He’s full of contrasts…a man-child nearing middle-age. He’s the same director who shocked the moral police by directing the Amul Macho ‘toing’ ads and surprised the very same society with the powerful Bell Bajao campaign. Meet ad filmmaker Bauddhayan Mukherji, and his alter ego ‘Buddy’ , of Little Lamb Films.

Quick Facts
Name: Bauddhayan Mukherji  (the one on the left in this image)
Age: 35
Profession: Ad Filmmaker
Based in: Mumbai

He
“Buddy” is what everyone calls him. A staunch Bengali, he swears by fish, the importance of good actors in a film, humourous ad films and the pointlessness of a world without mishiti doi or sweets. At first look, you are struck by his boyish face, and features reminiscent of the impish Dennis the Menace. As I wonder if he was ever offered the part as a child, he turns his eyes away from his laptop presenting a picture of stark contrast. Dressed in cargo pants and a t-shirt, he’s perched in an antique chair which a few seconds ago was turned towards a hi-end laptop perched on an antique writing desk. The contrasts, the conflict…

She Works
If choices are what maketh a man, then Buddy is a woman’s man by principle. “I love being around women,” he jokes. On a more serious note, he says 50% of his work colleagues are women and he’s just generally comfortable working for them. “Both my editors, two of my Assistant Directors (ADs), my line producer, most of my art directors and costume designers are women,” he adds.

Work aside, in principle, Buddy is against society-imposed stereotypes for women. He started his career with Black Magic Motion Pictures first as an Assistant Director, and then as a Director. His former company on principle, refused to direct ads on fairness creams and that’s a rule he lives by even today.

An activist at heart and a fan of public service campaigns, Buddy has directed three women-centric ad campaigns—A project on breast and cervical cancer awareness, Breakthrough’s Is This Justice? campaign on women living with HIV AIDS and the most recent Breakthrough domestic violence campaign—Bell Bajao, which have women as the central talking point in the communication.

Around her finger
“Women play a big role in my life. I live with three women at home: My mother, my wife and my daughter. I won’t be able to function without them. Women have this inherent ability to be meticulous and organized and that has affected my personality and my work habits in a big way.  I have become more sensitive and sensitised because of the women around me. In fact my daughter even decided my future…the day I was trying to think of a name for my new company and kept on reciting Mary Had a Little Lamb. She indirectly inspired the name for my production house, which is now called Little Lamb Films.”

Without her
“Life without a woman would be like a world without movies,” he says with absolute certainly. “Nothing to admire. Nothing to learn form. It’ll be barren,” he adds.

My ode to the lady
My favourite quote about a woman is from Jibanananda Das extolling the beauty of Banalata Sen “Chul tar kaubey kar andhokar Bidisha’r nisha, mukh taar srabosti’r karukarjo!” Translation: “Her hair is like the darkness of a night in Bidisha, her face like the sculptures of Srabasti”…I still hunt for THAT woman!!!