- Friday, April 19, 2024
By: Manju Chandran
OSCAR-NOMINATED DIRECTOR ASHVIN KUMAR DISCUSSES HIS NEW HARD-HITTING FILM NO FATHERS IN KASHMIR
by ASJAD NAZIR
THE most meaningful Indian films are usually confined to festivals, but No Fathers In Kashmir has been on an amazing journey and will be released in UK cinemas on January 24.
The latest offering from Oscar-nominated director Ashvin Kumar has received rave reviews and revolves around a British teenager going on a perilous journey in search of the truth after landing up in war-torn Kashmir.
The multi-layered film mixes up first love between two teenagers and a quest to find closure in a land where so many have disappeared. The powerful drama continues an interesting cinematic journey for the accomplished actor, writer and filmmaker. Eastern Eye caught up with Ashvin Kumar to discuss No Fathers In Kashmir and his deep love for cinema.
What first connected you to cinema?
I’m afraid I found my first experience of cinema quite scary. I was young, had never seen a film before, and it seemed very dark. It was 1978, and I had gone to watch Star Wars. I actually ran straight out of the cinema and so it was not an auspicious start for a budding filmmaker.
Is there any one film that made a big impact on you?
After that inauspicious start, I saw a lot of movies in Kolkata as I was growing up. One of the films I went to see was Cinema Paradiso. It was the first Italian film I had ever seen and really loved it. It’s certainly one of the most beautiful films and shows the world of cinema as seen through the eyes of a child. It showed me, you could enjoy a film that had no connection to your culture or language. It spoke to me in a universal language. Later, when I was older, I attended a cinema appreciation course in Delhi where I saw Where Is My Friend’s Home. It was an Iranian film about a young boy searching for his friend’s home in another village. These are early memories of films that have meaning to me.
What led you towards your latest film No Fathers In Kashmir?
My grandfather is Kashmiri, and my mother is half Kashmiri. I went there for holidays when I was young. It was a beautiful country and seemed like paradise at the time. In 1989, we stopped visiting. I didn’t go back there until 2009 and was faced with the reality of what had taken place in Kashmir, with the sense of destruction and despair in the region. I had gone there with a movie script I had intended to shoot, but upon arrival found that what I had written made no sense and so I threw it away.
Then what happened?
It was at that point that I made my documentary films Inshallah, Kashmir and Inshallah, Football. With No Fathers In Kashmir, I wanted to make a film about love and hope, as well as love and loss, although the subject itself is also filled with darkness and despair. This is why, I had to make this film from the point of view of my 16-year-old self, as I had last remembered the country, to its present incarnation. I needed to make a filmthat both Kashmiris and Indians can endorse. A film that treads a fine line of possibly the most contentious national issue, and yet still appeals to those who are most invested in peace, those who have their entire lives ahead of them — young adults in both India and Kashmir. This is why, it has taken me five years to complete.
Tell us about the film?
It mixes the story of first love between two young people, a clash of cultures and the effects of modern-day technology, all set against the backdrop of a bloody conflict. Noor is a selfie-obsessed British teen who journeys to conflict-torn Kashmir to visit grandparents she has never met. There, she meets Majid, a local Kashmiri boy, smitten by her exotic foreignness and a tender fondness blossoms between them. When Noor makes a sinister discovery, she soon realises how a seemingly innocent quest to find closure has brought Majid perilously close to the same fate that befell their disappeared fathers.
What was the greatest challenge as a director?
To portray such a complex political situation within the confines of a 90-minute drama while maintaining artistic integrity and above all, to make it an entertaining piece of filmmaking.
Who are you hoping connects with the movie?
I want the film to appeal to young people and to get them to empathise with the Kashmiri people. I chose two young protagonists for the film that millennials will hopefully connect with. The idea behind having a teenage romance is I wanted to cut through all the politics. If I can get people to relate to that, then the world opens up. Of course, the film’s message has a universal appeal.
What is your favourite moment in the movie?
It’s not an actual moment in the film, but after a five-year uphill struggle to get it made, I’m thrilled it is finally coming out on the big screen for the public to see.
How important is it to share stories rooted in reality like this one?
I started out as a documentary filmmaker because I wanted to tell the truth about the lives of real people. These documentaries helped to expand my interest in politics, particularly Kashmiri politics. With No Fathers In Kashmir, I was able to use a dramatic device to get across these stories in an accessible way, but still to hopefully inform and entertain.
What makes for good cinema?
A film that can engage an audience and move them. A film that gives people the opportunity to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and see the choices they make.
What inspires you as a filmmaker?
Real stories about real people told with compassion and humanity.
What can we expect next from you?
I’m focusing on my acting career next. I want to produce a few things. I’m working with first-time directors and am keen to find new talent. I have also been given an amazing script, which I plan to start shooting towards the end of next year. After that, I plan to start working on a feature film, in which again I will play one of the leads.
Who is your own filmmaking hero?
There is no one director. Any filmmaker who is able to get a film made and shown in cinemas these days is a hero.
Why should we watch No Fathers In Kashmir?
I hope I have made a film that is accessible to all – those who are aware of the situation in Kashmir and those who are not. In this way, the audience can take from the film what they want but are still entertained.
Why do you love cinema?
Cinema has the power to bring out emotions, to make you laugh, make you cry, and above all, inhabit worlds that can be both familiar and alien, which are brought to life on the big screen.
No Fathers In Kashmir is in cinemas January 24
