Dear Master, Director's Statement

Filmmaker Subha Das Mollick

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Dear Master
Director’s statement
 
Sometime in early 2022, Prof. Srirup Raychaudhuri from TIFR gave a popular talk on S.N Bose. The talk was a part of a series of talks on scientists from the pre Independence era, being organized by S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences in Kolkata. The occasion was celebration of Azadi ki Amrit Mahotsav. I had been entrusted with the task of repackaging the lectures into 20 minute versions.
 
While working on the talk on S.N. Bose, I realized that the relationship between Bose and Einstein was layered and nuanced. I got intrigued and wanted to explore the matter further. The centenary volumes on Bose published by the S.N. Bose Centre gave me leads and prodded me to explore further. Since I am a filmmaker, I decided to make a short documentary on this subject. A number of documentaries on S.N. Bose have already been made. I diligently watched all the documentaries and realized that none of these films go deep into the nuanced interactions between Bose and Einstein. So I decided that the central idea of my film would be this relationship, in which a lot is left unarticulated.
 
I decided to go on my own steam instead of looking for funds because in our country, procuring funds for a film like this is a long drawn and uncertain process. I also wanted to enjoy my creative freedom in my storytelling.
 
While researching for the film, I faced the dilemma as to who would be my primary target viewer. To some extent I had to delve into the Physics of blackbody radiation, because without that I could not bring out the points of agreement and disagreement between Bose and Einstein. At the same time, I did not want to make the film abstruse for the lay audience. So my biggest challenge in structuring the film has been to strike a balance.
 
With the help of well wishers and experts, I could finally shape Dear Master into a documentary that is likely to engage all viewers with a science background and those interested in the history of science in India.
 
Dear Master premiered on the 1st of January, S.N Bose’s 131st birth anniversary and the first day of the Centenary Year of Bose Einstein Statistics.    
 
However, before it was premiered, the film bagged the award for Best Formative Research at the UGC -CEC Educational Video Fest in 2023.
 
- Subha Das Mollick