Director Aditya Subhas Jambhale’s Baramulla has been receiving acclaim after it released on Netflix earlier this month. Starring Manav Kaul and Bhasha Sumbli, the movie portrays the political situation in Kashmir but with a supernatural twist. Jambhale spoke about the movie and more in an interview with us.
Aditya Suhas Jambhale on giving a political comment in horror genre in Baramulla, “I will not say the film is completely political”
Baramulla yokes a strong political comment with supernatural elements. How did this synthesis seem even workable?
This process started even before I directed Article 370, when Aditya Dhar told me this idea. It was not a story; it was just an idea for a horror film. At that time, Aditya had written a document, I remember, in which there was a horror element in Kashmir. But the thing was that I was already thinking that I don’t want to limit horror directly, because horror becomes a template, which is more prevalent in Indian horror films. In serious horrors, the same template comes again and again. So, I wanted to experiment, I wanted to take a bold step. I was inspired by films like The Haunting Of Hill House, Haunting of Bly Manor, and Hereditary. I used to go crazy when I used to watch these films because it was a horror genre, but a lot of things were adapted.
This was how Baramulla began?
This was a thought at that time, when I heard that we can make a horror film, I decided that I want to take it in a supernatural zone, where alternate planes of existence, alternate reality, like the idea of Otherworld. I want to explore this in writing, so that there is a shift in the gear, that you start with a supernatural, it’s a very investigative thriller, but its mood changes and slowly it becomes a horror. Slowly from there it becomes supernatural, and at the end of the day. it is emotional. When all these things happen, a dream that I had in the beginning was, can I make such a horror film? Can I make such a film where audiences get scared while watching the film but when the whole film ends, you start crying at the time of the climax? And when you come out of the climax, you come out with an emotion, not with fear. And the atmosphere of fear should remain with you even after the film is complete and with that I will say one more thing…
I come from Goa, and I come from that part of Goa, Ponda, where there is a lot of cultural significance, rituals, which I have been seeing since childhood. There are elements of evil possession, mythical things, which I am excited to see. I always feel that the fear of a ghost or an entity, is not in seeing it, the fear of it is in knowing that it exists. You know that the ghost exists here, maybe there is a ghost, but you have not seen the ghost, that is the fear. When I show you the ghost, then maybe I feel that the fear will end. So, these two things were very strongly already in my mind, on the basis of which I finished the script, without asking anyone, without doing anything, without taking permission from anyone.
Is this when Aditya Dhar came into the picture?
After I finished the script, I told Aditya and Lokesh Dhar ji that I will narrate the whole script to you, and then you tell me what you feel. So, I narrated the whole draft of 125 pages, for 3-4 hours. After that they liked it. From there the film started. So, this film was being made for a year. We shot it in just 23 days.
Is it becoming progressively difficult to make cinema with strong political undercurrent?
I think in this country, what I feel is, I have done Article 370, which was a political thriller, its backbone was politics, it was very political. Baramulla, however, I will not say it is completely political. Yes, it does have certain nuances. I think it is a socio-political fabric of Kashmir, or Baramulla, but its soul is different, its genre is different, its treatment is different, it is a different kind of film. But this question of yours, I feel that there is a lot of fear of politics in the film industry. There is a fear of retaliation, we may not say it aloud. But I used to feel a fear when I did Article 370. I used to feel a lot of fear.
I would definitely say that, so basically I have done these two genres right now. I made a political thriller. Then I got into horror, where I had to reinvent that genre, and bring something new in front of the audience. So, now I am trying to get into the third genre. I am doing 2-3 things simultaneously, so you can expect an action, revenge action kind of a film from me. I am also exploring dark comedy, which is a genre which I love, but I am not really explored, so I am trying not to do what I have done. I don’t want to do another film, which is based on politics, or based in Kashmir, or based with India-Pakistan conflict. I don’t want to do all that now.
I want to explore the next genre, where I can do something good, that’s why I find action thrilling. I genuinely feel that action is being done superficially, it is very heavy loaded. But I want to give a non-superficial interpretation to action, where the audience understands the vulnerability of action, and the audience feels that they are in the action film, not just watching it. I will try to prepare that submersive experience in future, and when it becomes concrete, you will definitely get to know. I am also keeping my fingers crossed, because the chapter of Baramulla is over, which is a great thing, and blessings to everyone, everybody is supportive till now. I just hope Baramulla is getting as much love as possible, because it is a small but passionate project.
More Pages: Baramulla Box Office Collection , Baramulla Movie Review
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