By Ananya Uthaiya and Deepti Vadhera
As an assistant director, Prince Shah has worked on the following films: Principle And Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol, And has won many awards both in India and abroad. man on the moonIn this play, recently performed at the Bangalore International Centre, he depicts the life of one of India’s youngest freedom fighters and a former child actor who worked with the greats of his time.
in a conversation The Hindu, Prince Shah shares the inspiration behind the documentary and the journey it took from an idea to a completed film.
Driven by curiosity and a desire to understand why the film’s protagonist, Praklavan – a man in his 80s who lives in Mumbai’s red light area – lives the way he does, Prince brought the film to life by piecing together nearly five years of footage. man on the moonPrince met Praklavan by chance when he was loudly discussing a film with his friends outside a theatre. An old man with long hair approached them and introduced himself, as he often did, as a former associate of Guru Dutt.
Praklavan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
One of India’s youngest freedom fighters, 85-year-old Praklavan has worked with actor and director Guru Dutt. He also worked with James Bond creator Ian Fleming in Miami. His name was Prakash Lalvani, Fleming addressed him as Praklavan and the name stuck with him.
Speaking about him on the programme, Prince said: “He has an amazing energy and aura, he’s a great guy.”
man on the moon This includes Sailesh Kumar, 55, who lives on the pavement of Marine Drive. Prince’s college was opposite Sailesh’s usual place, making their meeting inevitable. A conversation with Sailesh revealed that he was once a famous child actor, having worked in over 60 films, including some with Amitabh Bachchan and Raj Kapoor.
man on the moon The film traces their stories, life experiences and daily activities in the busy city of Mumbai. “I started off with a fictional plot while working on some great projects as an assistant director. But, then I met Prakalaavan and he changed my life. I spent nine years making this film.”
Shailesh | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
These two larger than life personalities, who provide dialogue along with Prince’s friends Asif and Wadud, were crucial in narrating a story that is partly biographical and mainly a journey of critical thinking into the nature of reality, illusion and truth. While Parklon and Sailesh are the main subjects, many instruments other than their voices are used to create the story.
“My friends became the voices you hear because I don’t like voiceovers. They became a great vehicle for Praklavan and Sailesh to come to life,” he recalls.
Another device used in the film is the “mirror man”, which is intended to reflect the questions asked in the film back to the viewer. This serves as a reminder that the documentary is not just about these two lives, but also about the viewer, making the viewer another character in the film’s landscape.
Prince Shah in discussion with filmmaker Sunanda Bhatt at BIC | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“I was so curious about his life that I and my team followed him and worked on this project. The story evolved over time,” says Prince, adding, “Everything evolved naturally. We have to be patient while filming documentaries, whereas for fictional content there is always a plan.”
Prince was initially overwhelmed by working on a nonfiction project. He revealed that his team shot some scenes using a simple iPhone camera, primarily at night to minimise unnecessary sounds.
Adapting the raw, unedited footage of the documentary was a slight challenge for Prince, as he was used to making feature films. However, with a close-knit team of friends, including editor Ashish Ranglani and cinematographer Vaibhav Sorte, he worked effectively and enjoyed the process.
“Praklawan was part of the pro-Palestine protests in 2016 and when I joined the protest, a whole new world opened up for me about Palestine and Israel,” says Prince, adding that he was in his early 20s then. He remembers that being among the protesters helped him gain insight into global affairs and broadened his perspective beyond the secluded world of cinema.
Prince says he has also learnt a lot about comfort and contentment with Sailesh. “Despite living on the streets without money or resources, Sailesh seems happier than many of us.”
Reflecting on his own experience directing the documentary, Prince describes it as a cohesive and beautiful journey with a great production team and cast. Quoting Alfred Hitchcock, Prince says, “In feature films, the director is God; in documentary films, God is the director.”
The future of on the moon man This includes screening at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai, apart from screenings across India. There are also plans to release the documentary on multiple OTT platforms.
