Shankar M K

Kyrgyz filmmaker Dastan Zhapar’s work is a profound meditation on his society’s shifting relationship with the past and the evolving landscape of Kyrgyzstan’s traditions. At the heart of his cinematic exploration is death, through which he examines societal ruptures and continuities, and reimagines a future.

Kyrgyz society, like other societies previously part of the Soviet Union, has had to deal with three traditions — pre-Soviet, Soviet socialist, and contemporary.

Dastan made A Father’s Will in 2016 and Road to Eden in 2020, both in collaboration with fellow filmmaker Bakyt Mukul. A Father’s Will won the Golden Zenith at the 40th Montreal World Film Festival. Deal at the Border, screened at the recent Bangalore International Film Festival, is Zhapar’s first independent work.

While A Father’s Will was about how reviving an old death ritual helped pacify people defrauded by a man now deceased, Road to Eden reflected on the loss of meaning caused by material compulsions of modern life. With Deal at the Border, Dastan turns to even darker realities — modern slavery and human rights issues. Death here becomes a moment of moral reckoning.

As an amorphous repository of attitudes, practices, and relational hierarchies, a tradition never truly dies. In Dastan’s films, two traditions reside within the present — struggling for attention and validation. The resonances of this exploration are impossible to miss in India, bogged down by a similar contest between putative traditions.

In an exclusive, Dastan shares his thoughts on the many issues of idea, ideology and creative expression. Excerpts:

It is true that I am questioning some traditions, but I am not seeking to restore respect for others. Things emerge in the process of scripting and filming. They beg to be projected on the screen and I am persuaded by this kind of insight.

That is right. However, it was not by conscious design — it turned out that way. Death occupied centrestage and spliced three of my films into an unintended trilogy. However, the ideas I am now working on are about survival and the desire for freedom.

A Father’s Will plays out an aspect of the Kyrgyz attitude to death. People at a burial desire closure. They want to accept and forgive. Also, they like to ask what kind of a person the deceased was as a prelude to restoring dignity to the dead. These rituals serve to unite people, especially family, in times of sorrow.

Kyrgyz filmmaker Dastan Zhapar during a shoot
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The Kyrgyz had a nomadic, mobile way of life. The yurt naturally became home and a symbol of family stability. It also represents the strength of the national collective, serving a material function and as a spiritual metaphor.

When Bakyt Mukul and I wrote the script for A Father’s Will, we thought it would be nice to have a literary work associated with the film’s story. When we were scripting for The Road to Eden, and came up with the image of the sick writer Sapar, we thought he could write, for example, a book titled The Father’s Testament referring to our previous film. In this way, we would have an imaginary author for an imaginary book on which our first film had been based. In this fashion, we were able to thematically unite the two films. The stories take place in the same universe, same ethical ecosystem.

Kyrgyz filmmaker Dastan Zhapar
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

I am actively working on three ideas. One is the story of guards at the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Another is about modern slavery.

Slavery has been on my mind for a long time as I have been personally affected by it. My brother Aktan was enslaved in a neighbouring country with our uncle. Luckily, they managed to escape. The script was written by Aktan and I.

While writing the script, I studied modern slavery. I learnt that Kyrgyzstan ranks first among Central Asian countries whose citizens are enslaved abroad, mostly in Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey and the UAE. According to the International Labour Organisation, more than 50 million people are currently enslaved worldwide and 70% of them are women. These statistics are horrifying. We must bring this to the notice of viewers everywhere.

Kyrgyz filmmaker Dastan Zhapar during a shoot
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Definitely from the Kyrgyz epic of Manas. It is a poem with more than 1,50,000 verses. It is about the legendary past of many nations of Central Asia, including the Mongol, Kitai, and Altai.

Newspaper reports often provide a starting point for an episode. I am also inspired by themes other directors explore. The most important thing is to select the right theme or story. The story must resonate in you. It must refer to some piece of today’s reality or to a possible state of affairs in the future.

I prefer to make films about the rural and remote regions, though cities have their stories too. I ride the bus and observe people as they travel and converse. I can learn much about their troubles and what makes them happy. I dig into real life material so I can use them in my films.

I am in awe of Indian films screened at international film festivals — they deal with serious issues in interesting ways. I would like to be involved in a joint venture with India sometime in the future. The first Kyrgyz feature film was made in 1958, by which time Indian cinema was already in bloom.

Kyrgyz filmmaker Dastan Zhapar during a shoot
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

I like the image of Duishen, the teacher created by Kyrgyz author Chingiz Aitmatov in his novel First Teacher that was later made into a film. Duishen brings knowledge and knowledge is light, pulling millions of people out of the darkness of ignorance. Duishen had a fanatic faith in a bright future ushered in by literacy and education. Eventually that is what led mankind to seemingly impossible things such as space exploration. I believe such people are in short supply in our crazy world today.

One of Bengaluru’s oldest choirs, The Cecilian Choir, will perform for a fundraiser in Bengaluru. Titled Memories Are Made of This, it is a fundraiser for St. Joseph’s University Scholarship Programs. The Cecilian Choir was started in 1982 by a group of musicians under the leadership of Reverend Dr Theodore Pereira.  

This year, the concert will be held at St. Joseph’s Auditorium, and offers financial assistance to students who come from economically weaker sections of society, says Arthur B Pais, President, Cecilian Choir.

The choir, he says, has been around for 42 years. “We are probably the longest serving choir in Bengaluru and intend to keep this legacy going. All our stage performances are fundraisers.”

Arthur describes each of the choir’s fundraisers as a worthy cause and over the years Cecilian Choir has helped raised funds for Multiple Sclerosis Society, Maria Seva Sangha, Abala Ashraya Sangha, Atma Shakti Vidayala Society, The Karunashraya Hospice, St Mary’s Orphanage, Sumanahalli Leprosy Rehabilitation Centre, The Association of People with Disability and Jeevarathani Foundation.

“In fact, when Karunahsraya started, we helped raise funds for their infrastructure. The concert was held at Guru Nanak Bhavan,” recalls Arthur.

Besides these, Arthur says some of their memorable performances include the 1999 concert at the invitation of Ministry of Tourism, Israel to perform at the Sherovah Theatre in Jerusalem and at a monastery in Nazareth for the millennium celebrations; and the 2011 concert presented by Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Bangalore School of Music (BSM); in the presence of the ex-President of India, Pratibha Patil.

“We were the only Choir to have ever sung a song in Kannada at the Rashtrapati Bhavan,” shares the chorister.

St Joseph’s University, Arthur says, help students with excellent academic records, high achievers, and differently-abled students. “The university also has study and residential scholarships, besides giving them midday meals, which most of the time, is the only meal some students get due to their financial situation. That’s who we are singing for.”

The first half of the concert, Arthur says, will feature music across eight decades. “There will be a Broadway musical medley, jazz, ballads and masterpieces, some of which, will be a cappella. The second half includes ‘Remember the Cross’ an Easter Cantata that intertwines songs from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday in a blended and contemporary setting”.

The choir will be conducted by Deirdre Fernandes-Dominic and will have Rebecca Thomas-Colaco (piano), Justin A Santosh (drums), Eric Samuel (guitar), Pearl Mukadam (bass), Darren Sherwin and Sabarish R (keyboards) and 25 choristers.

Sing in harmony, Arthur said the choir is nothing like a band performance. “We are a choir and sing in multi-part harmony, which could be either a three, four, six or eight-part. When we say ‘harmony’, I strongly believe one has to experience it to know how a voice can modulate itself and give you different tones, which leads to a fantastic experience.”

Arthur is a first tenor, and has been singing with the since 2000. “Becky, (Rebecca) has been with us since 2005. She is a reputed pianist, known world-wide and now is the director of faculty too with BSM (Bangalore School of Music).”

A self taught singer, Arthur took to music as a young boy and started singing in his church choir. “That is where you get noticed by conductors and are picked up for choral singing. For me, choral singing came naturally and I found it easy to pick it up.”

The concert is on April 26 and 27, at 3.30pm and 6.30pm at St Joseph’s University Auditorium, 36 Lalbagh Road. Donor passes/tickets on BookMyShow.

Dimple Kapadia became an overnight sensation after she debuted with Bobby (1973), opposite Rishi Kapoor. The film became a super hit and established Dimple Kapadia as a leading star. While the actress went on to have a successful career in Bollywood, many remained unaware of Dimple Kapadia’s sister Simple Kapadia’s journey in the film industry. Simple Kapadia pursued acting, following in her sister’s footsteps, and made her Bollywood debut opposite none other than Rajesh Khanna, her brother-in-law, in the 1977 film Anurodh. 

Unlike Bobby, Anurodh proved to be a flop at the box office, one of the possible reasons being the lack of chemistry between Simple Kapadia and Rajesh Khanna’s chemistry. Simple Kapadia had also once revealed how she was uncomfortable working with her ‘jiju’ Rajesh Khanna. “It is definitely not a ‘Bobby’ and can never even be compared to it. Just like I guess I can never be another Dimple. Actually, I’m quite uncomfortable working with him because when you know a person inside out it seems funny seeing him so different in front of a camera,” she told India Today in an interview. 

In the same interview, Simple Kapadia also expressed how she was nervous to be working with Rajesh Khanna because of his star status. “Before I started actual shooting with him, I had thought it would be a great moral support to have somebody known to you. But then I found I was quite nervous, probably with the thought that I was acting opposite a far more experienced actor. Kaka was very helpful, but then I sensed he too wasn’t feeling comfortable coming and telling me how to do the scene if I made a mistake,” she said.

Simple Kapadia was a part of the film world for 10 years, during which she worked with Jeetendra in Shakka and Chakravyuha and played supporting roles in Lootmaar, Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai, Jeevan Dhaara and Dulha Bikta Hai. Her last acting gig was an item song for Parakh in 1987.

After stepping away from acting, Simple Kapadia tried her hands at costume design and worked for many actors including Sunny Deol, Tabu, Amrita Singh, Sridevi, and Priyanka Chopra. She also won a National Film Award in 1994 for Best Costume Design for Rudaali.

Simple Kapadia was diagnosed with cancer in 2006 and tragically died in November 2009, aged 51.