In a Braj language film that premiered at TIFF, the Mahakumbh becomes the site of one man’s miraculous transformation
In Search of the Sky centres a journey to the Mahakumbh of a poverty-stricken couple and their son who has mental difficulties
There are very few films in the Braj language and on Braj culture,” Jitank Singh Gurjar tells us. For the theatre artist and filmmaker who grew up in central India and wrote plays and his first film Baasan in Braj, In Search of the Sky (Vimukt) meant a return to the language and cultural nuances of his region. Shot in the Barai and Patwa villages of Madhya Pradesh, the film had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival. It was the only Indian film selected for TIFF’s Centrepiece programme which showcases diverse global voices. “It always felt important to me to produce work in the language and with this story, I put myself in it by bringing in the dialect, music and nature of the land I grew up in.”
The film’s story, written by Pooja Vishal Sharma who is also its producer, was inspired by a newspaper headline about abandoned individuals at the Kumbh Mela and centres a journey to the Mahakumbh of a poverty-stricken couple and their son who has mental difficulties. Its first half, which captures snatches of the family’s life in the village, is infused with the beauty of its natural setting and uses earthy, warm tones, tight frames and static shots. “The story is about Naran, a man who is most connected to nature and who has found bliss in ignorance, who doesn’t know much and that’s enough for him to be happy,” the film’s cinematographer Shelly Sharma tells us. “His world is not just driven by struggles. There is the love that his mother pours into him, the warmth of the friendship that he shares with a local boy and the belongingness that he finds in the village even though he’s often treated badly there. His inner world is full of beauty, purity and innocence,” says Sharma, explaining that it is the sense of that beauty that spills out onto the early frames.
The limited motion of the visual language that dominates the first half, representative of the family’s claustrophobic life, changes in the second as they travel to Kumbh, the film tracking their long, arduous journey to the pilgrimage site by bus, bullock cart, train and boat. “It’s the first time we see them together as a family enjoying some moments together,” Sharma points out. “[Once at the Kumbh] we expand their world. We shot real crowds there and brought in the colours, the vast and diverse culture of India because where else would you see that other than in Kumbh,” Sharma insists. For the team though, none of whom had been to the religious gathering before, the Kumbh schedule was expectedly rigorous. “There were huge crowds [there was no crowd controller], the cast and crew had to walk nearly 20 kilometres with equipment each day since we couldn’t take vehicles inside. We had to employ guerrilla shooting strategies, such as starting fights nearby to distract people and stop them from looking at the camera,” Gurjar recalls. “It was emotionally and physically draining,” Sharma agrees. But there was also help extended by complete strangers. “Everyone was really kind. People obliged when we asked them to participate with small activities like drying a sari in the background. They were there for a purpose, and we were there for another, but somehow they synced.”
The film’s leads are local theatre actors. We learn that to embody Naran, a person who is maladaptive by nature, actor Nikhil Yadav spent time with residents at the Swarg Sadan Ashram in Gwalior. Gurjar’s own background in psychology and theatre also helped him equip the actors with emotional tools and backstory to craft expressions, behaviour and body language.
Jitank Singh Gurjar and Shelly Sharma
“That in between all the giants from India at this year’s TIFF (like Anurag Kashyap’s Bandar, the Huma Qureshi-led Bayaan and Hansal Mehta’s Gandhi), our small film found a place, is big. It gives a push to the entire independent filmmaking community,” Sharma who is also credited as creative director and executive producer on the film, observes.
“We are showing a side of India that hasn’t been shown this way before, and bringing up conversations about the way mental illness is looked upon in rural areas.” There are plans of a long festival run and eventually a theatre release. “This film is made for the big screen and we want our audience to be able to see it that way.”
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