In Noida, UP, Amity School of Communication(ASCO)’s film club Time Code screened several notable films and documentary during Amity Youth Fest 2018. Of these screenings, I attended Zikr Us Parvarish Ka, a documentary on the life of Begum Akhtar, directed by Nirmal Chander Dandriyal who won a Silver Lotus at the 64th National Film Awards.
And after watching this documentary I can tell he more than deserves this for many reasons. Here are some of them:
The Narrative
Nirmal explores the history and culture of the Tawa’if(Courtesan) before moving on to Akhtar. He explores the status and dignity of the courtesans and their contribution in preserving classical Indian music.
He then explores Begum Akhtar’s life before she got her Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, before she was known as Malika-e-Ghazal, before her marriage to Ishtiaq Ahmed Abbasi, before she was known as Akhtari Bai Faizabadi, a time when she was Bibbi.
Nirmal focuses on how the courtesan culture of the Nawabs played a role in her upbringing and career as a courtesan, and her marriage and move to radio, her death and the legacy and emptiness she left behind.
Rhythmic Shots
Each shot has been paced to the tune of the song being played or the voice over/interview. None of the shots are jerky, the transitions are smooth. It also helps that each shot is breathtaking. At some points, Nirmal used bright and dark shots to create contrast and surprise the audience and grab their attention.
Nirmal used Akhtar’s recordings to introduce her and her background, he also made use of representational actors to complement scenes from her life which were not recorded.
Use of Subtitles
Nirmal used subtitles instead of voice-overs to provide extra information. By doing so he leaves room for Akhtar’s songs and complimentary visuals. The subtitles are well placed and hard to miss. They are short, crisp, understandable and informative. This also shortens the time that would be used for voice-overs.
These were some of my personal thoughts on the documentary.
The Interactive Session
After the screening, director Nirmal Chander Dandriyal discussed the thought behind the documentary, the difficulties he went through and then some of his filmmaking techniques.
“It’s easy to make a documentary on someone who’s alive… but how do make a documentary on someone who has been dead?” Nirmal explained, “…There aren’t many footages on Akhtari Begum available…” But he managed to work with the recordings he found at All India Radio archives and used her voice to introduce her and her story.
Nirmal also uses interviews from people who knew Akhtar, he prefers subtitles over voice overs which to him is boring.
Nirmal doesn’t use scripts, he does most of the filmmaking process on the editing desk. When working with other directors he keeps them out of the editing process, “…an editor is the second director… he tells the director that I see what you see and I also see what you don’t see…” He explained.
“Do you prefer fiction or non-fiction?” He asked the audience, most of us answered fiction and many non-fiction. He then explained his preference for non-fiction stating that fiction is defined by script but documentaries can change on the spot as new facts and figures emerge.
When asked about the pacing of his shots with Akhtar’s songs Nirmal revealed that he would sing her songs in his cameraman’s ear as he took the shot so that the shots would match the rhythm of the songs. When asked to sing he joked that Begum Akhtar’s spirit visited him in his dreams warning him against singing her songs.
The session ended with a few questions and comments.
Conclusion
Zikr Us Parvarish Ka is a true ode to the life of Begum Akhtar and the culture of Tawa’if. Nirmal Chander Dandriyal has set an example for budding non-fictional and fictional directors to follow. I hope I’m able to implement what I learnt from him.
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