It’s a film club that’s ahead of the pack. At its mini-theatre in Bandra, Enlighten presents film fanatics with the latest virtual reality offerings from around the world. It has also created its own multi-part virtual reality series for audiences keen on watching cutting-edge films. 

“The foreign movies we show are by newer directors from the US and Japan,” says Pranav Ashar, chief executive officer, Enlighten, which also runs the Matterden Film and Recreation Centre in Lower Parel. It’s a film hub for classics like Lost in Translation and closer-to-home star offerings like Shwaas, the much-awarded Marathi film. 

Who would’ve thought that film clubs would survive in an age of TV serials and movies on demand, and the visual treasure trove on YouTube? But survive they have and they’re even thriving, as places where film buffs meet and discuss their topmost favourites and the finer points of the movies they’ve watched.  

“The screenings are experiential evenings and cannot compare with watching films at home. Moreover, we share a lot of movie-related trivia,” says Mumbai-based Cyrus F. Dastur, the founder of Shamiana, The Short Film Club. Dastur has always been film crazy and, while in college, launched a film club called Mocha. 

The secret to running a successful film club in the 21st century with all its distractions is to offer many enticing extras. Take a look at Satish Jaktadar who founded Pune’s Aashay Film Club, which screens two or three movies each month at a 350-seater city auditorium. Crucially, Jaktadar invites top-level directors for chats with the audience. Recently, at a screening of the movie, Sardar, its director Ketan Mehta discussed the film’s nuances. Other directors like Mrinal Sen and Shyam Benegal have also come along to Aashay.

Jaktadar insists that an Aashay showing is different from watching a film at home or even at a multiplex. “People who come for a viewing at an archival theatre and a multiplex are different in the same way as a mehfil of classical music differs from a public performance. Moreover, people discuss the movie and share their experience, unlike at a multiplex where there’s a leave when a movie ends.” 

At a slightly different level, there’s the Kriti Film Club in Delhi, an offshoot of a non-profit organisation that works on gender, development, environment and livelihood issues. Says Aanchal Kapoor, founder: “It’s our effort to create social awareness. People might read a newspaper but not see a documentary on the issue.” The club screens movies on a variety of issues like environment, violence against women and gender rights. 

Adds Kapoor: “At a facilitated viewing, one meets different people and gets a sense of their perspective. The discussion adds to the understanding and can be thought provoking.” The club has 6,000 people on its mailing list. On average anything between 50 and 120 people show up for each screening.

The film clubs often reach out across the country. Shamiana, for instance, has travelled to 250 campuses and 225 cities across India. 

And Delhi-based Cinedarbaar has gone to places like Singapore, Chandigarh, Jaipur and the northeast where it curated movies at a clutch of festivals. The Delhi-based club was founded by Supriya Rohit, who studied filmmaking in Paris and launched Cinedarbar after returning home.

But curating movies at different places needs a lot of thought and understanding. Says Dastur: “Curating is complex as what works in different places depends on location, topography as well as socioeconomic environment.”

Rohit, who’s also working on her first movie says: “If it fits into the festival and if it’s good enough to curate, then we screen it.” Another thing that she’s really careful about is not screening anything without copyrights. 

Kriti, which screens movies once a month at Delhi’s India Habitat Centre also gets requests from schools and colleges for issue-based screenings — for Women’s day, Hiroshima Day, Environment Day and the like. At Shamiana, movie screenings depend on the occasion — around Christmas, for instance, movies centred around festivity make the cut. 

In fact, the popularity of these clubs cuts across age groups. Says Rohit: “There’s everyone, from college-goers, to younger children and even senior citizens at screenings.” 

Membership at these clubs isn’t expensive. Aashay, with about 800 members, charges Rs 1,000 per year and Kriti Film Club has a piggybank where people can put in any amount. 

Matterden with its fixed venues and regular screenings has no membership fee, but charges anything between Rs 100 and Rs 400 for each movie. At festivals curated by Cinedarbar the entry fee is minimal. While for Shamaiana the screenings are sometimes free and at other times a Rs-100 entry fee is charged.                      
        
So, this weekend rather than catching a Bollywood flick, how about a more engaging experience at a film club