As a part of the course I take in college, I have to make a couple of movies, short films with a group consisting of other souls who take the same course as me. With the guidance of a teacher, who just bore herself a child and who had experience in the field of making time play again and again, the movies, it was decided that I was in a group that had ten girls and one Nitin.

We had more meetings as a group to discuss the affairs of the movie, than the politicians who run this country or another country for that matter. However, all of us were never present for any of the million meetings. After a while, it became a trend, because if we missed a meeting, there was always the next one to attend. We had meetings just to decide when the next meeting would be.

We were certain, the movie would be a documentary that would add to the benefit of the society and bring about a better tomorrow and that would put our college and a new group of young film makers out for the world to see. All agreed. Somehow, because of this, we could’nt think of a single thing to document and change the world. So, the next best thing to do, make a movie that a message.

So, after discussing the various situations through which we could bring out a message, we decided to look into our own personal lives and look for stories that our lives waited to tell.

A talented and creative girl in our group, who loves to drink and dance and who finds comfort in cribbing, has a talent to get into the weirdest of situations with the folk around town that rode rickshaws. They are either breaking her windshield or just not transporting her to the place of her choice. I secretly thought, if the objects on her mind were displayed on screen, by connecting her brain through wires, we would see 90% of it with faces of mean auto drivers.10%, I didn’t bother about much because something else caught my attention-

The variety of topics a group, which hadn’t been named yet, could come up with. A day in an auto drivers life, a cop’s life, a prisoner’s life and a few professions like that, how to sun tan in goa, 101 ways to roll credits, a drunk girl who swore to god never to drink again just to have her dad offer her, her first drink as per his knowledge on her 18th birthday, a child flying a kite and a few other million topics.

A girl who wore crystals, though was called Kristel, had made up a conversation between two moderately drunk couple, who didn’t know each other much. By all means, that single conversation could be prolonged more a few seconds. But all of us knew, the conversation had to happen in the movie. It did happen. So did three other conversations. After having ourselves the three conversations, with no link between them, what so ever, we decided we needed to have one of our meetings again to decide the link. Three women meet three men and have conversations. A movie can’t be about just that much. It probably could, if the director was established and if it were out of a best selling novel, but here, no, three loose conversations, from a group of ten girls and one nitin, just wont fly.

So, we decided, we’d put a book that passed from one couple to the other but nobody got to read it. But then again, what’s the use of a book that nobody can read. Finally, we got the link. The best link ever. A link that made a guy, stammer on the word awesome, for a good three minutes. A link that worked better than the conversations.

The auditions, to cast actors in the movie, were another story again. The ones who were good were too busy and free ones could not speak to save their lives. So I wrote to an upcoming actor after watching his movie and falling in love with him for a few weeks. He didn’t reply, but he as no idea what he has missed out on.

All said and done, we found actors we either loved to love or loved to hate. Still the movie flew. The scenes were edited and the transitions between scenes was our next big project. How on we are we going to sit the audience between scenes? Use footage from American idol? Get advertisers to promote? Use cheer girls? Or go the kill bill way and have the number of the chapter flash between scenes? It took one day and a meeting that went on for 56 hours to decide that. We found out transition as well. It was the best part of the movie. My personal favorite.

Our movie is ready. Our parties are on going. The post production blues are seeping in. The discussions are endless. The group as a whole won appreciation from all. Most of them. Others are waiting for auspicious days of their lives to give feedback. The group smiles for no reason just at the thought of the movie.

The group is called ALMOST ELEVEN.