When Manav Kaul came to Mumbai in the late &lsquo;90s, he knew he wanted to pursue something creative. Not for the money but for the love of it. Growing up in a small village in Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh, Kaul, a Kashmiri, to tell stories and write poetry, urged him to work as a theatre actor and act in several Bollywood movies such as Jajantaram Mamantaram (2003), I am (2007) and his latest, Kai Po Che (2013). <img alt="" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/may/HANSA-1.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 281px;" /> Stills from the film, Hansa In 2004, dissatisfied by the plays and the films he was acting in, Kaul founded a theatre group called Aranya with some of his friends. He directed some critically acclaimed plays such as Shakkar ke Panch Daane and Peele Scooter Wala Aadmi, which won him praise. &ldquo;Directing was the next obvious step because I was really interested in telling stories,&rdquo; he elaborates. But it was only in 2011 that Kaul gave film direction a serious thought. and decided to helm Hansa, his directorial debut. Hansa won several awards in the Osian Film Festival in 2012, including the Best Audience choice and Best Critics&rsquo; awards. The film has been shot in Uttaranchal within a span of 17 days and tells a story of the resilience of two siblings, a sister&ndash;brother duo, after their father leaves them and their pregnant mother behind. What follows after, is a series of incidents that duo experience due to the sudden loss of their father. Explains Kaul, &ldquo;The story of Hansa was somewhere in my mind, but it was only a vague idea. I was not sure if I could make a film on it. But soon enough, my friends encouraged me that I decided to take the plunge and direct it.&rdquo; <img alt="" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/may/HANSA.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 281px;" /> The film features noted theatre artist Kumud Mishra and some new actors chosen from an intensive 10-day-long acting workshop held in Uttaranchal. &ldquo;The character of Hansa is played by Sagar Negi, a 12&ndash;year-old boy whom we discovered in the workshop. Trimala Adhikari, who plays Chikoo, (the sister) is also a local from the same village. &rdquo; Due to a very low budget, Sachin Kabir, camera person, a friend of the director shot the film. &ldquo;This film has been made on a very low budget. So, we had to be careful about each and every shot. And I think I was very lucky because my crewmembers that didn&rsquo;t charge a penny for their expertise.&rdquo; These constraints, however, have not made Kaul wary about Hansa&rsquo;s success. &ldquo;I make films for myself. If nobody came and saw it, I&rsquo;ll still be happy and watch it with my friends and family over tea,&rdquo; he laughs. Though the film has been showcased in small film festivals, Kaul is open to releasing it commercially. &ldquo;I would love to if I get a solid backing from a production house, he signs off.

Giving art its due

Actor, film-maker and playwright Manav Kaul talks to KAVERI WAGHELA on his directorial debut, Hansa   ufffd a film about a brother-sister relationship

On a journey called life

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On a journey called life

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