frames beforehand. That was the challenge of our film,” says Bandhopadhyay.
The crew of The Fall, producer Rajnish Lall, cinematographer Vishal Sinha, actors Nauheed Cyrusi and Rahul Bose and director Sudip Bandhyopadhyay take a bow
Currently, The Fall is under post-production and will take another 15-20 days to finish. Sandeep Chowta is finalizing the score. Bandhopadhyay and Lall soon hope to send it to some short film festivals in India and abroad. The film is also a stepping stone to a future in filmmaking. “It is positive step in that direction. It could have happened that with our advertising and marketing background people could have taken our efforts with a pinch of salt. Fortunately the response has been very good. We have some long format ideas that should go on the floors in April next year,” informs Lall.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
