15 May,2011 09:38 AM IST | | Fiona Fernandez
In Dreaming Taj Mahal, a Pakistani driver is unable to get a visa to travel to India and fulfill his long-cherished dream of seeing Shah Jahan's monument of love. Through his story, the documentary shows how the two countries have so much in commonu00a0-- from history and culture to potholed roads and corrupt politicians
India and Pakistan are like salwar-kameez or kameez-dupatta; they're linked together but can never be one," shares protagonist Haiderbhai's wife, in a candid moment in Dreaming Taj Mahal, explaining the complicated relationship shared by the two neighbours. When, Nirmal Chander, director of the documentary that will be screened this week, toured Pakistan for the India-Pakistan cricket series in January 2006, little did he realise that the tour would present him an opportunity to showcase the underlying similarities that connect the common man in both countries. His 51-minute Dreaming Taj Mahal traces the life of an Indian cricket team-supporting taxi driver who dreams of visiting India to see the Taj Mahal, but is unable to do because he is denied a visa.
Haider and his family watching a cricket match in Pakistan
Enter Haiderbhai
Chander recalls when he first met Haider in Pakistan. "I worked with Ten Sports which had the rights to cover cricket matches in Pakistan. Haiderbhai was our driver, and his favourite cricketer was Dhoni. He wanted to visit the gullies of Ranchi, but his biggest wish was to see the Taj Mahal." They interacted occasionally for the 20 days that Chander was on tour. "Initially, I didn't think seeing the Taj was a big deal. We exchanged numbers before I returned to Dubai where I was based at the time."
The seed of the documentary was sown, but Chander kept it on the back burner. In October 2007, he received another chance to visit Pakistan. Luckily, Chander's wife Reena Mohan (a documentary filmmaker) also got a visa. Together, they decided to capture frames from Haider's dreamu00a0-- "This film was a blind date. We had about five days off from the series during the Eid break; that's when we were invited to his house in Waghwalzar."
Candid, 24x7
As the camera rolls through the initial exchanges between Chander and Haider in an air-conditioned car, the comfort levels, bordering on friendly banter, act as the icebreaker for the audience. Both joke about bad roads being a common headache and how the Ravi River is dry because the Indian government doesn't release water from its side. "This documentary wouldn't have been possible without the comfort level. The camera was invisible; barriers were broken immediately," recalls Chander of the 14-day filming period.
Be it chats between Mohan, Haider's wife and his niece about Hindi television soaps and the sari'su00a0 emergence as a fashion statement in Pakistan or discussion among Haider's friends while sipping on Pakistani vodka and their thought-provoking beliefs about Indians, all make for a heartwarming watch.
On the recent killing of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, and India using the incident to emphasise that Pakistan proves to be a haven for terrorists, Chander says, "Irrespective of the Osama factor, the important issue is 9/11. There might be people like Haider but there are also anti-Muslim and anti-Hindu elements on both sides. When the dialogue stops, war begins. We are caught between politicians and forces like RAW and ISI." He then mentions a scene from the documentary. In it, Haider's friends playfully joke that Partition was the mischief of two old men, the price of which both countries continue to pay.
Chander says, "It's futile if only a handful of our leaders and artistes cross the border. Haider's failed attempts at getting a visa to visit India and see the Taj Mahal plays a catalyst to the main issueu00a0-- there are 10 million Haiders."
At: 7 pm, May 16, Alliance Francaise, Theosophy Hall, 40, New Marine Lines, next to Nirmala Niketan.
Call: 22036187
