After documentaries on dance, art, and heritage, Bengaluru-based filmmaker Vinod Rajendra changes tracks with a project for South Western Railway. Titled The First Journey, the recently-released safety awareness campaign began in January and is supported by the ICICI Foundation. “13 2D animated ads, three live-action short fiction films, and six educational/documentary shorts have been created,” says Vinod, who is known for documentaries Lepakshi and Change — which created Guinness World Records as most dubbed short documentary and most dubbed short fiction respectively for being dubbed in 11 languages
Vinod explains how his father and grandfather are retired employees of the Indian Railways and a few relatives are still working with the department. “I have always had a fondness for the Indian Railways. Growing up, my favourite evening spot after school was my hometown Hindupur’s railway station. I used to walk about the platform and watch trains passing by.” Which is why the subject remains close to his heart.
