Nitish Pires’s debut Konkani feature, Vaimanik, is set to première at the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) today. What made the rock musician turn to direction? His first brush with filmmaking happened in 2001 when, as a member of the rock band Nakshatra, he had to produce a music video. While the video wasn’t up to the mark, it encouraged him to learn filmmaking. “I borrowed a handycam and figured out how it worked. Later, I shot a music video, and for two months, I re-edited it just to understand rhythm, cut, and emotions,” recalls Pires.

This curiosity became a parallel education. By 2008, he was directing music videos and writing film scripts. But funding was elusive. It’s only when a dejected Pires went to Russia in 2017 that he found a new perspective. “I met musicians, filmmakers, artistes, and I picked up the camera to learn independent filmmaking. I realised I could make films by myself, without big funding or interference.”