Marking the culmination of the five-day annual Industry Academia Expert Lecture Week organized by the Centre of Management and Humanities under the aegis of Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh on September 15, 2023 was an enthralling and interactive lecture by Mr. Ojaswwee Sharma, a renowned film director and recipient of the prestigious Rajat Kamal National Award at the 68th National Film Award (2022). Mr. Sharma shared his views on the topic, “Transition from Engineering to Story-telling” with more than 300 students across all branches of the B.Tech, M.Tech, Ph.D program.
Dr. Baldev Setia, Director, PEC welcomed Mr. Sharma and emphasised the importance of Indian films and the entertainment industry in influencing the youth not only in India but globally. Dr. Vasundhra Singh, Dean Faculty Affairs, PEC greeted the expert with a floral welcome.
Mr. Sharma poured out his heart sharing his odyssey on the journey of filmmaking which was a life-changing experience. Film making according to him is an amalgamation of all the fields including Engineering, Arts, Management, and Business. The speaker termed engineers as problem-solvers who can solve problems for society which was one of the motivations behind choosing a socially relevant topic for his debut movie ‘Admitted’ which also bagged him the National Film Award and is based on the life story of the first transgender student of Panjab University, Chandigarh. He further threw light upon the various challenges he faced as he chose to tread on a less traversed path of filmmaking after completing his engineering which was a complete shift of career.
The expert also threw light on adopting principles of science for depicting emotions holistically through films and how engineers can carve a niche for themselves in the film industry. He extended his help to the students who wanted to pursue their careers in the field of film-making to identify opportunities and work committedly towards them. The session was made more interesting and interactive through real-life examples and reflecting on the importance of taking failures in stride. Some noteworthy takeaways were his constant encouragement to the students to work hard towards their goals in life and also feel gratitude for their parents who support them unconditionally.
Mr. Sharma shared how his urge to record the moments spent with people in his life during his internship at Bangalore became a turning point in his life and helped him become a distinguished film director. He touched upon the importance of exploring cultures and serving the nation through filmmaking as a career. The discussion was vibrant with numerous questions posed by the students showing their deep interest in the field of film making.
The Dean Faculty Affairs, PEC along with the other faculty members of CMH, expressed their deepest gratitude to the speaker and congratulated him for his humility and simplicity despite being a national figure.
