Thiruvananthapuram: Siddharth Chauhan was 25 years old and had made just four short films till last year. His fourth film Papa won the best short fiction award at the International Docume-ntary and Short Film Festival of Kerala (IDSFFK) 2016. However, he was too young to be taken seriously. This year, when he returned to Thiruvan-anthapuram with another film to be screened at IDSFFK 2017, he shares how things have changed. “When I pitched Papa to potential producers, no one was ready to invest in it. But now for Pashi, two or three production houses were willing to help me out. It could not work out because of logisitics. Once again I ended up making a film on my own. But I am sure they are recognising my work,” he says.
His films capture the ageless beauty of Himachal, its greenery, people, mountains and picturesque cottages. (It’s because he decided he would only make films in Himachal, that he is unable to collaborate with production houses in Mumbai and Delhi.) Pashi, his latest short film, is set in a Himachali village. The title is a Pahari word which means ‘trap’. “I grew up in a village called Dhanoti where there is a technique to trap birds. The trap made of thread is called Pashi. It is supposed to be a manly thing to do. I learnt it from other local boys when I was 12. I continued to do it until I started practising Buddhism, and I realised it is not fair.”
Siddharth Chauhan
“The concept and the fascination surrounding setting up Pashi,” he says, “Was planted firmly in my mind. After Papa, I wanted to make something on Pashi. I thought it would be a beautiful film and very unique in terms of its ethnographic content as well.” The film will be screened at Kairali on Friday, the opening day of IDSFFK 2017, in the 11.30 am slot.
