In the clutter of sundry mainstream movies being produced in the Indian film industry, there may be only a handful of filmmakers who craft stories that the heart connects with. Be it socially relevant tales from the different corners of our beautiful country, stories that are ours and yours or historical treatises that whet interest. These storytellers might not be associated with fancy production houses but the conviction they exhibit in their work shows that they are here to narrate ideas that matter in this day and age. Another very important aspect of their work is related to giving opportunities to artists and actors that are from small towns or who do not carry the privilege of belonging to coteries. “I know how difficult it can get for newbies from outside Mumbai to make the cut. Hence, I create movies with indigenous talent from Uttarakhand from where I am, “ says filmmaker and actor Avinash Dhyani whose upcoming film VC 571’s teaser promises to bring before the audience another tale of valour projected by an Indian soldier.
For the uninitiated, Dhyani was the creator and actor of 72 Hours: The Martyr Who Never Died, a biographical drama based on the life and times of rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat who fought against the encroaching Chinese army in the 1962 Indo-Sino War. If you have not heard enough about this critically acclaimed film, blame it on the lack of media gaze on such inspirational stories that need to be spoken about even more. If only the buzz shifted to the right icons…
Explains Dhyani, “Small filmmakers often lose out in the race of publicity and promotions because the limelight is always on the big banner films and stars. I don’t grudge them that but these stories are equally important and the youth of our country needs to take them into account. Our history books have always been rife with lessons where we were shown as the losing side always. This brought about a wave of self pity. But we have had such brave legends taking charge and defeating the enemy. Names like Rawat never find a place in pages of history but their lives, bravery and sacrifices are absolutely fascinating. I heard my father telling me these stories as he was in the Army and that’s why I brought them before my audience.”
If 72 Hours was about the gallantry of Rifleman Rawat, VC 71 will be an epic war drama about rifleman Gabar Singh Negi (Dhyani will himself essay the role and will be supported by Aarti Shah). “The audience gets excited with war dramas produced in Hollywood but this is the time to tell them that if made well we are capable of creating war dramas that will be as exciting and inspirational,” says Dhyani.
Apart from VC 571, Dhyani’s calender is also choc-a-bloc with another interesting movie called Phooli that stars local actor from Uttarakhand. Emphasising on the role of education in every child’s life (#padhnazaroorihain is a hashtag he is extremely serious about) Phooli will take up themes centering on ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ and ‘Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan’ initiatives of the Bharatiya government.
Phooli aims to motivate youngsters, especially school going children. “The story encourages them to overpower their circumstances and reach out to their potential and emerge winners in life,” states the director who had promised to himself to dream big and tell stories that matter. ‘Phooli’ is a metaphorically symbolic film that emphasises on the importance of self-worth and self-reliance. Subtly it addresses issues related to child and women empowerment. Talking about the theme he avers, “The theme herein puts to shame the notion that ‘the girl child is a liability,” by delineating the vast range of attitudinal and cognitive strengths that the young protagonist possesses.There are countless children who are deprived of education and especially girls who are burdened with household responsibilities. The time is now ripe to teach our girls how to depend on their own strengths in the face of adversities.”
A major highlight of the film is that all the young actors in the film are children from villages of Uttarakhand including from Timli Gaon, Dabar Gaon and Kanda Khani. Produced under the banner of Padma Siddhi Films ‘Phooli’ addresses the all important issue of education of the Girl Child.
Dhyani has sent out an appeal to schools and administrator: “It would be great if they could hold hands in this initiative to make the world a better place. We have now started screening the film in schools at a nominal cost and appeal to all to join our mission to take the film to larger audiences,” he elaborates.
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