“in / the search / of boyhood,
i / may / have been dancing,
but / i was / actually / floating.”
'untouched by time', a new experimental short film by Songjukta Banerjee, is about “growing up and getting closer to your roots, closer to you”. A meditation on how the act of returning is not only about geography but an inward journey towards one’s identity, the film captures a moment in a young man’s life when he finds and follows his inner child.
The film — featuring hybrid dancer Lalu Kaykal aka Killachoc — opens with a song from this unnamed young man’s childhood: his mother’s lullaby. His body trembles, and before he realises it, he is transported to a place where is no longer just a man, but the boy he once was, connected to his roots. His feet move, slowly at first, then faster and faster. His arms stretch wide — wildly, freely. He is dancing, but actually, he is floating. With each passing moment, with each free-associative movement of his limbs, fragments of his past are reshaping him. His memories are flooding back — untouched by time.
“My work has been a patchwork of influences — urban encounters, digital hyperrealities and simple observations of others’ way of life — but mostly what is stitched into the fabric of my mind, is the embroidery of my childhood. Growing up in different parts of the nation, all the rhythms of the lullabies whispered in a forgotten tongue, I carry with me, quietly. Every place I have lived has shaped me in unique, individual ways. I try to reflect that on my projects. As I age, I am beginning to understand that the person I was, the place I once called home, has shaped me more deeply than I realise.”Songjukta Banerjee
About The Artist
An emerging filmmaker based in Mumbai, Songjukta Banerjee has ventured into the world of fashion films over the last couple of years and worked with brands like Rolling Stone India, Khush magazine, Tissot, Kingdom of White, JBL, Vogue India and others. But her passion lies in capturing the everyday stories of ordinary people. She has collaborated with her partner Amaan Khurana on various projects, including a stylised documentary on the drummers of Bengal called “Dhak’o Dhaki” (Drums and Drummers) and a fashion film inspired by AI called “synthetic dreams”. Currently, she is working with a hospitality and travel magazine set to launch soon.
Follow Songjukta Banerjee here.
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