Ruchi Bhimani to produce Turning Wheels: An Epic Roadtrip

Faraz Ansari, Faraz Ansari and Ruchi Bhimani

Two filmmakers will travel from Delhi to Goa with differently abled persons for a web series that aims to celebrate inclusiveness and address problems of accessibility

In 2015, 38-year-old Ruchi Bhimani, who has worked as a producer on Ship Of Theseus and Kai Po Che, met a man on a dating app and they began chatting about all things under the sun over messages and phone calls. It was only when she looked him up on social media platforms did she realise that he was visually impaired. She recalls, "He didn't reveal it in good faith. It opened my eyes to the world of disability and the problems of accessibility." The experience led to the birth of Turning Wheels: An Epic Roadtrip, a six-part, non-fiction travel web series that will feature differently abled persons, to be produced under her banner, One-Eyed Turtle Films.

Director Faraz Ansari

"For me, travel is a metaphor for breaking barriers and stereotypes around disability," says Bhimani, who roped in Faraz Ansari to direct the series. The filmmaker-activist has previously worked on Stanley Ka Dabba and Gippi. "A few months back, I was at the Taj Mahal in Agra, and my feet went numb. For 45 minutes, I received no help and when I was finally put on a wheelchair, I realised how inaccessible the venue is. We hope the web series starts a dialogue on accessibility. That said, it's a fun show; not a sob story," says Ansari. The duo aims to raise '18 lakh via an ongoing crowdfunding campaign on Wishberry, which will help them set the shoot in motion by this September and finally, release the web series in 2018.

Let's go road-trippin'
The four-member cast of the web series, representing a range of disabilities, will emerge from a nationwide search that the duo will carry out via social media. "We're looking for those who have done some amount of travel, and are aware of challenges; they should also be comfortable with being filmed most of the time," says Bhimani.

With a crew of nine and three cameras, the team has planned a 20-25 day road trip from Delhi to Goa, with stopovers along the Konkan coastline, and at Rishikesh, Khajuraho and Jaisalmer, among other places. "Our ideal wishlist includes adventure sports, a forest reserve, a cultural destination and a music concert in the desert," gushes Ansari, as Bhimani adds, "But we are working with a wheelchair-bound person, and have travelled extensively to chart the route. We are also looking for various alliance partners."

Recce to Rishikesh
As part of the research, two months back, Bhimani and Ansari signed up for a trip to Rishikesh with Planet Abled - a Delhi-based organisation that helps the disabled travel around the world. In the three-day trip, the duo accompanied four travellers -three wheelchair users and a visually impaired person - and witnessed them river rafting, ziplining and attending the Ganga aarti.

Faraz Ansari and Ruchi Bhimani

"Physically, the wheelchair users face the most amount of accessibility challenges. For instance, at the Ganga aarti they needed to be carried down the steps of the ghat. However, it fostered a sense of community among us," shares Bhimani.

Ansari seconds, "With able-bodied travellers, the experiences are external; like going to a spot, taking a selfie and ticking a thing off your bucket list. For these travellers, it was a life-changing experience that they internalised. It was inspiring." Case in point: In a video on the crowdfunding platform, visually impaired traveller Bhupendra Tripathi's face lights up as he describes the river rafting experience where he tilted his head and felt the water graze his scalp: "I was like 'wow'! I will never forget that."

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