Ujwal N. Nirgudkar “I Am Humbled To Be A Part Of The Academy”

Ujwal. N. NIrgudkar whose contributions to the film processing in this side of the globe and the innovations that he has brought about are not as well known in India as they are abroad has now been bestowed with the prestigeous membership of Oscar Academy. He is one among the 14 members The Academy decided to honor with membership this year. A chemical engineer from UDCT, (now called ICT) Mumbai, Ujwal who had started his career with a petrochemical company, confesses to JYOTHI VENKATESH in this exclusive and rare interview for CINEBUSTER that it was a happy shock for him when he got an email that he was inducted into The Academy and congratulatory mails had started pouring in right from the wee hours in the morning when he got up.

How did you feel when you were told that you have been selected for the honororary membership of the Oscar Academy?
When I came know that I was selected for the Oscar Academy along with celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Irrfan Khan, Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, Buddhdeb Dasgupta, Soony Taraporewala, Anand Patwardhan, designer Arjun Bhasin, Goutam Ghose, Mrinal Sen and sound designer Amrit Preetam Dutta, I humbly felt that I am in the right company.

Though a chemical engineer, why did you decide to be a part of the film industry!
I would state very humbly that after my tenure at Film Centre and Film Lab, I am glad that I have been able to do a lot by way of my contribution to the film industry. It is very interesting to note that there were many engineers who at that time were working with big companies like NOCIL who laughed at me and made a lot of fun at me for daring to pick up films as career for survival when I was well paid as a chemical engineer.

You had started the SMPTE in India!
Yes. I started SMPTE section in India and was the first ever Chairman when no one knew about it in India. I am happy that today the SMPTE also does standardization for digital technology. We started standardization with the IFFI during 2012 in Goa. After the experiment proved to be a big success at the festival, I was also invited by Kerala International Film Festival, MAMI as well as Pune International Film Festival to standardize the digitalization of the screens in theatres in their festivals too. We at SMPT did the standardization of the Siri Fort Auditorium in Delhi just before the BRICKS Festival inauguration by Hon.Minister Shri Venkaiya Naidu It was officially calibrated by the SMPT and now egged by its success,we aim to standardize the digital screens using SMPTE calibration technology screens all over India.

You have been a part of Film Centre and Film Lab!
Driven by my passion towards films, I joined Film Centre in Tardeo as Technical Manager in 1981 when it catered to almost 70% of films made in Mumbai. Late Mr.Rameshbhai Patel was the Managing Director of that company. under the leadership of Mr. Sanjay Patel, Managing Director. When Filmcenter stopped operations in March 2000, I joined ‘Filmlab’ in Goregaon-East Mumbai, started by a faction of the same group, I was initially appointed as General Manager- Technical & was also part of setting up a state of art Film Processing Laboratory.

You are now the Technical Advisor for National Film Heritage Mission!
Though your father was a literary person, you did not follow his path. Why?
It is true that I was exposed to literature through my father Narayan Dattatray Nirgudkar who used to write profusely. . He was also an I.R.S. officer with Government of India However, I did not take up literature as a career because my dad advised me to take it up as a hobby as it wasn’t enough to run the family. I have written the scripts of 14 episodes of the show The Turning Point anchored by Kabir Bedi for Doordarshan.

You abandoned your plans to be an actor. Why?
Not many are aware of the fact that developing an itch for acting and bitten by the bug of acting, I had also opted for a Drama course with the theatre group Avishkar and had attended the various workshops with the likes of consummate actors like Nana Patekar, Aamir Khan, Rohini Hattangady, Sulbha Arya and Arvind Deshpande.

You had the opportunity to meet Amitabh Bachchan when he gave the key note address to commemorate 100 years of Indian Cinema!
International Broadcast Convention-IBC- at Amsterdam decided to celebrate 100 years of Indian Cinema in 2013.I was invited to talk about development of Film Technology where Amitabh Bachchan was the Chief Guest. I had the opportunity of giving a key note address to commemorate 100 years of Indian Cinema. When I went on the stage, I was touched when Amitji stood up to receive me. I found out that Amitji is really a very humble person in spite of his multifaceted achievements .

How do you feel when you look back ?
I feel proud when I look back at my 36 year old career in the film industry and feel very elated that I am also a part of this great industry. Today I feel I have achieved whatever I have achieved only because I was greatly encouraged by the late Rameshbhai and Shashibhai Patel of Film Centre & their next generation successor Mr.Arun & Mr.Sanjay Patel I also owe it to my alma matter UDCT. I still remember My professors Padmavibhushan Prof,M.M.Sharma and Padmabhushan Prof.J.B.Joshi who taught me at the UDCT that I could do many more things though I was a chemical engineer.I

What do you like about SMPTE?
SMPTE is doing a yeoman service to the film industry but I really feel sad that it is known only within the confines of the film industry whereas Oscars are known all over the world by everybody.

You were the technical advisor for Shwaas sent for the Oscars by FFI?
Yes. I am glad I was the technical advisor for Shwaas which though it was recommended by the Film Federation of India for the Oscars.Though it did not get selected ,it was a milestone in Marathi.

You are now working for the National Film Heritage Mission at Pune!
Yes. I am right now working on the National Film Heritage Mission for the Government of India at Pune at the National Film Archives of India, Information & Broadcasting Ministry, Government of India, which is a 600 cr project. I am the main consultant to preserve our cultural heritage in the form of films. My patented technology was set by IM, Ahmadabad for incubation amidst 145 all over India.I was elevated to Filmlab Board position as ‘Technical Director’ in July 2007. I then joined KPMG in May 2016 as a consultant.

Tell me about SMPTE’s plans to work with ACES!
ACES, Academy Colour Encoding System, is a new system set up to standardize from acquisition tol projects post production started by the Science & Technology council of The Academy.This was used for Bahu Bali on an experimental basis and very widely accepted all over the globe. As an Academy Member, I wish to promote this system for Digital Productions.

You are the first Indian to get a fellowship award from SMPTE!
SMPTE gave me a fellowship award in New York for my outstanding contribution to films and I am actually the first Indian to get this award which opened to me several doors. I could visit Paramount Studios, Warner Brothers, Pixar and Disney Studios

Do you have any regrets that you opted to quit chemical engineering?
When I was working in a chemical industry, I was one among the thousands, who may not even get noticed. I always had an ambition that I should be known internationally in whichever field I work. Today I am glad that I have carved my own niche in India and also internationally and am one of the Oscar Academy lifetime members selected by the Academy itself. What more could I have asked for?