#IFFIWood, 27 November 2022
“Pataal-Tee is a story of Man v/s Nature and the environmental stresses which are eroding nature”, said Mukund Narayan, Producer & Director of film Pataal-Tee, while speaking at an ‘IFFI Table Talks’ session at the 53rd International Film Festival of India in Goa. He added that the film revolves around the rich heritage of folk-tales which are being passed on orally across generations in our country and is a coming-of-age story of a child.
Mukund Narayan said Pataal-Tee also highlights the challenges of indigenous languages like Bhotiya which is becoming endangered and vanishing due to various societal forces.
Delving into the film further, Co-Director Santosh Singh said the movie was on Bhotiya tribes. “We have used water as a metaphor for environmental conversation”, said the Director. Inter-generational, orally-transmitted folktales help the child protagonist understand topics of life, death and other perspectives of it during his quest for holy water, added Santosh Singh. Calling folk tales the discourse of society, he emphasized on their importance and stated that they provide an insight into the roots of our culture.
“We wanted to tell the story of Bhotiya tribes through Pataal-Tee despite the budget being a constraint for independent producers. Many people from Bollywood helped us in Post production including Resul Pookutty. We are grateful to all of them.”, said Mukund Narayan about the production process.
Speaking on the future of Indian language films, Santosh singh also stated that we are entering an era where ‘the regional ‘ has become ‘the new global’. “Today regional films from India are conquering the world, be it Kantara or Wagro or Frame. Regional is the new global as people are able to connect to the characters”, added the Co-Director.
About the movie
Director: Mukund Narayan and Santosh Singh
Producer: Mukund Narayan and Santosh Singh
Screenplay: Mukund Narayan and Santosh Singh
Cinematographer: Bittu Rawat
Editor: Pooja Pillai, Sanyukta Kaza
Cast: Aayush Rawat, Kamla Devi Kunwar, Damyanti Devi, Dhan Singh Rana, Bhagat Singh Burfal
2021 | Bhotiya | Colour | 24 mins
Synopsis:
Thirteen-year-old Fagnu cannot imagine a world without his grandfather. After his grandfather falls ill, in spite of his grandmother’s warnings, Fagnu embarks on an arduous quest in search of the so called ‘holy water’ which is said to be in a land amidst myth and material, guarded by a Himalayan spirit.
Director & Producer: Mukund Narayan and Santosh Singh are storytellers who consider cinema as the most approachable medium. Coming from rural backgrounds and with no formal training in filmmaking, they crave to explore the different perspectives of myths in uncharted India. Pataal-Tee is their first film.
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PIB IFFI CAST AND CREW | Gautam / Suhas / Darshana | IFFI 53 – 142
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