Music and mettle

Yashasvi Juyal’s documentary Armaan is about three musicians and their journey of rediscovery

A still from Armaan

Two aspiring musicians want to make it big. Both have been through their fair share of challenges. Despite all the talent in the world, they lack direction and focus — till they find a mentor in Suchit Narang, a visually-impaired musician of national repute.

The documentary Armaan focusses on the challenges faced by the youth and visually-impaired musicians, and their strengths. Shot in the Himalayas, the film is directed by 19-year-old Yashasvi Juyal.

“I wanted to show the reality of youth,” says the third-year college student. “The protagonists have small dreams, but no idea about how to beat the rat race and make a mark for themselves.

Armaan aims to project not only the confidence today’s youth have, but also the confusions they face. For instance, one of the characters goes to LA to learn music and brims with confidence. But, soon, uncertainty gets to him and he gets embroiled in drug abuse. He returns to Dehradun and checks into rehab. And, it is in the course of his journey of self-discovery that he meets Pt. Suchit Narang, who gives him direction,” explains the Dehradun-based filmmaker.

According to Yashasvi, Pt. Narang rarely ever takes in a disciple without testing him/her. “But, in Armaan {the character in the film}, he sees something special. This, despite the fact that the young musician is more interested in Western music. Under him, the character blossoms and hones his skills and talent and goes on to create a better life for himself,” he says.

The idea for the film, says Yashasvi, came to him when he met his classmate Armaan after a gap of two years. “The boy had undergone a transformation; so much had happened to him in the period that we hadn’t met. His story fascinated and inspired me to make the film,” he says.

Incidentally, Yashasvi has also won the Special Jury Mention at MAMI 2015 for his short film

A Wise Crab . “There, I met some very good directors, including Hansal Mehta. It was he who advised me to meet people, read more and find an interesting character for my next film. And, that is exactly what I did with

Armaan .”

The film was shot almost over a year in Dehradun and Rishikesh. One of the biggest challenges Yashasvi faced was getting his subjects to take him seriously. “Once they understood my vision, though, it was a breeze. The film is now going to film festivals. The idea is to target a limited audience, which has an interest in such issues and films. But, we plan to release it online as well,” he says.

Yashasvi next hopes to make a documentary on Irom Sharmila. “It is one film I’ve been very keen to work on for quite a while now. Through this film, I want to show the real power of women,” he says.