Filmy Labs: Creators Continue To Carve New Spaces In Desi Pop Culture

The event saw both icons and curators gather to address the next big thing

- Jessica Xalxo

FILMY LABS, curated by desi pop culture convention BollyCon on July 5th at Mumbai’s Fun Republic Social, sought to bring together the best of the entertainment and journalism industries to share current insights into how desi pop culture is shaping up to be and to foretell the signs of future trends. The event took a deep dive into the growth of VFX in India, the offbeat path of the screenwriter, the power of reviews and the evolution of pop culture in the country. As BollyCon founder Kenneth Hopkins said in his keynote speech, “We have our own pop culture. Let’s celebrate it!” Here are the highlights:

Budgets and projects go hand in hand. But writers are free agents

The first panel or rather manel of the evening titled ‘Homegrown VFX – The Desi/Videshi Gap’ saw speakers Ronak Sanghadia (VFX Supervisor, redchillies.vfx), Russel D’silva (Bollywood trade expert & critic) and Abhijeet Sawant (Founder, Art Eye Studios) talk about the disparity in the Indian and international VFX landscapes. With home projects’ budgets being what an overseas project’s exclusive VFX budget is, the paradigms and scope of work become especially tricky for Indian professionals in the desi market. There is a need to develop financial and economic viability in order to truly realize the scope of VFX in India. The discussion was moderated by Kenneth Hopkins.