BENGALURU: Children spread across the globe and senior parents at a loss... A common sight in urban cities, this issue was observed by voice coach and voice artiste Shilpi Das Chohan during her visits to old-age homes and retirement communities. This eventually translated into a film, titled Poonam, produced by the Bengalurean.
Starring Rajit Kapur and Meeta Vasisht, the 16-minute film has recently won awards for the Best Short Film, Best Actress, and Best Actor at the Art Independent International Film Festival, Kerala. It has also won the Jury Award at Uruvatti International Film Festival in Tamil Nadu, and the Award of Recognition at Accolade Global Film Competition, California. The film has also been selected by Silk Road Film Awards, Cannes.
Directed by Sanjay Sanwal, Poonam is a story of two senior citizens, who find themselves abandoned and alone. "We wanted to spread the much-needed awareness on what such elders go through and to ask their children to introspect and, if possible, change how life goes on today," says Chohan, adding that all seniors yearn for is someone to talk to. "They suffer from loneliness, which is a disease in itself," she adds.
Though the idea was formulated in 2015, the challenge of getting funds and the right protagonists proved to be a hurdle. Work on the film began in September 2019 and the shooting was completed after a month. The post-production work had to be done in bits and pieces and was fully completed in October this year.
"One of the most critical aspects of film-making is to decide on artistes who can do justice to the characters. We started our search from the select few we shortlisted. Most of them showed little or no interest, because we weren't a production house that had a repertoire of such projects. Also, 'elderly care' is not given the attention it deserves, and our director wasn’t well-known yet," says Chohan.
Despite being tempted to give up, they continued their search. "The delays and refusals led us to widen our choices, because the story had to be told by an apt cast. It was essential that our audiences connected with the artistes playing Poonam and Suraj. Only then the story would evoke introspection," says Chohan about the film which was shot in Nainital. The refusals eventually led them in the right direction. "It led us to Rajit Kapur. He connected with the cause, the character and the film," says Chohan.
A movie buff, executive producer Anil Kumar P had always dreamt of making a meaningful movie. "I am sure people watching Poonam will introspect and take up the cause of elderly loneliness and their need for companionship more seriously instead of getting on with their lives," says Kumar.