Stories about soldiers protecting our borders have the ability to tug at our heartstrings, especially if the film is well made. Sravan Gajabhinkar, who nurtures an ambition to become a feature film director, recently screened his new 16-minute short film titled 1947 – Two Soldiers, to a small gathering at Ramanaidu Studios.
Apart from kindling patriotic fervour, the film has an evocative narrative of two friends on duty at the border. The back story set in 1947 is real but after that, the story takes a fictional route. The director says he focused on the concept that behind every brave soldier there is an equally courageous family.
Reality and fiction
After India’s independence, Pakistan sent its tribal militia to occupy western districts of the princely State of Jammu and Kashmir. On October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession to India. The Indian Air Force and ground troops landed in Srinagar, with some troops from South India being sent to the forests of Baramulla.
The fictional element begins here; Indian soldiers were outnumbered and left with only two soldiers. As a thirsty Mohan (Abhinav Janak) drinks some water in the forest, the militia shoot him. Kishore (Malhottra Shivam) is also shot but he survives. Weeks later, Kishore visits Mohan’s home with a heavy heart to hand over his possessions to the family.
It is not just the soldiers who are brave, their families are too. Parvati (Sahaja Chowdary) sends her brother Mohan to fight the war while she takes care of herself, and is self employed. She also reveals her interest in Kishore to her brother. By letting Parvati speak her mind, the director invests in her character, showing the film’s various dimensions other than friendship. Parvati choosing a soldier speaks volumes of her character. Apart from patriotism, the director shows how a soldier fulfils his friend’s last wish.
29-year-old director Sravan worked with screen writers Paruchuri Brothers for over a year and as an assistant director with Puri Jagannadh. He then made two other short films. 1947 – Two Soldiers has been screened at several international film festivals and has fetched an incredible 113 awards.
The film was shot in Lambasingi in Andhra Pradesh which is commonly referred to as mini Kashmir. It has been made with a modest budget of ₹4.5 lakh. Cinematographer Nagesh Banell used an Arri Alexa camera; the music is by Poonik.
( 1947 – Two Soldiers can be viewed on YouTube)
