"I had never lived in India,but when I saw the attacks on television,something took over me. I had never felt my culture more," says Dubai based filmmaker Gauri Chadha,talking about the 26/11 Mumbai attacks that shattered the city. Having graduated from the prestigious University of Miami in Film and Theatre Studies and having further studied at the Met Film School at Ealing Studios in London,Gauri says the want for telling stories came early on to her when she realised the immense power that of filmmaking. Gauri Chadha has also dabbled a bit in both Hollywood and Bollywood with films like 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol','Love Breakups Zindagi' and 'Gandhi of the Month'. 'Gawah',a documentary written,produced and directed by Gauri Chadha,explores the pain,loss and suffering of victims of the 26/11 terrorist attacks that brought Mumbai to a standstill. However,what makes Gawah stand apart is that Gauri draws similarities from the 26/11 victims to the suffering and turmoil that victims endured during the 1947 partition. When asked how she arrived at the connection between the 2008 attacks and what happened in 1947,she said,"The first thing I knew is that I did not want to re-enact what had already been said by the media. I thought to myself,how can I take one event and portray that this is what people feel as a society." I was very intrigued to understand what a country has gone through over such a passage of time. When individuals speak about pain,we unite silently, she added further. "When I got to know of the attacks I felt an immense social responsibility and the next thing I knew I was speaking to the victims one-on-one,which affected me deeply," says Chadha. Talking about the tremendous responsibility that she feels as a filmmaker,Gauri said,"Responsibility is one of the most important aspects of filmmaking for me. As filmmakers we need to stop and take a minute to think about the message were putting up." It's very important that we as artists,don't forget that we're individuals too and constantly remind ourselves of the power we have," said Gauri. 'Gawah' has made waves since its release. Not only has it won numerous honours and awards,but also traveled to festivals across the globe like Cannes Film Festival,London International Film Festival,Arizona International Film Festival,Beverly Hills Film Festival and the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival in India. On being asked if she expected such a response,Gauri says,For me,I made this film because I truly wanted to understand what the victims went through. This is a global issue and Im happy to create awareness,I feel like a messenger.
