New Delhi, Aug 22 : Thakur Ranvir Singh, who is
proud about making the first docu-drama on the10th Sikh guru, says he
travelled to eight Indian states and visited 61 gurudwaras to make "In
the Footsteps of Guru Gobind Singh", which he feels will build bridges
between different religions.
"This is the first film that has
been made on Guru Gobind Singhji and probably the last one," Singh told
IANS in an interview, adding that this is not a subject that many people
would like to experiment with.
"In the past, there have been
some special programmes and some general information dedicated to him,
but this kind of treatment has never been given. This film is an
encyclopedia on guruji's life and brings out his glory.
"It is
not just a mere film and it is not a commercial drama - it is my ' sewa'
for Guru Gobind Singhji. 'In The Footsteps of Guru Gobind Singh' does
not promote any one religion. It's my attempt to build bridges between
different religions -- may that be between Hindu, Muslim or Muslim's and
Sikh's. A lot has been done to bring religious differences to rest, but
seems it can never be enough," Singh added, saying so far there have
been about 100 shows of the movie in India as well as abroad.
Born
in Kota, Rajasthan, the 74-year-old, who is "devoted towards heritage",
started his career as an assistant in British films and later worked on
both film and television projects in Britian and the US. In his more
than four-decades-long career, he made documentaries like "Heart to
Heart", "Spring is here once More" and " Lions of Gir".
He was the
executive producer for the first Hollywood-India co-production
" Shalimar" in the 1970s starring Rex Harrison, Dharmendra and Zeenat
Aman.
Singh, who had also written a documentary called "The Long
Dual", says his film brings 42 years of the guru's life - from his birth
till his death.
"We travelled 8,000 km and covered eight states
of India -- Bihar, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra to make the film. We
also covered 61 gurdwaras from Hemkunt Sahib in the Himalayas to Hazoor
Sahib in Maharashtra following the actual route traversed by guruji
himself."
"It took us four years to make it. It really wasn't an
easy task, but what kept us going was our admiration for guruji," added
Singh, who shuttles between India and Britian as his family is based
here and work makes him to travel abroad.
To bring authenticity
and appeal to the film, scriptwriters Ranvir Singh and Kartar Singh
Duggal recreated the battle scenes on the actual locations.
"It
has been the most challenging film I ever made in my career of 40 years.
It imposed artistic limitations and probably it is not the best film
technically, but it opens one's mind and brings one face to face with
guru maharaj.
"As the film is a historical document, based on
hard core facts, I had to be very attentive and conscious all the time.
It was like walking on the broken path because you could not add or
subtract anything from the events," he said.
Despite having so much experience, Singh had his inhibitions about the film.
"I
had my reservations, my inhibition before making the film. I thought a
lot of times whether I will be able to do justice to the subject. But
when the script got approval, I felt confident and then there was no
looking back," he said.
The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) that controls Sikh shrines in India approved the film.
"Moreover,
in my film there is no image or character that plays the role of Guru
Gobind Singhji. There was no question of being afraid of any
controversies," he said.
Made in English, Hindi and Punjabi, the two-and-a-half-hour-long film uses paintings and pictures to depict Guru Gobind Singh.
"I
thought of releasing it in three languages together because such
subjects cannot be touched upon again and again. They cannot be
recreated," he concluded.
There was no financial support.
"Honestly,
nobody has helped me with funding. I have put in all the money that it
took to make the film. My team comprised of seven people. Yes, when I
ran out of money, a friend of mine helped me with some money. I see this
as my best work despite being discouraged in terms of finance."
By Manpreet Kaur
© IANS
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