Elderly care is a largely neglected cause in India. Many ignore the importance of psychological health and the effect it has on their physical health, says Shilpi Das Chohan, founder of Shilpi’s Voice & Visuals. Moved by the cause, Shilpi had been ideating a movie that addresses the issue for a few years when she met Anil Kumar P of Epicreel, a video production house. “Sometimes you need to meet likeminded people to bring your dreams to fruition. We both believe that this was a cause that needed at attention,” says Shilpi.
With the lack of adequate elderly care being a trigger point for both, they used to frequent old age homes. “Our experiences were similar. They all seemed to crave for company and attention. They wanted someone they could share their stories with,” she says. They even tried to visit retirement homes to see if the experiences were different. “Apart from the fact that those staying in retirement homes had access to better facilities, they were just as lonely,” says Shilpi.
After two years of researching and scripting, their movie ‘Poonam’ was shot and is now doing rounds in the festival circuit. The film was named the ‘Best Short Film in 2020’ at the 7th Art Independent International Film Festival, while Meeta Vasisht and Rajit Kapur bagged the ‘Best Actress’ and ‘Best Actor’ awards. It also received awards at the Uruvatti International Film Festival 2020 and the Lake City International Film Festival 2020.
Directed by Sanjay Sanwal, the short film stars Meeta Vashisht and Rajit Kapur, who plays the role of Poonam and Suraj, respectively. Poonam is a strong, warm and passionate woman who decides to live life on her own terms, while Suraj is a man who has played the role of a father and husband to perfection. Yet, when it is time for him to be cared for, he finds himself abandoned and alone.
The movie was shot in just four days at Nainital, Uttarakhand. “In fact, it only took two days to shoot with Rajit and Meeta. They simply brought the characters to life, and it’s because of their energy we could finish so early,” says Shilpi.
While they completed shooting in October 2019, the release was halted thanks to the pandemic. “We had a few issues with the funds. We weren’t happy with the first edit, and we were in the process of re-edit when the pandemic broke,” says Shilpi. At the end of October last year, the movie was released. However, the movie is not yet ready for release to the public. “Making a movie is one thing, but making back that investment is a whole another ballgame. Right now we are testing the market with the festivals because we want it to release on OTT platforms,” says Anil.