Filmmaker Nikhil Allug's quiet yet powerful film, Shehjar (shade), addresses the Kashmir issue in the most empathetic fashion, depicting the inner tumult of the people residing there through their journeys and displacement. Shehjar is making waves at numerous film festivals. If there’s one unmissable film this year, it is undoubtedly Shehjar.
Edited excerpts from an interview with Allug:
Shehjar is an explosive film, but the buildup is very subtle. How did the idea of the film come about?
I believe Shehjar was destined to be made. I was merely the initiator of what destiny set in motion. I say this because there was so much that could have gone wrong, yet everything fell in place at the right time. The idea of this film came about like most others, a stroke of lighting which excites you to the point of love and labour...un colpo di fulmine [like love at the first sight].
After the film begins, for the longest time—almost five to six minutes, maybe more—there is no dialogue. Everybody is undertaking a journey in those first few minutes, sans any dialogues. Tell us about its significance.
A young family travels. There is music, and beautiful locations, yet it troubles your mind. Why? Everything looks fine, yet why does it not feel good to the audience? The whole point of keeping the pacing subtle was to show the unspoken bond of family that unconsciously develops through their tiring journey from Kashmir to Mumbai. Though simmering buildup in films are considered languid, in a negative fashion, this particular story demanded it and hence the end seems all the more impactful.
Tell us about the casting process. Each actor is outstanding,to say the least.
I knew Sunil Kumar Palwal from a meeting I had with him a couple of years back. For some reason, he was the first and only face that came to mind to play Nasif. Also, in those few years, he had evolved as an actor by leaps and bounds. Casting the kids was the toughest part, as we wanted Kashmiri kids who looked the age, could act, and speak and understand Hindi well. Burhan and Zahid were godsends for the roles of Khalid and Jasim. Their lack of formal training as actors became their biggest strength. Polished child actors appear too controlled. Cinema is about imperfections in perfection. Ira was cast right at the end, and I don't think I could have had a better Mariyam.
Ira Dubey is the only woman amidst the men in the film. She could be vulnerable and fragile in one moment, but fierce and strong the next. Similarly, Zahid Mir and Burhan Itoo are young boys one moment, and grown up men the next. Developing such emotional subtexts isn't as simple as it sounds, given there is a deep historical and psychological backdrop to the workings and machinations of their minds.
As a writer, I develop each character as much as possible, while keeping the overall story mobile. The depth of each character goes beyond the individuals in Shehjar. Their strengths, weaknesses, historical, social and religious backgrounds, decide their motives. The world today is divided. Humanity is losing its essence. We need to return to innocence, which, somehow, seems the hardest thing for us to do.
This isn't a big-budget film. Yet, you have managed to express the realities of Kashmir in the most unique manner. What inspired and influenced the threadbare quality to Shehjar?
I just wanted to make this film, so I went ahead and made it with the budget I had, with the right people who wanted to be part of it. I wanted to be independent in telling this story, and as hands on as possible. I am obsessive by nature about the things I love. Shehjar managed to excite me enough to go all in.
You wear several hats for this film. You are the writer, the director, and the producer. Which process did you enjoy most during the making of Shehjar?
I love being on the set the most. Directing, I always enjoy. You see the words on paper come to life through the heart of the actor.
What can we look forward to next from you?
A horror/thriller Hindi and Bengali feature film that I had written and directed, starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, is in the pipeline. Shehjar will be screened at the prestigious Kala Ghoda Festival 2019 and other international film festivals. I have also recently finished writing a unique suspense/thriller script. That came out really well and I am currently pitching to like-minded producers interested in making fresh and original commercial content in that space. Also, another romantic comedy film based around a relevant social topic is in the pipeline. I have lots of good stuff planned out, and lots of fresh ideas that I am yet to write. Let us see how it goes. I am taking it as it comes for now, and enjoying the process.