Desi-Box sat down with Kuljit Bhamra and Shakila Maan to talk about the new DVD release The Winter Of Love based in Southall.
DB: Shakila, ‘The Winter of Love’ is your first feature film so a huge congratulations from desi-box to you! What was the anticipation like and what kind of emotions have you been feeling up until the DVD release date?
Shakila:Thank you Desi-box for your good wishes! Yes, finally getting the DVD out on sale was important for me as this now means that the film has the potential of a wider audience. Emotionally, it had been quiet a journey in any case to get the film to this stage being an independent film, it’s always dicey as to whether as a film maker you would finally complete the project or not! But I have had very good support from my producers who had encouraged me as they felt it was an important contribution, as they put it, to the psyche of Brit Asians.
DB: On that note, why did you choose to go down the DVD route instead of the box office route?
Shakila: Good question! The film had festival screenings as it opened the Raindance East Film Festival and then several screenings in the country thereafter; The National Film Theatre, cinema’s in Leicester and so on. Also it was shown at the British Pavilion in Cannes. I was then left with the option of pursuing cinematic release, but the UK distributors are notorious in so far as supporting independents and if the film happens to be different, then it’s difficult for them to place it. So a DVD release was imminent as this was the natural route for the film.
DB: You cover some rather controversial areas in the film, including prostitution and murder. Looking at your career history, you seem to have the courage and guts to go places and explore issues that no other British Asians really do. How important is highlighting issues in your works, which are arguably taboo among Asians, to you?
Shakila:It happens to be that I am Asian and that I have a passion for film, theatre and the arts – so it follows that I would pursue this in my work – I was keen to continue with the exploration of the unsaid and the unseen as I believe that audiences are looking for that discourse; as an artist it’s imperative that we speak out using whatever medium and visual language or genre – you only have to look around the world and see the power that people can manifest and the power in all of us to acknowledge injustice – I believe it’s every generations moral duty to be a part of making change for the better – I see myself well placed in that – the expressive outlets that we have now available to us from Asian radio/TV stations and other mediums either part of the establishments or outside of it is testament to the challenges that generations before us made and the subsequent changes that has occured. This is one such example – there are others , such as challenges in the work place around issues of race or unionisation – there is a brilliant quote from Jayaben Desia who told the boss of Grunwicks “I won’t be your monkey anymore!” Imagine that! She was fearless and challenged the status quo. This was a woman who was of my mother’s generation and who singlehandly challenged the pay conditions in a factory that had a predominantly Asian workforce – the strike itself changed how unions viewed Asian and Blacks in the country as at that point (early 70’s) they too were notoriously racist – some days the Grunwick strike had up to 20,000 demonstrators on the picket line supporting workers’ rights! We as Brit Asians have such an amazing history and individuals around us who had no choice but to make changes and challenge the status quo. They became a beacon of change and have had national and international influence. As an artist I cannot let that go unacknowledged – so it’s important for me to continue to bring these issues to a new audience. Many people who have bought the DVD so far have left messages saying that the film has moved them and as one of them put it that “it touched the untouchable realities in our society, the unspoken truth”
DB: You’ve been quoted as saying, “Pain coupled with joy… is what this film is essentially about”. Can you elaborate on this and tell us a bit more about the story of ‘The Winter of Love’?
Shakila:The Winter of Love is a simple story of a small family who are dealing with loss –the film explores notions such as what people do to each other in the name of love. Paji, who is played by Dev Sagoo is left with his son and daughter whom he brings up after the death of his wife – his two other brothers have their own demons to deal with. So the film picks up everyone’s story at the point of Paji’s death and their lives are revealed in the days preceding his funeral. Shammi, played by Shiv Grewal, is compelled to return to Southall when he hears of his brother’s death on the radio and soon becomes a part of bringing light despite the fact that he himself constantly inhabits a troubled emotional landscape. I wanted to express this mood and emotion – how we experience intense emotions of pain and joy. So the film itself is shot and edited in that way; how it sounds reflects that and cushions the character’s exploration and their respective trajectory. It was important to me to create a visual landscape as well as a soundscape. I discussed this Kuljit over a period of time, that I was very interested in creating a soundscape of Southall – in fact I think I wasn’t aware at the time – but there was certainly a particular sound; as you walk down you hear the sounds of Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India as so on and I think we have achieved this and its certainly something that I would repeat in new works. I also worked closely with Julian MacDonald who did the sound design helped with that too – I wanted to have a sound that reflected Shammi as he walked the streets of the Southall which showed him as a being displaced; not belonging or in a state of dispossession – so Julian introduced the sound of the blades of a helicopter which then went on to become a dominant sound for him – of course this all works subliminally and on a subconscious level; with Preet (played by Gurpreet Bhatti)Julian instinctivelyintroduced the sound of spring; birds chirping, you could feel the sunshine when you saw her – but you also saw her melancholy – this dichotomy acted well as an emotional undercurrent and lent very well to what we were trying to achieve with her character.
DB: Where did the ideas and concepts for the film come from? Does anything, anywhere in ‘The Winter of Love’ relate to any life experience you may have had?
Shakila:The idea for the film has come from people I know – so it’s an amalgamation of many stories and many lives threaded into one – the film itself has no resemblance to my life other that the fact that often I feel on the outside – not quiet in a state of dispossession, but I have been close to the bone.
DB: How would you persuade someone who really doesn’t like to part with their money, to purchase ‘The Winter of Love’ now that it’s been released on DVD for £7.99 ?
Shakila: I wouldn’t want to force anyone to buy the DVD – it may not be their cup of tea! All I know is that as a curious teenager, I heard a radio interview of a woman who had been adopted by a family and treated horrifically – deep inside her she knew instinctively that it wasn’t right especially when she went out into the world and saw happiness and joy and that she herself knew nothing of the world – she said that she would go to the movies and there she learnt how to be a human being – I’ll never forget that – it still stirs my heart when I think of her – I believe that art in whatever form is very powerful and can and does have a profound impact on our lives.
DB: Hello Kuljit! So you have provided the entire soundtrack for ‘The Winter of Love’. How did you get involved in this project?
Kuljit: The film-maker Shakila asked me to write the score and I agreed. At the time, I had decided to redevelop my studio site in Southall and there was a lot of unrest on the music complex because I had asked many of the tenants to leave. Builders were moving in and some of the buildings were being prepared for demolition. So, I was heavily distracted at the time – but Shakila’s invitation was a welcomed one, as it gave me an opportunity to focus my mind on something creative rather than destructive!
DB: Can you tell us a bit about the soundtrack, and what we can expect to hear?
Kuljit:Some people that are aware of my extensive bhangra work might expect to hear lots of Punjabi-style music in the film. However, there is hardly any! Many of the musical themes and songs are still percussive and tabla-driven in my normal style, but the music is dark, introspective and melancholic. This could give the impression that it sounds depressing, but it’s not. I have written some very simple theme tunes and explored many ways of expressing theme through the characters depicted in the film. The songs feature the voices of Kamalbir Singh, Shahin Badar and Bollywood star Sukhwinder Singh. Some of my colleagues have described the score and ‘the soundtrack to southall’…
DB: You’ve been described as a pioneer of bhangra music, and one of the most prolific and dedicated Asian music producers. How have you reflected all of that in this soundtrack? Do you think it captures the essence of the film?
Kuljit: It’s sometimes difficult dealing with people’s expectations once they have ‘stamped’ you as a particular thing. Yes, I have done a lot of bhangra music – but in recent years I have concentrated more on world music and collaborating with artists from other backgrounds such as jazz, funk, theatre & western classical – in fact last year I did some work with Shakira and th Sugababes! Therefore, i don’t really see myself as a bhangra producer – but I have been one, if that makes sense! People who follow my music will definitely recognise my style in the film soundtrack. I can only say that I have done my best to make sure that the music captures the essence of the film whether you are watching the film or whether you are just listening to the CD.
DB: How closely did you and Shakila work on this?
Kuljit: Shakila trusted me implicitly – which gave me the freedom to let my creativity flow. We would regularly discuss the musical ‘palette’ so to speak and she would frequently tell me of poetry that she loved and that inspired her, and I would be left with the challenge of interpolating that musically for her.
DB: Of course the final product is available to purchase also. How would you persuade someone who doesn’t buy music, to buy this?
Kuljit: If you are someone who has become somewhat bored with the regular formula of Brit Asian films that depict stereo-types and pick on feel-good themes and you are looking for something deeper, thought-provoking and more meaningful – then buy it!
DB: Thank you very much, and we wish you the very best of luck. Before you go, do you have a message you’d like to send out to all Desi-Box.com fans?
Kuljit: Thank you for your support!
By Sabah Ismail