Whenever Kislay has gone back to his native Allahabad (Now Prayagraj), during and after his stint at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), he had sensed a change in the cultures and attitudes of the people there. This concern is reflected in his debut film Aise Hee (Just Like That), but none of it is stated overtly. At its surface, it is the story of an old woman reclaiming her life after her husband passes away, much to the annoyance of her conservative family members and society.
She is known just as Mrs. Sharma, her identity all through life. Once she overcomes grief, she starts doing things on her own, like opening a bank account for herself, an act which offends her son.
She heads to the local mall, after getting out on the pretext of visiting the temple, enjoys an ice cream, and takes a stroll by the river.
Little big things
Gaining in confidence, she befriends a girl employed in a beauty parlour and later, an old Muslim tailor in the neighbourhood, to learn embroidery. All of that is enough to set tongues wagging in a small town.
But then, the film is not just about her, but about her son and family, in which some resist these changes.
“I felt it important to portray not just her change, but also to talk about those around her who are resisting the change. You usually present the point of view of the protagonist. People empathise with her. The audience at film festivals is liberal. So, they are waiting to just agree with you, rather than see the complexity. They can easily slot characters like the moral-policing grandson as the other. It does not facilitate any understanding. I think films should not do that,” says Kislay, in an interview to The Hindu .
Transformation
The story of the city’s transformation from Allahabad to Prayagraj comes through in regular interactions and thrown in as news bits.
“I felt there is a lot of talk of what the government is doing. But I wanted to look at the culture which is producing this state. Finally, it is the people who vote for it. They justify it in everyday conversations. I think people need to be looked at much more closely, in their daily culture. Because this a symptom, of which the state is a manifestation. There is some disease which has been festering for long time and now it is coming out. So, I wanted to explore people more than the state, because the state is the easier scapegoat,” he says.
The conversations of the whole conservative neighbourhood, who are “shocked” by her actions, the actions of the grandson, who could just easily be a member of anti-Romeo squad, and even her son who tries to keep her under control, explains well what has been festering beneath. While she takes little progressive steps, those around her regress further.
Layered characters
Yet, Kislay does not paint her as all flawless and progressive. Something of the past still remains in her, as evident in how she advises her beauty parlour friend, when she is seen with a guy.
“I wanted her to be seen with all the contradictions with which we see the other characters. It is not like she has forgotten her past. She is doing things because she is enjoying it, but that does not mean that the biases and prejudices of the past life has all disappeared,” he says.
Kislay displays immense control over his craft in a film which moves in sync with the graceful pace of its central character.
