Life in a cold state

Prabhash Chandra discusses how he used poetry to convey the complexities of Kashmir. ’s perspective of take on the trauma of the common Kashmiris

A poetic yet probing take on Kashmir, Prabhash Chandra’s film  I’m not the river Jhelum is a moving experience that captures the everyday trauma in the Valley before and after the abrogation of the contentious Section 370.  

A student of Physics, the independent filmmaker has delved into the gravity of the situation by using the verses of Jagan Nath Azad, Inder Salim and Angel Gonzalez and has employed his experience in theatre to create lyrical but mind-numbing imagery.  

The film fetched the KR Mohanan Award for best debut director from India at the 26 th International Film Festival of India, earlier this year.  

Edited excerpts: 

I have been visiting Kashmir for sometime now. During the course of my stay, I got an opportunity to engage with the community. I taught theatre in school and colleges there and interacted with many people. I started listening to their viewpoints and kept observing the events happening around me. One thing is very clear: life there is filled with uncertainty and violence. The worst sufferers in this situation are children and women. Personally, I don’t appreciate it when the State requires the use of discipline and death as techniques of social control.  

However, when I used to come back to Delhi, there was a completely different narrative, where Kashmiri Muslims were portrayed as anti-national elements. There is a huge gap in the perception and the ground reality of Kashmir. 

How did Jhelum become a metaphor for what young Afeefa sees and experiences?