Punjabi film Mera Kuch Samaan premiers on television
Thought-provoking talks on the uselessness of border violence and killing of the innocent, the concepts of bravery, protector and soldier, chocolates, and one’s desires and need for safety. This is the premise of Mera Kuch Samaan, a 45-minute Punjabi movie that premiered on PTC Punjabi on Friday.
“Inspired by George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man, the film is a love story with the strained relations between India and Pakistan and border violence as the backdrop,” says director and scriptwriter of the film, Balpreet Kaur. Her earlier works include ‘Hari Chutney’ and ‘Main Haan Naa’.
The movie is produced by PTC Punjabi Film. Gurpreet Chahal is the associate director and Arun K Sharmaa is the cinematographer. The lyrics are by Amandeep Singh Paapi, music and playback singing is done by Azaad.
ODE TO GULZAR
“I have always been able to relate to Gulzar’s works. Even the title of this film is from one of his popular songs. This project, which is a quirky love story of a Pakistani girl and an Indian soldier, is an ode to him and his craft,” she says.
The film opens with Shivjeet Gill, played by Manveer Singh, finding a letter in the pocket of his coat. A four-month flashback shows him accidentally crossing the Indo-Pak border and taking refuge at the house of Sehar, played by Simpy Singh.
Their encounter follows interesting discussions, about fear, dreams, the two neighbouring countries, what bravery and protector truly mean and much more. This leads to both feeling a strong pull towards each other and rediscovering themselves.
In the present, Shivjeet feels restless to meet Sehar and revisits the letter, finally finding peace in what Sehar had told him earlier: “If you have a desire and it’s strong enough, you’ll find a way.” The film is open-ended and leaves the audience with hope.
SHOOTING CHALLENGES
Balpreet says that the idea of the end comes from what Persian poet Shams Tabrizi had once told Rumi: “It is pointless trying to know where the way leads. Think only about your first step, the rest will come.”
About the challenges while shooting the film, she says, “Due to budget constraints we could not shoot in a location that would look like PoK. Also, 80% of the film is shot in a small room and there is barely any action sequence, so it was more challenging to write, conceptualise, visualise and finally shoot this story.”