They are amateurs drawn from sundry backgrounds — daily wagers, salesmen, tutors and motor mechanics. But they share a common trait — patriotic fervour and a passion for movies.
That is what brought 70 youths of Gunupur town in the tribal dominated Rayagada district of Odisha together and made them pool in their modest savings to shoot a film on a patriotic theme and release it on YouTube on August 14, on the eve of Independence Day. So far, 10,000 users have viewed the movie on YouTube.
The total budget for the project was Rs 15,000. The youths put together their pocket money to produce the aptly titled Hindi film, Kurbaani — The Sacrifice of Life.
The 23-year-old youth who directed the venture works in a lodge at a monthly salary of Rs 5,000.
The youths on the way to a location in the forest Telegraph picture
Director Livingstone Takiri told The Telegraph, “We had been watching the aggressive designs of Pakistan and China with concern. We have seen extremist attacks on our soil and supreme sacrifices made by the Indian soldiers while repelling such attacks. When I met my friend’s father, who is in the BSF, he gave me a clear picture of what is actually happening on our borders. So we decided to make a movie on this theme.”
The biggest problem for the group was arranging at least 30 pairs of dresses for the movie and props like guns to create a realistic look. “We took 45 days to prepare 40 sets of guns out of plastic bottles and other plastic materials. The issue of military uniform was sorted out when jawans of Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) posted here assured to loan us their uniforms for 15 days,” said Livingstone.
Though around 40 people in the group are semi-literate, there are ones with degrees in pharmacy and BEd who were very enthusiastic from the beginning about working for a good cause. “Everyone was at home due to the lockdown. To avoid being caught by the police for not adhering to social distancing norms, we used to leave for shooting early in the morning. We almost always carried biscuit packets with us,” said Nitesh Ranjan Nimala, 22, a tuition teacher.
Cameraman Dwarikanath Panigrahi, 21, who is an amateur photographer and also did the editing, said, “Sometimes we also took rice, pulses and vegetables from our homes and cooked in the forest and ate when we got hungry during shooting. Though it was just a 24-minute film, the shooting went on for 2 months. All the shooting was done with the help of one DSLR camera.”
A poster of the film Sourced by The Telegraph
There were also drivers in the group and they helped arrange the vehicles used in the film. “We requested the vehicle owners to let us use them for carrying the artistes to the film set and also for other purposes. Thankfully no one objected. It was all good jugaad (flexible approach) which made us successful,” said Anjan Panigrahi, 23, a driver by profession.
Parents of some of the group members were roped in to play the role of military officers. “We put stickers on the uniforms to make them look authentic,” said a member.
The film has been hailed by critics for the sheer determination of its makers. “It is a good effort. The way they brilliantly use technique and sound and the dialogue delivery is superb. There are many good pictures which have never been awarded with any awards. Here the award is not important but the all-out efforts made by the youths need to be appreciated,” said film critic Surya Deo.