I met a few visually impaired people during a trip to hills and was fascinated to learn about their life. Usually we think, ‘how can a blind person experience nature?’. But when I saw them enjoying the smell of flowers, the smooth surface of leaves and breathing in fresh air, I was driven to make a documentary on them,” says Beenu Rajpoot, a Delhi-based filmmaker. Her documentary, titled Beyond Belief – The Real Mythbusters, will be screened today.
The film features five visually-impaired personalities who are doing exceptionally well in their lives. One of them is Padma Shri Shekhar Naik, who served as a former captain of Indian National Blind Cricket team, leading India to win the World Cup twice in 1983 & 2011. L Subramani, a journalist with the Deccan Herald, is also featured in the 32-minute documentary.
“When I approached these personalities for my project they laughed and said ‘so now you will highlight which troubled part of our lives?’ And I responded, ‘I won’t be showing any such thing in my film’,” says Rajpoot. According to her, the person cannot see he is projected in a helpless way on screen, “and I was very clear that I don’t want to do that. I just wanted to show everything in an honest manner.”
The filmmaker emphasises a lot on the research aspect because of her Masters in Philosophy. “The subject brings in many viewpoints you read a lot of philosophers. It further makes you strong in research.”
Rajpoot considers acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey as her guru and has learnt making documentaries from him. From the renowned photographer OP Sharma, she has learnt photography and went on to win several national and international awards.
Her filmography includes documentaries on art and culture. Mapping Kathak Villages is her recent project. Her upcoming documentary on the life of Punjabi singer Surinder Kaur will be completed in a week. Rajpoot has been making films with causes close to her heart and wants to continue her work with the same mindset. “No art passes our conscience the way a film does. It goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls so it is important to be true to your work.
Role model
Rajpoot has learnt making documentaries from wildlife filmmaker Mike Pandey, who she looks at as her guru.
In a nutshell
Beyond Belief – The Real Mythbusters by Beenu Rajpoot features five visually-impaired personalities who are doing exceptionally well.
One of them is Padma Shri Shekhar Naik, who served as a former captain of Indian National Blind Cricket team, leading India to win the World Cup twice in 1983 & 2011.
When: December 3, 7:00 pm
Where: Agrima Society of Arts, Alliance Francaise De Delhi