The actress’s next project, which was shot in the Valley, is now gearing up for a premiere there in a few months
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; June 4, 2018)

After playing Saadat Hasan Manto’s wife in Nandita Das’s biopic on the renowned Pakistani playwright, Rasika Dugal will be next seen in Hamid, which is directed by Aijaz Khan. Now, the film, which was shot entirely in Kashmir, is returning in the next few months to the Valley for its first screening. It sees the actress in the role of a mother to seven-year-old Hamid, played by Talha Arshad Reshi, a Kashmiri local whose father goes missing in the film.

“The story idea came from a line from a Kashmiri acquaintance: A seven-year-old Kashmiri boy, whose father has disappeared, dials 786 on the phone to speak with Allah. The idea fascinated me so much that I developed it into a screenplay. After several months of arduous auditioning, we found our Hamid. But two days before the shoot, the boy developed cold feet and walked out of the film. We were flabbergasted,” Aijaz told Mirror, adding that the team had to go back to audition tapes. “When we relooked at the top five contenders, Talha’s caramel eyes and angelic face caught everyone’s eye and he was asked to join immediately.”

The team shot at Budderkote, a quaint village on the foothills of Gulmarg that they discovered after travelling through Kashmir and Manali. “Manali was Plan B, just in case we faced resistance in Kashmir but Badderkote embraced us. The villagers opened their homes to us. Fragrant cups of Kahwa and the delectable local bread Girda became our staple food,” Aijaz said.

Meanwhile, Rasika reveals that she was initially skeptical about the film even though its innocence had appealed to her. “My primary fear was the fact that it is difficult to tell a story of a land and people who have been through so much. I felt like no matter how much I prepared, I would not be able to do justice to the part, which would be a disservice to Kashmir. But I’ve previously shot in Kashmir for Santosh Sivan’s Tahaan and it gave me, with all its beauty and sadness, more than I had expected. It’s like the place just opens itself up to you to let you tell its story,” the actress signed off.

Mehul S Thakkar (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 31, 2014)

When Mirror met Amole Gupte at a municipal school in Pali, he was the centre of attention in a room full of children. The filmmaker who is also the Chairperson of the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) holds a weekly film appreciation class for under privileged children in the school. In a candid conversation he speaks out against ‘child labour’ in showbiz.
 
As the CFSI chairperson, what are your biggest peeves?
Child artistes are the last priority for producers when planning a schedule. So, the children are called before noon for a reality show and kept waiting till 2.30 am. By then they're sleepy and to wake them up, ice is rubbed on their faces and they are given fizzy drinks. This is a punishable crime and completely unnecessary. While filming Stanley Ka Dabba I shot only on Saturday for four hours. No child missed a school day or a Sunday.
 
How can we stop this from happening?
I want the rules of the animal welfare board to apply to children. Child artistes here are treated worse than animals. Other countries have a rule book, why can’t we have one too so we can ensure that children are not subject to such cruelty? For six years I’ve been campaigning for rules, that if you break, your film will not be certified.
 
What’s the hurdle?
I wrote a letter to Shanta Sinha when she was the chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights to take up the initiative. She replied only after she retired and then directed me to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council. I’m only asking that kids should not be pulled out of school and made to work for longer than six hours. Twelve-hour shifts amount to child labour.
 
Your next film Hawaa Hawaai, is a children’s film with your son Partho in the lead…
I don’t make children’s films but films about children. Like Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba which address their concerns but are for universal viewing. Hawaa Hawaai is a film about roller skating, which Partho has been learning since he was six. It's a story I wanted to make after TZP.
 
Why did it take seven years for Hawaa Hawaai to roll?
I was made to write 22 drafts, I had spoken to Farhan Akhtar and Excel was to produce it. But then he got cold feet, so did UTV. It should have started in 2008 but didn’t. Don’t ask me why? So, then I shot Stanley Ka Dabaa, guerrilla style so no one knew I was making a film till it was done. Hawaa Hawaai is the dream that hasn’t allowed me to sleep a wink since 2008. After Lagaan, Chak De! India and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag it will raise the bar for go-getting films.
 
What do you have to show for teaching cinema to underprivileged kids for so many years?
Ashish Gaikwad lost his father, a municipal sweeper, when he was in the 4th standard. He started cleaning with the mother, but also made a short film, Tahaan, which I took as a master class to many fests. Subhash Ghai saw it and Tahaan was the closing film of 100 years of cinema. Subhashji gave him a scholarship to Whistling Woods Institute and last month he passed out. These kids have so many stories to tell. They can give you long lectures on Charlie Chaplin, Italian cinema, and Majid Majidi.