A young Kashmiri boy sets out on a journey with his friend, in search of something that will give him and his mother closure. But does he find what he is looking for or does hope elude him? This is the crux of the hauntingly beautiful short film told through a song Jhelum, written and directed by Faheem Abdullah and Imbesat Ahmad, created under the banner of Mad in Kashmir, co-founded by Faheem and Faizah Mir.
The song opens with a stanza from Agha Shahid Ali’s poem: I See Kashmir from New Delhi at Midnight. Much like Ali’s poem, Jhelum is layered and replete with symbolism.
Less than 8 minutes long, Jhelum tells the story of every Kashmiri, says Faheem, writer, filmmaker, and musician. When asked why the river Jhelum is the pivot of the song, Faheem says: “The river runs through the heart of Srinagar, it also goes to other districts such as Baramulla. The river, therefore, is close to everyone’s heart. It has been a source of income and transportation for Kashmiris for a long time. In 2014, the Jhelum overflowed due to floods. Agha Shahid Ali’s poem inspired me and made me feel very close to the river. I wanted to tell the story of Jhelum. The narrative is about how people were tortured and thrown into the river, and how people have died by suicide by jumping into the river. It has been the case for centuries.”
The Jhelum river, Faheem says, has been witness to several tumultuous events, from revolutions to other big incidents. It is this perspective that finds expression in the heartrending line: ‘Jhelum roya, Jhelum roya, Jhelum roya, Kashmir ke liye Jhelum roya’ (Jhelum cried, Jhelum cried, Jhelum cried, Jhelum cried for Kashmir) – symbolic of the loss and pain of the people in the Kashmir Valley.
A still from Jhelum
The narratives in the song and video run parallel. “The lyrics show one thing while the video shows something else, so it’s two stories going hand-in-hand and that gives the song dimension,” explains Faheem.
Jhelum has crossed 350,000 views on YouTube and has been watched in more than 50 countries. “We kept it open-ended so that people have their own perspective and can relate to it in some way or the other. People relate to the friendship, the mother-son bond, the frustration with a radio that’s not working, and love for the motherland depicted in the film. I’m thankful to see comments from people all over India.”
To the question of the reason for situating an individual life against a political backdrop, Faheem explains: “Whatever happens in the political space affects you individually. Yes, it affects you collectively, but in the end it seeps deep down into your personal life.”
He adds: “For example, the story in Jhelum is personal to a boy and his mother. And the boy is not just any other boy, he is a Kashmiri. He is an ambassador, a symbol for every other Kashmiri. What I wanted to show is that personal loss comes from the loss of the whole community, so we cannot separate the political background from it. When political conditions are unfavourable, death takes over and death cannot be for the community, it’s very personal for a family that has lost a son – that is the story of Jhelum.”
Jhelum was shot during the lockdown and released on November 18, 2020. “I met a Bollywood director who has been in the industry for 30 years. He wanted to meet me because he’d seen my film. He told me he hasn’t seen any music video as deep as this and said it doesn’t look like a film from the subcontinent, that it has a touch of Hollywood.”
Faheem says he is somewhere inspired by deep melancholy. “Happiness is an interval between the pain. You try to get rid of the darkness with the bright side.” But what does he think about stereotyping Kashmir as either a place of conflict or a paradise on earth? And does the mainstream categorise everything into these two extremes? Faheem says: “Filmmakers in Kashmir are balancing out subjects in their films. For example, Jhelum is dark and deep but at the same time another work of mine, Kashmir, will show the bright side and beauty of the state.”
Mad in Kashmir was established in March 2020 and its first film was Baalyaaro, a love song, written and directed by Faheem. “It was a zero budget project. I wrote the story six months ago in a day or two with the Mad in Kashmir crew,” says Faheem.
Mad in Kashmir crew shooting for Jhelum
He says the idea for Mad in Kashmir took root when he was working with a prominent production house in Kashmir. “The owner of the production company found me capable of directing some stories I’d written. I tried my hand at direction but we didn’t have a team at that time, so the project was shelved. Then my friend, Faizah, who was my assistant director in the first project, and I decided to form a team in which we included everyone from the director of photography to the art director, from creators to storyboard artists so that we do not have to depend on favours.”
The team – all in their 20s – eventually came together in 2020. “We initially called ourselves Kashmir Film Project, but then we realised we’re really mad about filmmaking and so chose the name Mad in Kashmir, as it is unusual and would catch the eye.”
Faizah, who wrote the screenplay for Jhelum, says she and Faheem had been mulling starting a filmmaking venture for a long time. “Faheem is an inspiration to me, for his passion and for the way he sees stories and subjects. We share the same vision and he made me believe that we could start something like Mad in Kashmir.”
The Mad in Kashmir core team comprises Faheem, Faizah, Imbesat, Junaid Rashid and Gufran Sheikh.
Faizah says she felt emotional while shooting Jhelum. “I emotionally connected with the song and the characters. The kind of responses we got also shows how connected people felt with Jhelum.”
Watch the short film:
Faheem says his next projects include Kashmir and his seven-couplet poem Osh Haraan. Two couplets from Osh Haraan have been used in Jhelum. “Osh Haraan will be released either by the end of January or the beginning of February. There are three more songs that are story-driven that will portray a deeper sense of grief and melancholy of the community,” he concludes.
Jhelum is out on Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram and 150+ music streaming platforms.
Sravasti Datta is a freelance journalist with a decade’s experience in features journalism.