Of Love in Bihar

With over 23 years of experience in Hindi cinema,Kumar has several critically acclaimed short films and documentaries to his credit,including his co-production Kali Salwar,which was screened at Rotterdam in 2003 and at the Montreal Film Festival in 2009,and Naina Jogin,which won the National Award for Best Arts/Cultural Film in 2006. However,the making of Jo Dooba… was a stressful experience. “Being a director and a producer was very excruciating. I had to work on the creative and marketing aspects of the film. Quite a tough nut,I must say,” says Kumar,who conceptualised the film during his time at St. Michael’s boarding school in Patna. “I used to observe people from a distance and make stories around them,which my friends used to find very interesting,” he states,adding that the movie also makes an attempt to remove the cliches associated with

Bihar. “I have shown Bihar in all its fullness and not as violent and crime-ridden,” says the filmmaker.

And though he is a tad nervous,Kumar is confident that his film can compete on the box-office with movies like Raghav Dar-directed My Friend Pinto,Yash Raj Films’ Mujhse Fraaanship Karoge and Nagesh Kukunoor’s Mod,that release on the same day. “I’m putting my best foot forward,” says Kumar,who is also facing some trouble with the tagline,‘There’s nothing more dangerous than a Bihari in love’. “People have asked me haughtily ‘why did you write that?’ My honest answer is that it’s not intended to ridicule anybody. We have laughed at unpolished jokes on other communities and we should be able to laugh at ourselves,” he says.

The filmmaker is also excited about the screening of the film at the Spectrum Section of the South Asian International Film Festival,that will take place in New York from November 9 to 15. “The news came to me out of the blue. The organisers of the festival asked me for the film,which I sent and I forgot about it. One day I got a call saying that the film was selected. That was my moment of happiness,” he says.