MUMBAI, September 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
Director Dabboo Malik and Producer Neeru Khera's Riveting Short Film Touches Upon the Solitary Lives of Walking and Breathing Scarecrows in India
We all remember the lovable, wise, and mostly goofy Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. Oh, how he impressed us all with his wisdom! But unlike fictional scarecrows in stories, living scarecrows in India don't have it this easy. SIRI, a short movie directed by Dabboo Malik and produced by Neeru Khera, tells the true story of one such farmer turned scarecrow who hopes to reunite with his son.
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160913/406930)
SIRI sheds light on the plight of thousands of old men and women who are forced to take up jobs of a living scarecrow in farms after being abandoned by their children. It's well-recorded in history that Siris were appointed as farmers for big landlords, and were paid 1/13th share of the harvest as compensation for their hard work. However, with the advent of technology, Siris were demoted to the level of scarecrows and paid a measly salary every month.
"SIRI is about a 75-year old living scarecrow who hopelessly anticipates his son's return from the big city, and eventual abandonment of a life of poverty and loneliness. However, that never happens," says Neeru Khera without giving away much of the story. It's worthwhile to note that the short is a slice of life from the farmlands of Punjab, but its core message finds its voice in various parts of the country. "Imagine the life of a man living like a farm accessory, with no one to share his pains with," adds Neeru.
This short movie was filmed on Cannon 5D, with a few interesting and difficult shots captured using GoPro. "We shot the movie in Patiala, the heart of Punjab, which allowed us to interact with farmers and gain insights into their lives," says Dabboo Malik, the Director. "No matter how much we city-slickers empathise with a farmer, we are far from living the life of one," says an emotional Dabboo.
The cast for the film was painstakingly chosen after rounds of audition. "Abhay, the lead man, is a Patiala boy who got the nuances of his character spot-on. The title role is played by Meher Singh, a real-life scarecrow who has spent his life guarding farms in his locality," points out Neeru. Interestingly, Meher Singh has never acted in any film, but his performance is a reflection of his own life as a living scarecrow. "He still lives there, carrying out his duty", adds Neeru.
SIRI, by no means is an anti-establishment movie. The only thing it aims at upsetting is the popular belief that a farmer's life is only worth his blood and sweat. Needless to say, this reflects our society's lack of sympathy for its most hardworking class of noble people.
SIRI has been awarded at prestigious platforms and won the Best Short Fiction Film at the International film festival of Allahabad (Prayag), where Meher Singh also bagged the Best Actor award. Apart from this, SIRI also received an award of recognition at Hollywood International Moving Pictures. SIRI was also the official nomination at Delhi International Film Festival, 6th Dadasaheb Phalke Film Festival and Jaipur International Film Festival
Watch the film by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5e4qXGvrGQ
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About The Creative Gypsy:
The Creative Gypsy is a Delhi-based renowned production house that creates niche content with budding talents from the entertainment industry. They have their own YouTube channel called 'The Creative Gypsy' which showcases short films, web series, videos, etc. Neeru and Naveen Khera spearhead the company which they jointly established in 2015. The production house has released three short films and India's 1st LGBT web series.
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