NAAM

Suraj Gunjal is a talented software engineer turned filmmaker who has made quite the impression with his recent short film titled NAAM. The film follows the life of a young woman who is forced to alter her name and identity in order secure a job as a household helper in metropolitan India. 

The film has received great critical acclaim and has bagged the award for the 2023 Short of the Year as well as the award for the Smita Patil documentary and Short Film Festival. The film also went on to win an awards at the Houston Film Festival in 2024 as well as the International Film Festival Gold Beggar award. They also won Best Script at at the Crossroads International Film Festival. The film went to a total of 32 festivals and won 20 awards!

We sat down with director Suraj Gunjal to find out more about his creative process and the work that went into this wonderful film.

Describe yourself in two sentences.
I'm a determined individual who enjoys tackling challenges with creativity and perseverance. I thrive on learning new things and connecting with new people from diverse backgrounds!

What prompted you to make the shift from Software Engineer to filmmaker?
In my third year of engineering, I decided to switch gears. After making a short film for an inter-department competition and winning a prize, I realized filmmaking allowed me to express my emotions way better than coding ever did. I felt a strong desire to explore filmmaking, and my family supported me wholeheartedly, probably because they knew my coding skills.

What inspired the idea for your film NAAM?
The writer Prem Singh encountered an incident where a person was hiding his own name because of a judgmental society around him & trying to fit in society. When I first heard the story, it resonated with me because I too have met people who are judged based on their language, class, background, color, and religion...and we both believe this is not the right way to live. That was the real inspiration. 

Tell us a little bit about the conceptualization and creative process behind this project.
I think every filmmaker's journey is more or less the same. In our process, everything is unpredictable, but the one constant you have is your honesty. When you stay true to that, your work resonates with everyone. As a film director, your job is to stay close to your team, understand them, and help them understand your vision. I think I was trying to do that while making this film.

What do you hope to evoke from the viewer?
NAAM is a story everyone knows, but our major concern was that it’s a very sensitive topic. We needed to present it in a way that allows everyone to relive this experience.  

Your film has garnered significant acclaim at film festivals. Tell us more about what went into the making of this project.
It was a great experience working with a talented cast like Anjali Patil, Palomi Ghosh, and Ragul Bagga. I am glad I had the support of experienced DOP Pooja Gupte (Berlinale Talent) and our wonderful costume designer Shilpi Agarwal. Our team also included the gifted composer Saurabh Bhalerao and singer Ronkini Gupta, who created a beautiful song "Anjaan Chehre...". As a beginner filmmaker, I learned a lot from such wonderful creative souls. I am now working on a few stories (shorts and features) that are very close to my heart.