Anand P Chandran
Kasaragod, Kerala
Anand P. Chandran, from Kasaragod, Kerala, is an English Literature graduate from Hindu College, Delhi University. He is currently pursuing a second degree in Cinematography at the Tamil Nadu Government MGR Film and Television Institute, Chennai.
His journey into photography began during his time in Delhi. Receiving his first camera just before leaving for the city, he started capturing its essence through his lens, with Chandni Chowk Market becoming a constant subject of his work.
Driven by a deep attachment to visuals, Anand always aspired to join a film school. His passion for imagery gave him the confidence to pursue Cinematography as a profession. Now, as he immerses himself in his studies, he finds immense fulfillment in doing what he truly loves.
And I sat down to listen...
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Adyar Film Institute, Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Tamil Nadu Government M G R Film and Television Institute- the names kept on changing over time, but in its core, Asia’s first ever film institute remains ‘still’ somewhere.
It was last July that I stepped into my film institute for the very first time. The road just in front of it was so chaotic with the hustle and bustle of the constantly evolving city. But as soon as I entered the campus, there was a kind of ‘stillness’ in its air. Later, I realised that there’s a sort of sleepy, cold, moody side to its atmosphere which makes the place smell its ‘past’. There's a part of this institution which is still stuck in its ‘past’ which was so alive.
Gradually, I was opened up to another silent, dusty world within the institute, where I came across numerous dumped film reels, abandoned film shooting equipment, the shady corners of old, damaged film sets and the collapsed parts of the pre-existed J. Jayalalitha Film City. The people I see everyday also carry some part of this whole place’s past, the once-existed film era and the smell of old processing chemicals. Still, they adapt to the current time, reminiscing about forgotten times; seeing the existence of certain things that are very sentimental to them, over time.
This is an attempt to listen to this place, a walk to find out where it is, in ‘pain’.
And I sat down to listen...