SMIRAN KALER INVENTOR OF DOCUEMPATHIES


Views of Punjab  minus the gloss




As a student, many classmates dismissed him for his unconventional ideas.
But, Simran Kaler - a young boy from Mohali chose to take the road less travelled.
He has made a niche for himself as an independent documentary maker and writer.
Soon after finishing post graduation in journalism and mass communication from Panjab University in Chandigarh, he decided to follow his heart by doing something different.
He picked up a job with Parvasi - a news-weekly meant for Punjabis in Canada. Later he shifted to Channel Punjab UK - an international TV channel - as research head-cum-executive producer.
The channel gave him the opportunity to produce several documentaries and highlight social issues particularly concerning marginalised sections. He produced several documentaries but Saade Hisse Di Zindagi (Our Share of Life) is closest to his heart.
The film documents the plight of bonded labourers. Another of his favourite is Punjab Versus Pesticide: Time to Act is Now, a film on chemical misuse by farmers. He also attempted to establish that Lord Budha visited ancient Punjab in his documentary, Buddism in Punjab, the Ancient Era.
He also made documentaries on the importance of water conservation and the fading legacy of rural sport and wrestling.
The film became extremely popular in neighbouring Pakistan and on the web after he uploaded it on YouTube.
Simran suffered a major setback after Channel Punjab closed down. He picked up some odd assignments in TV and radio, but, the work did not stimulate his genius and he finally decided to become an independent filmmaker.
He set up his own film production house Raging Bull though he did not have means and money to sustain himself. Kaler - who has made a niche but 'no money' in documentary making -– always looks for unusual issues as his themes.
He wants to put these issues in perspective against a modern materialistic backdrop. He earns a little money through biographical documentaries but invests the profit into the films produced for a cause.
He worked relentlessly for weeks and got up early in the morning to understand the life of newspaper hawkers before producing Early Hawkers - a documentary that depicts their misery.
He also sought to highlight the problem of spiralling house rentals in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali in On Rent.
A Punjab within Punjab depicts the fissures in Punjabi society that have been created by the rampant social discrimination.
For Kaler, documentary making is a medium for creating social awareness and interpreting several key issues affecting the masses.
Simran believes that the younger generation is not insensitive to social inequalities. The generation is comfortable with the latest mediums of communication.
No surprise, his documentaries in Punjabi have English subtitles and they are available on YouTube. When he uploaded original footage of revolutionary poet Avtar Singh Sandhu 'Pash' on YouTube, it got more than 1600 hits. Simran has also been writing for children.
He has already published nine books for children to inculcate the habit of reading among them.
The books - all in Punjabi - aim at promoting the language. He has eight books for children in the pipeline, but, their publication has been delayed due to the non-availability of 'good and affordable' Punjabi typists.
He has their handwritten manuscripts ready.
The 32-year-old Simran now proposes to produce docuempathies - a term coined by him for documentaries to be produced after literally reliving the conditions faced by his subjects.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2099604/PATIALA-PEG-Views-Punjab-minus-gloss.html#ixzz1o2SNzAXF


 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)