Wali Gujarati

By Tanushree Batia, *Sheher-e-Ghazal wins short film competition* - Ahmedabad Mirror - India; Sunday, December 19, 2010

Director Gopal Annam, winner of the City Lights Short Film Competition organised as a part of the 35th Vikram Sarabhai International Arts Festival, speaks to Mirror about his experience behind the camera

Gopal Annam’s eight-minute film Sheher-e-Ghazal won the competition organised as a part of the 35th Vikram Sarabhai International Arts Festival. The competition was aimed at showcasing Ahmedabad’s talent and tell stories about its people, and the city’s history. The film is about a young girl who visits the city to explore her dead grandfather’s roots, who grew up in Ahmedabad.

The film showcases her journey, where she discovers a vibrant city and its rich heritage. Her angst when she discovers that Sufi Saint Wali’s tomb (whom her grandfather worshipped) was desecrated during the 2002 riots. Annam is currently working with Director Onir on his project I Am.

Annam answers a few volleys from Mirror.

Why the film is called Sheher-e-Ghazal?
The film is titled Sheher-e-Ghazal ( the song of the city) because Wali Gujarati was the first person to write Urdu poetry. He is the father of Urdu ghazals, and he was from Ahmedabad.

Is this the first time that you have participated in such a festival?
Yes it is the first time I have participated in a film competition. However, I have made several short films which have been screened across the country.

What did your film portray?
Wali Gujarati was a sufi saint who wrote about love, beauty and truth. His mazaar is one of the very few spaces of syncretic worship in the city, where Hindus and Muslims worship and pay respects together. By desecrating the mazaar, people have damaged the fabric of communal harmony and unity.

As a director, I have tried to show that destroying a tomb or worship place doesn’t destroy a person’s belief or faith. Wali was a dreamer, he wrote about beauty and love. He was called faqir-e-ishq, but unfortunately he hasn’t been allowed peace even in his grave.

What were the challenges faced by you while filming?
The only sacrifice we made was our sleep. We shot extensively at Sarkhej Roza after getting permission from the Archeological Survey of India. The making of the film was a very intense and taxing experience. The film was completed in nine days from start to finish. All the cast and crew worked for free. We scouted the walled city exhaustively for locations, had late-night production meetings at Manek Chowk, and fell in love with the life in pols.

What was the USP of your film that got it the accolades?
I think the audience identified with the journey of this young woman. Also, the moment of truth in the film is when she goes to the mazaar of the Sufi saint Wali Gujarati to pay her respects on behalf of her grandfather, and discovers that it has been desecrated by mobs in 2002.

Director Mahesh Bhatt said the film had a soul. My film also had the flavour of this city.

Tell us about your connection to Ahmedabad?
I am computer science engineer, hailing from Vishakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh. I came to Ahmedabad to study at MICA and spent three years in this city.

Being in Ahmedabad, I discovered my love for photography, filmmaking and art. I explored the old city as a part of a heritage walk organised by one of our faculty. I had organised a photography exhibition back then, called Ahmedabad Framed: Glimpses of the Walled City where I showcased my photographs of the old city.

What is next on cards?
Well, I have been working as a freelance filmmaker for sometime. I have written a couple of scripts for feature films as well and I am trying to raise finances to produce them. Interestingly both the films that I am working on are based on Ahmedabad. One of the scripts is a love story.

Picture: A still from the award winning short film Sheher-e-Ghazal which was directed by Gopal Annam. Photo: AM.