The Indian film industry has a bunch of filmmakers who come here after being armed with a degree and training from the film institute but there are a large number of people who get into this field without any formal training. Abhijit Deonath has tried his hands and been successful at various professions and now, is ready with his debut feature film ‘Salt Bridge’ starring Rajeev Khandelwal. Deonath is a visiting faculty at the Australian National University and continues to live in Australia.
“I started my career as a geologist. Then, I worked on some projects in the IT sector. Later, I worked in the banking sector as well. I am a visiting faculty at the Australian National University. I have a strong inclination towards science. I keep doing scientific research,” he informs.
When asked when and how he decided to venture into filmmaking after working across different professions, he says, “I am not a great believer in formal education. Most of my professional career is based on the informal education I have received in life through practical experiences. Filmmaking is ultimately about telling stories. There was a strong urge within me to tell a story and that drove me towards making this film.”
Before its theatrical release, ‘Salt Bridge’ has managed to have a few achievements to its name. Seven songs from the film were shortlisted for the 88th Academy Awards and the screenplay of the film was invited for permanent archival at the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy. While the film has been exhibited in Australia, it is due for a release in India on 4 January, 2019.