Lack of resources and complications related to filming in Pakistan kept first-time Indian director NitinKakkar away from shooting his National Award winning saga `Filmistaan` which uses Bollywood to bind India and Pakistan.
The movie, which released in India June 6, has been lauded critically and commercially. But Kakkar still wishes he had got a chance to shoot the movie in Pakistan too. There was always an effort to collaborate with Pakistan in “some way” on the film.
“We shot the whole film in 20 days. We didn`t have anybody from Pakistan while shooting the film but (Pakistani singer) ShafqatAmanat Ali Khan has sung for the film. We are glad we worked with him because in some way we wanted to collaborate with Pakistan,” Kakkar said.
Khan crooned `Bhugol and `Bol` for the SharibHashmi and Inaamulhaq-starrer, but had matters been in Kakkar`s hands, he would`ve taken his crew and shot the movie across the border.
“We would love to visit Pakistan; but that`s the reason for making the film. It`s very difficult to visit Pakistan. I would have loved to shoot the film in Pakistan but you know how times are. It`s not easy for a small film like ours. We coudn`t afford to get stuck even for two days. We did our shooting in Bikaner (Rajasthan) and researched in Mumbai,” said Kakkar.
The going wasn`t easy for the crew at all. It took the filmmaker about 10 months to make the movie and by 2012 it was ready to hit the screens, but he had no funds to release it.
“We had the money to make the film, not to release it. The cost of production is less but the cost of releasing is a lot more. We are nobodys, so it`s difficult for a film like that…To make our film visible in the industry takes time,” Kakkar said.
The movie won the best feature film in Hindi title at the 60th National Film Awards 2012, the Silver Crow Pheasant Award for best debut film at the International Film Festival of Kerala and a special jury mention at the 2012 Busan International Film Festival.
