As a child, when Indian film director Tushar Tyagi used to dream of a UFO dropping in the Indian Ocean, or when he used to sketch clouds with vivid characters at the back of his school notebook, he never knew that later his style of storytelling will bring so much accolade and prestige. His 2020 release Saving Chintu, which gained a lot of appreciation and international recognition is a tale of a queer couple, Olivar and Sam, who came to India from New York to illegally adopt Chintu, a child suffering from HIV-AIDS. For Tushar, his idea as a filmmaker is to leave behind a legacy of work that people could resonate with even after 100 years. The 31-year-old filmmaker shares a glimpse of his journey and his perspective.
EARLY DAYS
I was in class 10th when I dreamt of entering the world of cinema and everyone used to suggest that I should become an actor. I never connected with the idea, because I wanted to narrate stories, and to make it happen, I wanted to go abroad and study the art of filmmaking. And when I expressed this thought to my father, he asked me to go to Roorkee and pursue Computer Engineering (B Tech) from the College Of Engineering Roorkee. Later, I moved to New York Film Academy, New York City, United States to study filmmaking and that was the turning point of my career, as the city changed my perspective towards life.
POWER OF PERSPECTIVE
The exposure in New York changed my perspective towards life. And I slowly felt the change and it started reflecting in my films. Now, when I make films, it gives me the scope to look from an outsider’s perspective and an insider’s as well. When you will see my films, they have a blend of Indian and international perspectives and I consider it as a USP that I have earned and learned over a period of time and I feel this two-way connection makes it easier for me to make my audiences understand the subject without any prejudice.
BIGGEST TAKEAWAY
Throughout the lockdown, Saving Chintu was being played at various film festivals and my Instagram was filled with messages, greetings, and how so many people could resonate with the story and the characters. It was only after watching the film, two kids came out to their family and I guess that was the most satisfying and encouraging takeaway for me as a filmmaker. I make films and I wish to leave behind a legacy where even after 100 years from now, when people watch the film, they should be able to resonate and I will feel my purpose is solved.
LGBTQIA+ LENS
I agree we have come a long way as a society, but when I look through the lens of LGBTQIA+ lens things haven’t changed much. Cinema is a strong medium to talk about the intricacies of the subject, but foremost, we need to normalize the subject itself. The moment the rainbow flag comes into the picture, a different tone, and a different vision can be noticed among the community people and society at large. I personally feel that first, people of the community need to normalize the subject and then work towards making others understand that it’s normal.
FILM FESTIVALS
After travelling so much, when I came to India, I could not find a single film festival with international understandings and approach. From duration to categories, every bit of it disappointed me, and moreover, here film festivals are more commercial in approach, and a very little bit of creativity is involved. So, that is when Yellowstone International Film Festival came into the picture, and to be frank, I got a clear view of what I want only after attending more than 50-60 film festivals. So it’s been a very long and thoughtful step process.
FASHION FOR A CAUSE
Long back, I made a film ‘Kaashi’ and major parts of the film were shot in a village school and the kids studying there were also a part of the film and during the shoot, they connected well with me. Later in 2019, they called me for the Republic parade of the school and asked me for help, as they wanted to learn computers and prepare themselves for the future. Sadly, none of the schools in villages had computers and that’s when I decided to partner with my cousin who is a trained fashion designer and we started the clothing brand called World of Liberation. Here we have women from these villages who make these handcrafted shirts/kurtas/dresses and 80% of the revenue goes towards improving quality of technical education for kids in selected villages and rest 30% is used for women working for the brand.
FILM MAKING & ME
The most exciting part for me in filmmaking is shooting. One takes 6-12 months to write a script and then to see those written characters taking shape in real life is something that makes me happy and I get blown away. The actors lift the character from the script and give life to it. Watching this organic process excites me and encourages me to create more.
FUTURE FILE
I took 10 years to make Saving Chintu because I knew that it’s a very sensitive subject and I wanted to handle it with care. So, for me, any film/web series happens when I feel I am prepared to talk about it. Going forward, if any issue related to LGBTQIA+ comes to my notice and I feel I am prepared to talk about it with my aesthetics, I will surely do it. As of now, I am working on a feature film that deals with Vitiligo, and it’s a journey of a woman. Apart from that, I am also working on a web series for a leading OTT.
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