On Episode 95 of #LearningStories, I chat with Samarth Mahajan. He is a Mumbai-based filmmaker, passionate about telling human stories that remain invisible to the mainstream. His work includes two national award-winning documentaries - the 2022 feature "Borderlands" explores lives defined by India's borders, and the 2018 film "The Unreserved" captures stories from general compartments of Indian Railways. Samarth's films have screened across six continents to favorable reviews and received broadcast and theatrical releases in India. His projects have featured in major film markets, including the Marché du Film, the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival. Recognized by IIT Kharagpur as a Young Alumni Achiever, Samarth's commercial collaborations include brands like Vice Studios, Applause Entertainment, and Discovery+. He is currently working on his debut fiction short. You can find Samarth on Youtube and IMDB.

Show Chapters

(00:02) - Podcast Introduction

(00:20) - Guest Background

(01:50) - What has filmmaking taught you about human beings

(02:20) - "Storytelling is about understanding our place in the world"

(02:40) - "I really admire resilience shown in difficult situations"

(03:00) - What has story telling shown me as a filmmaker?

(03:40) - "I also understood how we are all connected"

(04:00) - Why create films around universal themes?

(06:00) - What stories did you love as a child and teenager?

(06:50) - "My father loved eating good food and watching films"

(07:00) - My relationship to films and books as a young person

(07:30) - "Lagaan made me fall in love with cinema and was magical"

(08:20) - "I loved reading encyclopedias and books about space and dinosaurs"

(09:30) - "I still do not read a lot of fiction"

(09:38) - "Most of my fiction work is around fantasy themes"

(10:30) - Who was Samarth till the age of 25?

(11:00) - "I spent five years doing a B.Tech/M.Tech at IIT Kharagpur"

(11:30) - "Two years studying for JEE in Chandigarh was quite difficult"

(11:40) - "I come from Dinanagar in Gurdaspur District in Punjab"

(12:15) - "My childhood was quite sheltered and in a small town"

(13:00) - "I thought I will clear JEE and my life will be set"

(13:10) - Experience as a student for 5 years at IIT Kharagpur

(15:00) - How stories can shape your thinking as a young person in India?

(17:00) - How engineering shaped your approach to filmmaking?

(18:00) - "All filmmakers are very unique in their approach"

(21:00) - Experience watching films at MAMI Film Festival in Mumbai

(25:15) - Experience studying Liberal Arts for 2 years at Ashoka University(29:50) - Building strong relationships with editors and cinematographers

(30:00) - Meeting Ashay Gangwar, Producer and CEO of Camera and Shorts

(32:00) - Meeting Anadi Athaley, Editor of 'Borderlands' and 'The Unreserved'

(33:00) - "We had nine hours of footage for a ten minute film"

(34:40) - Meeting Omkar Divekar, Cinematographer of 'Borderlands'

(36:00) - How much raw footage do you capture for your films?

(38:00) - What are your memories and experiences of traveling on trains in India?

(46:00) - What are your memories and experiences of living in a border town in India?

(54:00) - Working on my first fiction feature film

(55:30) - Documentary Film Recommendation

(56:30) - Fiction Feature Film Recommendation

(57:30) - TV Show Recommendation

(58:00) - Food Recommendation

(59:30) - Closing Notes

Show Links

Samarth's Website - https://samarthmahajan.in/bio

'Borderlands' (2022) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KKDkFo1IQ8&t=1s

'The Unreserved' (2018) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWvoCicq9eo&t=1s

'Kazwa' (2015) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hnX97HV7uc

Show Description

#LearningStories is an audio and video show where we interview a diverse set of #learners from the 21st century. Each guest profiled here has a unique story to share about how they acquired a set of valuable #skills and #knowledge in a creative and innovative manner.