How this filmmaker's latest feature deals with existential crisis and loneliness

There is a reason Batman makes for a compelling superhero Amidst overpowered alien beings he is human flawed and prone to errors SwissIndian filmmaker Kamal Musale agrees that it is the flaws of icons that make them more interesting ldquoThe frailties of great people make them human which makes them relatablerdquo he explainsHis latest work a fictional feature titled Mother Teresa amp Me that was released in theatres on Friday captures the crisis of faith suffered by the nowcanonised saint during her years in India Mirrored through the contemporary life of young Kavita played by Banita Sandhu the film deals with existential crisis and loneliness mdash a common theme for many individuals todayJacqueline FritschiCarnoz as Mother Teresa in the filmThe film originates from actorproducer Jacqueline FritschiCornaz who plays Mother Teresa in the film Having visited India in 2010 and moved by the poverty around and having been spurred on by a portrait of Mother Teresa she established the Zariya Foundation She set out to find a filmmaker to visualise the life of Kolkatarsquos famed figure Musale meanwhile was in search of his own catharsisldquoI had been filming people in dire situations for documentaries in different parts of the globe mdash people in war pain and sufferingrdquo Watching people suffer even die leaves a psychological mark he tells us ldquoYou donrsquot know where to put them the emotions But you have to stay objective and professional during the shootrdquo he revealsDirector Kamal Musale on locationWhen ideation began in 2012 Musale did not want to make a biography or a documentary mdash ldquoThey only scratch the physical surface not the psychological onerdquo he says Research included several meetings and interactions with the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata as well as people who had met with Mother Teresa But Musale found the key to his story in the letters Mother Teresa sent to her confessors ldquoThese letters have been published since and under the initiative of the confessors during the process of her sainthoodrdquo The letters by now wellknown were accessible to the public says Musale One in particular Mother Teresa Come Be My Light DoubleDay was among them The letters revealed a side that made her relatable says Musale Having arrived in Kolkata then Calcutta in 1929 the Nobel Prizewinner founded the Missionaries of Charity that offered the answer to her own spiritual calling ldquoBut as soon as she began work the voice inside disappeared she writesrdquo the filmmaker revealsThe casting process began with Deepti Naval being an automatic choice for Deepali mdash the nurse once adopted by Mother Teresa in the film Her experience and poise made it an easy choice The younger Kavita was a challenge the filmmaker admits ldquoWe held several workshops with Banita Sandhu to challenge her to dig deep within herself to discover her anger and frustrationrdquo Moments from the film depicting different chapters from Mother Teresarsquos life and timesThis frustration is part of what philosophers call the dark night of the soul Not unlike an existential or midlife crisis we remark ldquoQuite It was exacerbated by her Mother Teresarsquos inability to share these doubts with anyonerdquo he adds Psychologists note how driven professionals often struggle with a deep sense of loneliness In the Netflix documentary The Last Dance basketball legend Michael Jordan notes of his isolation ldquoItrsquos funny but a lot of people tell me they would like to be Michael Jordan for a day a week I donrsquot think they quite understand that itrsquos no funrdquo Musale points out ldquoMost people would give up when faced with such doubts mdash whether it is in their relationship career or work mdash or they would find a distractionrdquo he says ldquoBut she stuck to her vocationrdquoThe pandemic forced the film to start in 2022 A major challenge was to recreate the slums of 1950srsquo Kolkata since slums today have a different template The set was rebuilt in Mumbai on the basis of old photographs The team also sourced 20 villages around the city for the correct casting Musale admitted they could not shoot at Nirmal Hriday mdash the Missionaries of Charity hospice in Kolkata mdash since it was a functioning hospice He did insist on exterior shots in the city of Kolkata thoughDeepti Naval as Deepali and Banita Sandhu as KavitaSo what can the modern professional take away from the story ldquoI think inspiration and compassion To do little things to make the world a better place Sometimes people just need to smile and say nice things You donrsquot need to set out on a mission to clean all the beaches in Mumbai tomorrowrdquo Musale laughs At Cinemas across Mumbai