A lot has changed in Kashmir since you made Harud…or has it?
Of course a lot has changed, not just in Kashmir, but the rest of India as well. The pitch post 2019 was of Kashmir being brought into the mainstream, but I think it is more like the kashmirisation of India.
What spurred you on to make Harud?
When I made the film, I wasn’t really thinking about an audience, or success or failure. The fact that the film was made was good enough for me. Everything else was beyond my control anyway.
If you had to make Harud today what would you change?
I wasn’t asked this question soon after the film was made. It was my first film, made with meagre resources, so one did not have the freedom to do things differently. In fact, we had to adapt to situations which could’ve been solved if we had a bigger budget etc. but we instead had to find solutions by being quick on our feet, which made the whole process very organic and gratifying at the end of the day. Looking back, I could’ve tried to make the film more accessible for the audiences, but at the end of the day I made the film that I wanted to make.
What was the trigger point for Harud?
Harud was partly born out of boredom and partly because of the compulsion to tell an authentic Kashmiri story.
Do you think you would be able to make Harud today?
Raising funds in India for the kind of film and the political subject I’m dealing with (Kashmir), is well nigh impossible. After trying for years, I ended up producing The Winter Within myself, with some post production funding from France and Doha. It won audience awards at festivals in Busan and Nantes, but found no takers for it.
Why are you seen so little on screen?
As far as acting is concerned, I really don’t have an answer. Maybe the recession that no one is willing to talk about, is one factor. Otherwise one would imagine, that after being part of a commercial success like Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani,which clocks two years on July 28, would have led to more work. Also, having a social media presence is seen as essential these days. I’m not equipped to engage with a virtual audience, to market oneself or to try and be relevant. It is what it is.
