Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a prolific filmmaker with hits like Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju under his belt. His latest work, Shikara–The Untold Story of Kashmiri Pandits, is perhaps his most ambitious.
The film, which has been dominating the news cycle for a number of months, is about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 90s and how they became refugees in their own country.
At the special 30-minute screening of the movie on Wednesday, Chopra said that the motive behind telling this story is to not make anyone feel sorry for the community but present how the Kashmiri Pandits stood tall in the face of tragedy.
"All of our homes were snatched. It's quite something that we stood strong on our feet... it took courage to tell this story. And tell it in such a way that people come to watch it. We didn't want to make a film where two people watch and say, 'Oh, look how bad happened to them.' We wanted to make a film where you see what happened to us, and despite that we are standing tall, with hope in our lives, we are settled here. We aren't beggars, we didn't open our hands in front of the government, we stood on our feet. It's a big deal, not a small feat," Chopra said.
Chopra said that writing Shikara for the big screen was quite challenging, owing to the sensitive nature of the subject.
"It was tough to write the film because I always thought I'll write in a way where people go and watch it in theatres. Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman had said, 'You shall entertain. You shall entertain without selling your soul.' This is very difficult, to make a film which people watch without selling your conscience. I'm proud that all of us here, my entire crew, didn't sell our conscience. We have shown what has happened," he added.
The filmmaker said he would like to dedicate the film to his mother who passed away in 2007.
"My mother came here for the premiere of 'Parinda' with one suitcase but could not return. She came for a week and couldn't go to Kashmir for ten years. When I was making 'Mission Kashmir', I took her along because I had security. It was then she visited our house, which was by then ruined. I've made this film for my mother, and for all the mothers and people whose lives turned upside down in a month, in a day," he said.
Shikara marks the return of Chopra to the direction after 13 years. His last directorial feature film was Eklavya: The Royal Guard in 2007. The music of the film has been composed by AR Rahman. Starring Aadil Khan and Sadia, Shikara is scheduled to release on February 7.
Comments
0 comment