By understanding the value of nature, our children will be inspired to help preserve it for future generations and learn to coexist with all living things. Nature and wildlife possess an incredible beauty that deserves our protection and conservation,” says Sanjeev Venkataramanan, a short filmmaker and composer. His award winning short film, Lost In Harmony, is being screened in Chennai today, on World Environment Day.
The short revolves around a man lost in the wild, and the crux of the plot chronicles the journey of the man as he encounters a wild elephant in the forest and gets separated from his friends. He explains, “This is a silent musical short, where emotions are expressed through silence and music in the setting of nature. It’s experimental because I composed the music first, then worked backwards and finalised the concept for the story. So, as a musician, I used music to inspire the story and themes that I connect with.”
Sanjeev, a violinist who learned music under the tutelage of violin virtuoso A Kanyakumari, says, “Music has the power to evoke emotions in the audience and enhance the impact of visual elements.”
The final message of the film is JRR Tolkien’s quote from The Lord Of The Rings: “Not all those who wander are lost.” Sanjeev continues, “I have been an accompanying violinist in the Carnatic music scene for the past 30 years. Orchestral music has always inspired me since childhood. The composers who inspire me the most are John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Hanz Zimmer, Bach, Beethoven and Claude Debussy. My guru is my main inspiration to compose instrumental music. I have composed many raga-based orchestral pieces that are used in my film.”
The team, along with Navaneeth Krishnan, a wildlife advisor, travelled for 15 days in the green belts spread across the South and shot in places like Thekkady, Dandeli, Kumily, Bandipur, Mudumalai and more.
Sanjeev hopes that everyone is closely associated with nature in some form or the other. “Be aware of what nature provides and its role in our existence and add one’s efforts towards preserving something so precious from mankind’s sadistic pleasures,” he concludes.