Incubating the untapped film talent in Himachal

Siddharth Chauhan

By Anuj Kumar Pandey

The popular film legacy of Shimla is limited to being one of the favorite locations for not-so-high budget Bollywood productions. Nobody here expects a Shimlite to make marks in world cinema circuits. After all, Himachal was never a soil for serious filmmakers. But with several independent filmmakers  emerging from the hills with their own films, things are for a change, lately.

Growing up in Shimla, Siddarth Chauhan never thought about succeeding in making films that would entice the  world audience. But with multiple screenings of his films in festival circuits outside India, he needs no formal introduction as the independent film maker of Himachal Pradesh.

Siddarth rose to fame when his film Pashi was selected for the Rhode Island International Film Festival, a coveted festival where award winning films would get direct nominations for academy awards, popularly known as the Oscars.

Being a self-taught film maker, Siddarth’s initial training was his rigorous film watching. “I mostly despise action films. I am a fan of coming of age genre”, says he. He admires Indian directors who do not make cookie cutter features.

'Boys Don’t Wear a Nail polish' was Siddarth’s first film. "Making it was a hard task but I always enjoyed the process", he says. He went on and with the help of his mentors such as documentary filmmaker Gurvinder Singh and made further films like Papa and Pashi. He stays in touch with Gurvinder and looks forward to collaborating with him.

Siddarth did not expect a warm welcome to his films from  foreign audiences. “For me, the experience was very unreal. I never expected that my film would get such a good response from the audiences outside India”, he said. "It was jarring and rewarding. The success that Pashi got, especially the whole Oscar thing, put me in a peculiar place" says Siddarth.

Piyush Kanga

Being an independent filmmaker from Himachal Pradesh is a journey Siddarth shares with several other budding filmmakers. Piyush Kanga from Bilaspur had an interest in dancing since childhood and while growing up he knew he could do something in films. Piyush had a little experience in filmmaking or any connections in Bollywood.

His first film was ‘Dost’. He didn't expect it to get him anywhere but just enjoyed the experience of making it. He is currently pursuing his studies and is also busy with his acting assignments. He manages a production house called Silent Hymns Production and continues to make short films.

Being in Himachal, there are several issues these filmmakers face. “The hardest thing to pull off in here is to get actors. Most of them are not professionals and professionals cost a lot of money”, says Siddarth. In Himachal, finding a serious filmmaker is like finding unicorns. “Getting in touch with other filmmakers and learning from them is difficult here”, says Piyush.

However, the film festivals which are mushrooming in the hills lately are encouraging such budding filmmakers. Piyush and Siddarth were both part of the fellowship programme at Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF). Similarly, both of these filmmakers have screened their work at ‘International Film Festival in Shimla and DIFF as well.

 "Himachal as a location has always been an unexplored phenomenon. It’s ripe for depiction on screen. If the government supports, then even Himachal film making scene can improve a lot", says Piyush.