In March 1984,before the riots took place in Punjab,before the unrest,the angst and agony that followed and haunts,BBC UK asked Sukhwant Dhadda to fix an interview with Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. An FTII graduate and filmmaker,Dhadda managed to get exclusive footage. But soon,Operation Blue Star broke out and the film could never be completed. Two decades later,Dhadda is back,with the same footage and a film. A political thriller,Dhaddas film Sant Sipahi being shot in Punjabi uses excerpts from Bhindranwale's interview,weaving it as an integral part of the film. Set in modern times,Sant Sipahi,says Dhadda,will act as a reminder of the Sikh tradition with five principal characters and ropes in the teachings of Shri Guru Gobind Singh. When all efforts to resolve a problem peacefully fail,then one has to pick the sword and fight against oppression and injustice, reads Dhadda,his title treading controversial ground,especially with Bhindranwale'as footage. It is a thriller,something like Raajneeti. And,yes,its roots lie in 84 for we keep revisiting it as a reference point in the film and explore the repercussions. Known for his critically acclaimed film Ek Chadar Maili Si,Dhadda feels a solid story will attract any audience,producer and star. For him,Sant Sipahi is not being made to instigate people or scratch open old wounds. One cannot shun the past for it shapes the people we are. However,one can present it in many ways. Some choose to use 84 to revive the Khalistan movement,to anger people,to feed hatred. I choose to build bridges,to start a dialogue,to come an understanding, feels Dhadda. In a career spanning more than two decades,this must be Dhaddas ninth or tenth film. He just wrapped up Hitler in Love with Babbu Maan and started work on Sant Sipahi which is being produced by Canada-based Gurpreet Dhillon and BR Dhillon Production Ltd,with all newcomers in it. As a director,he considers himself to be in a lonely job. It is perhaps one of the most pressurised jobs in the world. one where you have to act in different roles,strike a balance,deal with egos,temperaments,demands, he points out,still loving every minute of it. Although a couple of his films didnt do well,new subjects and stories keep Dhadda going. In the sixties,Punjabs lead pair were rejects or vamps and villains of Bollywood. Then they started making caricatures of Pakistani films and now all we do is follow singers as lead actors,catering to an NRI audience. The point is that we need fresh subjects,writers and risk-taking producers,an epic view rather than a fragmented view of life and I have hope with Sant Sipahi, he says. The film is slated for a November release.
