Animal Friendly

While doing the post-production for a film,Pooja Iyengar was struck by one of the ways in which the protagonist overcomes a medical condition. That was enough incentive for her to research and come up with the script for her film,Dr Paws. “The protagonist in the film (A Drop of Sunshine) would spend time in the company of pets to help overcome her split personality syndrome. This got me thinking about how animals can actually be used to cure different medical conditions,” says 35-year-old Iyengar. Dr Paws received the National Award for Best Educational Film at the 59th National Awards. It will have its first screening at the Open Frame 2013 on Sunday at the India International Centre.

With Dr Paws,Iyengar makes her debut in film direction. The 26-minute documentary deals with how Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) can be a cure for certain ailments,which deal with cognitive behavioral or psychological problems,for which medical science has little or no cure. In the film,she has shown different case studies done on children and young adults who are suffering from ailments such as dementia,autism,hyperactivity and speech disorder; and how they respond better to treatment with the help of pets. Through two doctors working in this field,Iyengar is able to show how this form of therapy helps people with special disorders. “I got in touch with doctors who are using animal assisted therapy to treat patients. I followed the patients’ progress over a period of six months to see the results. The problem is the minimal support these doctors get from big hospital chains in promoting this kind of treatment,” says Iyengar,who began researching on AAT from December 2012 and shot the film over a six-month period. The film was commissioned by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust,on a funding budget of Rs 3 lakhs.

The documentary is observational in nature,which means there are no fixed interview frames. Iyengar says that she wanted to keep the “look and feel of the film as natural as possible”. “The basic idea behind this film was to create awareness of such therapy and that it has proven results in the US and elsewhere. Initially,I wanted to show the life of a patient and follow their therapy. But the budget was limited,” adds Iyengar,who has shot the film mainly in people’s homes and clinics in Mumbai.

A Mass Communication graduate from Jamia Milia Islamia University,Iyengar initially trained as a film editor. She was part of several award-winning projects. One of them includes Tiger: the Death Chronicles. Iyengar also won an award for best editing at the Vatavaran Film Festival apart from one for another film at the same festival. “I love the art of storytelling. Film editing really interests me and filmmaking is something that I’m developing a passion for,” says Iyengar,who wants to make a larger film on the same issue.