“I won’t let you down,” says 24-year-old Aliah, the protagonist of the film, to her recruiter, as she takes on a secret job to be a suicide prevention counsellor. On her first day, she encounters a 52-year-old man standing atop a high-rise wanting to jump. In an attempt to talk to him and get him to open up, she narrates her story.
Not Today directed by Aditya Kripalani talks of suicide and mental health in an age where it has become a necessity. The film that came out in 2021, won the Best Film at the Asian Competition and Fipresci International Critics Award at the recently concluded Bengaluru International Film Festival.
Aditya, 41, speaking over the phone from Mumbai, tells The Hindu, “This is a big milestone in my career. When I heard I had won the award, I teared up. I couldn’t believe it when the second one came along. The Fipresci is won by filmmakers such as Neeraj Ghaywan (Masaan) and Chaitanya Tamhane (The Disciple), and recognition on par with them is a dream come true.”
There were important reasons to make Not Today, he says. “As much as suicide prevention is a tough job in itself, we don’t talk enough about how much it affects the counsellors too, listening to callers every day.”
Secondly, he says he has lost people to suicide, and this drove him to make this film.
Shot in February 2020, Aditya had no clue that starting conversations on mental health would gain relevance during the pandemic. “Problems of mental health grew exponentially during the pandemic, and this film is more relevant now than ever.
“In India, statistics tell you that more men attempt suicide, and I feel it is because they don’t acknowledge their feelings enough. Also, men also don’t prefer to talk to fellow men about serious issues, hence the counsellor in the film is a woman,” he adds.
“We wanted to make a film that would help introduce the topics of mental health and suicide in Indian homes. In many cases, what people need is an intervention at the right moment, the feeling that someone cares enough to listen. If the film encourages anyone to talk about suicidal notions it will make each member of this team feel like we were able to help in some small way,” he says.
A still from the film Not Today | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Aliah is a Bohra Muslim who comes from a traditional family. “The Bohra community imbibes a strong community spirit, and since they are not portrayed enough anywhere, I wanted to talk about it,” he says.
Aditya hopes that through these kinds of films, conversations around mental health reach dinner tables and families start talking about it at home.
The film is narrated interestingly with no background score or music. “I felt a stark approach was the right way to tell the story. Initially, there is music, but once you dive into the plot, it is just the sounds of the city. Life is like that, with music before it gets real, and I wanted to capture this,” Aditya says.
Aditya, who has made Tikli and Laxmi Bomb and Tottaa Pataaka Item Maal that dealt with gender equality, and Devi aur Hero and Not Today that centre around mental health, feels it is his responsibility to make such films. “This is my most important work, as a writer and director, and even though it can be a trigger for some people, it is important we talk about it.”
Aditya feels OTT platforms are becoming star-driven. “It was a wonderful time for indie films two years ago, but now many platforms don’t want to showcase these kinds of content, because they are getting commercial as well,” he says.
He feels that film festivals play a particularly important role in providing a platform for indie filmmakers like him. “Not Today was screened in Bengaluru, and many people appreciated me for taking up such an issue. This would not have been possible without the festival,” he says.
Not Today stars Harsh Chhaya and Rucha Inamdar in lead roles and was recently selected for the NETPAC category at the Asian Film Festival Barcelona.
