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Ship of Theseus is a 2012 Indian drama film directed by debutant filmmaker, Anand Gandhi. The film explores questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the stories of an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and an enterprising stockbroker; played by Aida El-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi and Sohum Shah. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, 2012 and was subsequently screened at the 2012 editions of several premier festivals – notably, BFI London Film Festival, theTokyo International Film Festival, Brisbane International Film Festival and Dubai International Film Festival. The film won the award for Best Cinematography at the Tokyo International Film Festival, and the Technical Excellence Award atMAMI (the festival of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images). Aida El-Kashef was presented the Best Actor award at the Dubai International Film Festival. The film is set to have a worldwide release in mid 2013.

Synopsis
A blind photographer, celebrated for her intuitive work, successfully captures the essence of her experience in her photography. However, she also struggles with insecurities over authorship and the notion of subjectivity and intent in art. An erudite monk, who is an ideologue and practitioner of non-violence, gets involved in an animal rights issue, and is forced to make a choice between death and medicine - medicine that is either derived from, or tested on, animals. A young stockbroker has a frictional relationship with his social revolutionary grandmother, who he nurses back to health when she has a hip injury. In the hospital, he encounters a hapless victim of a kidney tourism scandal. In the course of the film, he comes to face his own altruism and sense of compassion, and sets out on a journey to trace back the stolen kidney, eventually finding himself in Stockholm. Following the separate strands of their philosophical journeys, and their eventual convergence, `Ship of Theseus’ explores questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death.

Development
Anand Gandhi began conceiving the story while he was nursing his ailing grandparents in the hospital. Surrounded by sickly patients and their imminent mortality, he was confronted with the notion of organ donation, and the philosophical problems relating to the idea of self, death and the search for larger meaning. The stories that now make the film were further developed in collaboration with Pankaj Kumar, his long-time friend and DoP, and Khushboo Ranka, another close friend. With a bound script in hand, they set out to meet several producers – both independent and eminent. However, talks of producing the film usually fell through owing to a concerns regarding commercial viability. Eventually, Gandhi decided that the film had to be independently produced, and began scouting for actors.

Casting
Anand had met Egyptian filmmaker Aida El-Kashef in 2008, at the Hannover Film Festival where their short films - `Right Here Right Now’ and `Rhapsody in Autumn’ - were screened. In 2009, when she came to Mumbai for a short holiday, she started helping Anand with the casting of the film. As she read the part of the blind photographer, while auditioning actors for the character of her boyfriend, Gandhi and Kumar began to see that she was perfect for the role. The character, originally written as Indian, was re-written to accommodate her background and ethnicity. Neeraj Kabi, a Mumbai-based theatre actor and director, had been in consideration for the role of Maitreya, from the outset. Gandhi and Kabi discussed the character in detail, and rehearsed for a few months, prior to principle photography. Sohum Shah met Gandhi through a mutual friend, and was considered for the role of Navin in the stockbroker story, along with his friend and ally, Sameer Khurana (aka Mannu), who plays himself in the film. Eventually, Shah found himself drawn to Gandhi’s story and vision, and came on board as the producer of the film.

Filming
The film was shot over a period of two years on a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV, along with a Redrock Micro rig, and a Kessler Krane. The film was mostly shot on location in and around Mumbai, in Jaipur, Chitkul (Himachal Pradesh) and a brief schedule in Stockholm. While shooting outside of Mumbai, the production unit generally consisted a threadbare three people, who multi-tasked in various capacities. For the schedule in Stockholm, Gandhi connected with Rupesh Tillu, an old friend and a theatre and clown artist based in Stockholm. Tillu handled production and helped the team connect with actors and scout locations. He also played a role in the film – that of Ajay, Navin’s friend in Stockholm. To better portray the ailing physical condition of Maitreya, Kabi lost close to 17 kilos over 4 months, through a rigorous diet and exercise routine. Through this period, Kabi’s fragile state deterred him from taking on any additional acting or theatre work. Gandhi collaborated with Budapest-based Sound Designer, Gabor Erdelyi, who has worked on several of Bela Tarr’s films, including ‘The Turin Horse’.

Sales
A work-in-progress version of the film was screened in the Film Bazaar in Goa in 2011. This is where Netherlands-based film sales company, Fortissimo Films, picked up worldwide rights to the film as part of their catalogue.

Literary Reference
The title of the film, `Ship of Theseus’ alludes to the famous Theseus’ paradox (also referred to as the Ship of Theseus). The paradox engages in the idea of identity: “If parts of an object are replaced with similar parts, does it remain the same?”

Accolades

 * Jury Special Mention at the BFI London Film Festival
 * Nominated for the Sutherland Prize by the British Film Institute
 * Best Artistic Contribution Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival
 * Jury Award for Technical Excellence at the MAMI – Festival of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Images
 * Best Actress Award for Aida El-Kashef at the Dubai International Film Festival
 * Amongst the top 15 films reviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival
 * Amongst the top 15 films reviewed at the Brisbane International Film Festival
 * Listed by Forbes India as amongst the Top 5 films of the year
 * Contribution to Cinema Award at the Naya Cinema Festival
 * Official Selection at International Film Festival Rotterdam

Release
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2012, and has subsequently been screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival, Dubai International Film Festival, Mumbai Academy of Moving Images, and Brisbane International Film Festival.