Aravali the Lost Mountains, by Jigar Nagda, captures this conflict between the many facets of development. In a chat with Village Square, the filmmaker talks about his journey and mining in Rajasthan ahead of the screening of the film at the Chitrashaala short-film festival.
JN: The Aravalli ranges originate in Gujarat, extend to Haryana, and traverse several more states en route to Rajasthan and also cross through Delhi and Haryana. My village lies in the Udaipur district, and I have seen these mountain ranges since I was a young child.
Mining in this region has been going on for the past 30 years. During my stay in my hometown in the early years, I used to think that one day the entire mountain would disappear due to mountain mining, and I wondered how this would affect the village.
I became curious about the matter and started asking locals and other mining professionals about when this mining would stop. I discovered that because of mountain mining marble mining was taking place, and as a result, there hasn’t been any rainfall in the area in the last 23 years. The groundwater levels also dropped to 700–800 metres, which has hurt the local population.
I had originally intended to make a film rather than a documentary, but as I dug deeper into the topic through verbal interviews, I realised that I should start with a documentary.
While taking interviews, I learnt some interesting things. The locals were actually in favour of mining because it has become essential to the region’s economy and development. This realisation altered my perspective, so I began speaking with all the stakeholders, including researchers, NGO representatives, and those who work in the mining industry.
I learnt that mining cannot be stopped because the entire local economy depends on it, but we also cannot ignore the issue because mining will have negative long-term effects. This was an interesting revelation that taught me that the solution to the mining problem is not always to oppose it; rather, it is to find ways to balance the environment and the economy.
Also Read: Bringing the Aravallis back to life
While the research, including conducting verbal interviews and locating the appropriate people, took six months, the filming took place in about a month.
I am currently 30 years old and have completed my master’s degree in mass communication from Mumbai University. I was born in Mumbai city, but my native town is Udaipur in Rajasthan. The name of my village is Kheda Chandesra.
JN: Following my post-graduation I began working with Anurag Kashyap as his assistant director in 2013, and part-took on projects like Bombay Velvet, Window, Divorce, Crime Patrol and Aalap. I have directed movies like I Love You Aishwarya, A Boy Who Dreamt of Electricity, Whisper of Mountains and Aravali the Lost Mountains.
My first film festival experience was the Asian Film Festival. Thereafter, I attended other film festivals like MAMI and French film festivals. They served as my inspiration’s gateway. I was also motivated by Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi.
Watching several international films has helped me expand my knowledge of the medium.
JN: I was born and raised in Mumbai and during my time in school and college, I used to travel back to my native village, located in Udaipur in Rajasthan. I visited the area and watched people there, comparing city life to country life because of how straightforward yet strikingly different and appealing both are.
Also Read: Taking a deep dive into climate issues through cinema
Small things that are celebrated in their daily lives that we miss in big cities are there in my films. For instance, all my stories like Aravali The Lost Mountains, A Boy Who Dreamt of Electricity, and my upcoming film Whispers of Mountains are based on or are inspired by rural India.
JN: Getting interviews from all the stakeholders, especially mine owners, was particularly difficult because they assumed that I was an activist who was making an argument against mining and that I wanted to take an interview and paint mining in a negative light.
However, when I met them, I assured them that the issue was not about mining per se, but rather about mining and the environment. So the issue essentially concerns mother nature.
There were many policies and other matters that they preferred not to discuss, yet they continued to believe in me and the documentary’s narrative, which states that mining can be done sustainably.
JN: I recently made a film on solar energy called A Boy Who Dreamt of Electricity. This feature film is set in rural India, where electricity is still not available and solar energy has the power to transform people’s lives.
Also Read: Bittu: A fiction film that borrows from real village life
Additionally, another project, Whisper of Mountains, has just been finished. It is also about mining, though it’s a feature film that I was inspired to make by the documentary.
I also have plans to make more films about the environment and nature in the future, so my main themes are centred on rural India, through which I can bring more untold stories to the public or to those who are not familiar with them.
Village Square’s Chitrashaala short film festival focuses on stories from rural India.
Date: August 3, 2024
Venue: Alliance Francaise, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
The lead image on top shows a still from the film Aravali the Lost Mountains(image courtesy Jigar Nagda)
Aditi Sahoo is a third-year BA student at Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. Aditi is passionate about communication, writing and research.
