Director Faraz Ansari’s Sisak is the first silent LGBTQ film of India that is not only creating waves at international film festivals but winning awards too; seven, so far. Not welcomed by the Indian masses, an undeterred Faraz aims to bag the National Award and hopefully see the ‘Sisak’ (Silent Sob) heard at the Oscars. Our Delhi-based columnist, Mahima, in a bold and candid interview with the filmmaker, in her weekly column. A Different Truths exclusive.
Sunil (name changed to conceal identity) was my close friend’s colleague, her very good friend, a member of the LGBTQ community, in Delhi. We met at a wedding party, where I realised, despite being the butt of jokes and stares from those around him, including his other unfriendly colleagues, he was comfortable in his own skin. His preferences were open and clear, in his own words, general actions and everything that suited his love to be himself, openly.
Sunil identifies with Faraz Arif Ansari’s first silent LGBTQ film of India, Sisak.
But not many like Sunil get to come out of their shell of intense pain and struggle in a country like India where the LGBTQ (Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender Queer) community is looked down upon? Who will give voice to their pain? Who will make the masses realise that their choice is not a ‘curable illness’ as believed? Who will give voice to their struggle?
One man decided to do it. Faraz. But, in a silent, yet heart-wrenching manner. Faraz named his move Sisak, meaning silent tears, a sob stuck in the throat. It’s a 20-minute silent film.
How many would dare to make a film on the LGBTQ community unless it mocks at them like a few in the past under reputed banners?
Faraz did it, despite the fact that till long no one wanted to produce the film. Two signed actors backed out and much more, which he has now brushed under the carpet of its success at various international platforms.
Director Faraz’s Sisak is the first silent LGBTQ film of India is not only creating waves at international film festivals but winning awards too; seven, so far. Not welcomed by the Indian masses, an undeterred Faraz aims to bag the National Award and hopefully see the Sisak heard at the Oscars.
It is the love story of two men played by actors Jitin Gulati and Dhruv Singhal. Both of them travel in the same Mumbai local train back from work. Faraz has fabulously captured their emotions, as they hold back their feelings for each other.
Without words, without any physical touch – with enormous restraint – and just through a mélange of close-ups, Faraz creates a palpable chemistry between his protagonists. It’s a difficult cinematic grammar. And the two actors Dhruv and Jitin have with their impeccable performance has made the struggle against Section 377 all the more heartfelt.
Renowned director, Tanuja Chandra, who has in a way mentored Faraz, is extremely proud of the young boy. Faraz, in fact, wrote the story, screenplay, of Tanuja’s last film, Silvat, but was also its Associate Director and Casting Director.
Famous historian and author Rana Safvi, who was present at the Delhi screening of the film, writes, “It is a sensitively written, brilliantly directed and acted film. The poignancy, love, longing, and fear shown by the two actors transferred itself to me and I was actually scared for them. It justly deserves all its awards as it deals with an extremely important subject.”
Foreign Journalist Ernest White II tells me, “I cried about six times during the whole 20 minutes. And that was after crying each time I saw the trailer. You can safely call Sisak a bona fide tear-jerker.”
Ambar Sahil Chatterjee, Commissioning Editor, Penguin Random House, India says, “I was extremely blown away by the simplicity of the story and the sophistication of the storytelling. The film was so moving and so compelling without being preachy in any way. And it also made a strong political statement with great subtlety and without resorting to unnecessary theatrics or hyperbole. A very special film from a very talented and promising film-maker! Loved it.”
After so much acceptance and accolades from across the shores, but not in his own homeland, which actually needs a change in the law, how does Faraz feel? Will the message he wanted to put across, be accepted and acted upon? Or just like few others questioning any law, will bite the dust? I decided to pick Faraz’s brain. Here’s a candid, no holds barred interview.
Mahima: Needless to ask why you named the film Sisak, but I will surely ask how the idea of doing this film came up did?
Faraz: It was a cold winter’s day. I was sitting in a cafe in Nainital, writing the screenplay of what was to be my debut feature film – a mainstream love story of a boy and a girl. And then, something on the screen of the television caught my attention. The news was on. The Supreme Court of India had stepped back from the judgement on Section 377 and as I helpless sat in the corner of the cafe, watching the news, I went numb. I was scared for myself, my friends who had courageously come out of the closet, some of them had even gone public with their relationships, etc. I wanted to cry, I wanted to scream, I wanted to hide, I wanted to run. But I was unable to do anything. I felt helpless. And in that state of helplessness, I opened up a draft on my laptop and started to write a story. A story that would end up being India’s first silent LGBTQ Love Story.
Mahima: Why pick silence over words to portray the struggle again Section 377 of IPC?
Faraz: Firstly, as a filmmaker, I personally think, people generally talk too much in films. Most of the dialogues are so over the top and so not needed. Most filmmakers fear silences. I love silences. I feel, what can be conveyed in the silences that are shared between two characters on screen can be so engrossing and engaging. Sometimes, more than any dialogues or songs. Now, about Sisak. To be honest, Sisak is not just a love story. It is an allegory to Section 377 that criminalises homosexuality, which in turn takes away the basic right to love from millions of Indian people. When you are dealing with a subject so delicate, so important, so sensitive and fragile, you want the audience to be entirely invested in the film. You don’t want them to break away from the narrative. You want them to feel what the characters are feeling on screen – every fleeting happiness, every gnawing pain, every tremor, every fear, the intense longing and the overwhelming love. Love, as we all know, develops in our silences that we share. How could I let words ruin these silences? What brilliant dialogues would I write that would bring a change of heart in the audiences? How would I make them see the longing of two men, who are falling in love but won’t even touch or speak to one another because of the constantly enveloping fear that the society and the law have us? And that’s why the silence. At a recent screening, someone told me that they were sitting on the edge of their seat through the screening of Sisak because they were filled with so much fear and love for the characters. I think these strong reactions have only come because Sisak is a silent film. Words are poor comforters. Silence lets us all connect with our hearts and ourselves, giving us a moment of pause, to go within and ponder. The tenderness that Sisak offers could’ve been easily ripped apart by dialogues.
Mahima: We heard despite the shoestring budget it was difficult to find a producer? Plus some actors backed out from the project?
Faraz: Let’s be honest. No one wants to produce an LGBTQ film. All the more if it is a silent film. They want homosexual people to be caricatures, to give comic relief, to be clowns, or some such degrading stereotypical portrayal. If you are not giving them all this, they don’t want to be associated with your film. Same goes for actors. They think they’d lose their so called ‘fans’ if they played homosexuals on the screen which I think is so narrow-minded of them and only shows their own homophobia and fear. Yes, actors backed out, I had to sell my car, I had to put my house on rent and move back with my parents and literally sell many of my belongings to make Sisak but then, if you truly believe in something with all your heart and soul, you have to take a risk and follow your calling. I am just glad that I went ahead and made Sisak.
Mahima: What hurdles came in the way of Sisak? And how much time did you take to make the film?
Faraz: Not finding a producer can be a pretty traumatic experience. One starts to question themselves about their talent and ability. Also, having actors back out just five days before shooting can be absolutely heartbreaking. All of this breaks one down, little by little. But then, I had to remind myself, again and again, every morning and every night that Sisak has to be made, no matter what. Thankfully, I have a wonderful family and amazing friends who decided to come on board and help me put my words into motion and translate them onto the big screen. From Saurabh Goswami, my DOP, who has shot some of the biggest Bollywood films to Pritam Das, my award winning Sound Designer, to Aparna Sud, my co-producer (also, an award winning Prodcution Designer) to my Editor, Akshara Prabhakar to my best friends, Richa Desai and Farah Khan, who gladly came on board as Associate Director and Executive Producer, respectively. Once I had them, there was no stopping me. It took us six months of preparation before we decided to go on floor. We had planned to shoot Sisak over three nights, 5-6 hours each night. However, to all our surprises, the entire shoot of Sisak was done in six hours flat, over the period of two nights. Most of the final edit of Sisak is made out of our first takes that we got.
Mahima: Why pick the Mumbai local train to set your plot around? And was it a smooth ride there?
Faraz: The train offers strangers a little universe of their own – safe yet exciting and pulsating and also very romantic in terms of cinematic language. Public enough to allow strangers meet and private enough to allow love blossom. The train and the stations, like the airports, are places of immense possibilities, of parallel universes intersecting of opposite world clashing with one another, of two star-crossed lovers being moved by the twisting kaleidoscope. As far as shooting the film is concerned, I think the Universe has been very kind to us since we were shooting without permission and could’ve got easily caught but thankfully, we didn’t. However, on the last day of the shoot, we were on the platform at Churchgate Station, shooting the climax of Sisak and this day also happened to be the day of the IPL Match that was happening at Wankhede Stadium, a stone’s throw away from Churchgate. The station was crowded with people and the security was high. Saurabh Goswami, my DOP, was worried that this would be the night when we will get caught but then I coaxed him to take a chance. I remember we were shooting the final shot of the film. My actors were on two different platforms, there was a rushing train between them. My crew was smartly hiding us from the cops, making a group around us, to block us from their view. However, a cop ended up seeing us with a camera. He yelled at us and started to run in our direction. My DOP turned and looked at me. I just put a hand on his shoulder and asked him to continue taking the shot. And right then, when the cop was 100 meters away from us, I called out, “Cut it… AND RUN!” And my entire cast and crew disappeared in a minute. It was madness!
Mahima: You chose a 20-minute frame for the film, why? Or is it just the precursor to a bigger one?
Faraz: To be very honest with you, I only had the money to make a 20 minute film! If I had more money, I would’ve made a feature. Yes, I have been planning to make a feature film based on Sisak. It will be called Sifar and like Sisak, it will be a silent film. Now, keeping my fingers crossed and hoping we get producers!
Mahima: Interestingly, there is no name of your protagonists. Why?
Faraz: Like Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Also, they are strangers in the film, they don’t talk to each other. The anonymity had to be maintained to do justice to the story. However, in the screenplay, one is called ‘A’ and the other, ‘Z’. Why give them names that bound them down by religion and various other societal norms? They are lovers. Let them be just that. Let us all fall in love with them without knowing their names.
Mahima: So how did you zero on the two actors Jitin and Dhruv?
Faraz: After the two actors backed out five days before the shoot, there were two options for me: (a) To cancel the shoot until I find actors and (b) To find actors who are willing to do the role in the next five days. I love challenges. Obviously, I went ahead with option B. I have known Jitin for the last three years. We had met at an event and Jitin had expressed his interest in working with me. When I put out a Casting Call on Facebook, Jitin was one of the first people to respond back to my post. I remember, speaking with him over the phone and he said the right things. Within five minutes of our conversation, I decided to give him the role of Z. I cast Dhruv two days before the shoot. Someone had tagged him on the same Facebook post. I saw a short film that he had done and was immensely attracted to his eyes. He has those Sisak eyes. I met him the next day and without auditioning him, gave him the role. I went with my gut. And the rest is history.
Mahima: Okay, let’s do one tough personal question. Don’t people question or doubt your own preferences in life when they see you making a film for the LGBTQ community?
Faraz: Do I have to be a murderer to make a murder mystery? Do I have to rob a bank if I need to make a film based on a bank robbery? Do I have to have lived in the Mughal era to make a film on the Mughal era? The answer to all these questions and much more is a simple: “No.” However, having said that, I have never denied my sexual preference. Sisak is a deeply personal film.
Mahima: How did your family and friends respond to this idea of yours, especially after actors backed out the last minute?
Faraz: My family is unbelievably supportive. Whatever I am today, is only because of them. They always shower me with love and hugs, no matter what. I think a lot of my courage, my strength comes from my loved ones.
Mahima: Okay we know what Sisak means, but what does it mean to you?
Faraz: Hai faani duniya se parey, thikaana iss belaus ishq ka ? Maana hai adhoora, phir bhi lagey kyun muqammal, fasaana iss ishq ka?
Mahima: You think your message will be accepted and acted upon in a country like India where we live physically in the Digital Age, but mentally in the Stone Age?
Faraz: A film cannot change minds and hearts overnight. However, a film can definitely start a dialogue which will hopefully help us move towards a more inclusive, a more accepting, and a more loving world. I would like to think of Sisak as a step forward in that direction. Recently, at a conclave at a hugely reputed business management school, a boy asked me, “What is LGBTQ?” I wasn’t shocked. I smiled and answered his question. He asked me many more questions after that. You see? A dialogue has begun. That is the only way to bring a change in the world. By opening a dialogue.
Mahima: There is a lesson at the end of Sisak, please elaborate that.
Faraz: I wouldn’t call it a lesson. It is more like a culmination, like the moral of the story, if I may say so. However, I rather not talk about that. I would want everyone to watch the film and experience this for themselves.
Mahima: The joys of doing Sisak we all know in terms of awards. Tell us about the hidden sorrows.
Faraz: I don’t have a car anymore! Jokes apart, there are no sorrows as such. As an artist, there is always a void that lives within. The void, the longing is always unfulfilled. Other than that, all this fame has made it a little difficult for me to date. Every time I meet someone on a social dating app, they ask me to cast them in my next film or some such, which is really annoying. But then, I keep telling myself, “Aur bhi dukh hai zamaane mein mohabbat ke sivaa, rahaatein aur bhi hai vasl ki raahat ki sivaa”.
Mahima: Your message to the Pahlaj Nihalanis of the film industry who are obsessed with clipping the wings of a strong message from reaching out to the masses.
Faraz: My message for everyone who is afraid to let the new, the bold speak, is a very simple message. This is something my mother keeps telling me every time, I am down or upset: How can you stop the sun from shining? The night will pass and the dawn will come and embrace us all and then, there will be no running away but to soak the sun and bask in its glory.
Mahima: What is your next venture? Any plans you can share with us?
Faraz: I have just finished writing a love story called Simmi aur Salma. I want to cast Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Arjun Kapoor in this. Other than that, I am in the process of writing another feature film called Surkh – a love story between an Indian man and a Pakistani man. I am also working on starting a short film called Gaajar Ka Halwaa, which is about the relationship between a mother and her gay son.
Mahima: Any last message to both the filmmakers and lawmakers of India?
Faraz: To filmmakers: 100 crores at the box-office don’t mean a good film. To lawmakers: Hate never wins. Love does.
And fun-loving yet serious when it comes to work, Faraz signs out saying, ‘This Sisak must be heard by all, and I will ensure it.’ And I am sure about that since he has done only meaningful cinema in the past. He has been the co-driver and co-director of widely acclaimed films Taare Zameen Par, Stanley Ka Dabba and Gippi. His film Siberia got him the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Award for Best Director – Jury’s Choice, apart from others. And now Sisak is getting him international acclaim, a result of his belief that since love knows no bounds, it must not be bound by words either.
Mahima: Maybe a vote of thanks to a few, now that the film is creating ripples across the foreign shores.
Faraz: My entire family, all my best friends, my cast and crew of Sisak, Tanuja Chandra, who is my mentor and a very close friend, all the 110 backers who contributed to my crowdfunding campaign (most of them, absolute strangers to me), each and every journalist, national and international who celebrate Sisak and continue giving us so much of support and my Guardian Angels who protect me, help me and love me unconditionally, Sisak is what it is because of all of you and I cannot thank you enough!
©Mahima Sharma
Photos and video courtesy Faraz Mariam Arif Ansari
#Sisak #SilentFlim #LGBTFlim #FarazMariamArifAnsari #LGBTQCommunity #FlimMaker #TanujaChandra #FlimAwards #InternationAcclaim #DifferentTruths
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