Debutant director Bhavna Talwar met with the faculty and students of Whistling Woods International, along with several members of the crew, to share experiences of the making of Dharm. In an hour long master-class, Bhavna Talwar (director), Pankaj Kapur(lead actor), Supriya Pathak(lead actress), Asif Ali Sheikh(editor) and Sheetal Talwar(producer) spoke about the motive behind making of the film and why such films should be made in today’s times.

“For a first time director and a first-time producer working with a critically acclaimed actor, the film needed great importance to be given to the script and we worked on the script for almost 6 months including extensive research in Varanasi before presenting it to Pankajji”, said Bhavna.

“The script is a bible for an actor. It is the pedestal from where an actor can take the character to another level. It’s very important to have vision to reach a particular destination and that vision comes purely from the script”, added Pankaj Kapur

Bhavna added “Nothing is bigger than the film. The director should focus on the script but must always be open to other points of view. Inputs from actors can elevate the film tremendously and thereby make the director job easy and look much better.”

This was a unique experience for the students as they got to interact with the entire crew of a film together on a single stage and hence understand the thought process the various departments undergo during its making.

Whistling Woods International, Asia’s largest institute for film, television, animation and media arts has announced its January 2008 intake with applications open for 2-year programs in Acting, Animation, Production, Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Screenwriting and Sound. Application deadline is December 15, 2007.