There are a very few movies which receive critical acclaim months before they get released. Nila Madhab Panda's Kadvi Hawa is one such film that has received a Special Mention at the National Film Awards earlier this year.
The film will see acclaimed actors Sanjay Mishra, Tillotama Shome and Ranvir Shorey in lead. The story is a powerful and heartrending drama that captures the issue of the real threat of climate change and its effects on the lives of two ordinary people who survive in extreme weather conditions.
Since the film carries a global message, its first look was unveiled in the presence of Erik Solheim, UN Under Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Environment. Solheim thinks that an entertaining film like Kadvi Hawa is a great medium to spread the message about climate change since people feel that UN talks about the environment in a boring way.
Highlighting the idea to make the film, Panda says, “It's an important film for each one of us because climate change is happening everywhere. The idea is to tell an emotional story of people who face the brunt due to change in climate so that people take with them the message and learn from the mistakes. Even though we have damaged the environment in the past, I wish that people, after watching the film, take steps to save the planet as they leap in the future.”
The film's story germinated in 2005 when Panda was in his hometown, Orissa, to shoot his first documentary on climate change for Discovery channel. It was then that he came across the shocking incident of rising water levels that persuaded him to make a film on the issue.
“Years ago, the coastal belt of Orissa housed seven villages. But in 2005, when I went there, I realised that only two of them survived. I also saw two handpumps submersed in the sea. When I spoke to the local people, they told me that years ago, the handpumps used to be in the middle of the village and due to change in climate, the water level rose and swallowed the handpump.”
Actor Sanjay Mishra who is playing the role of a blind farmer in the film says that the film is relevant as a major change in climate is happening now. “There was a time in Delhi, when sweaters were worn during October. Now people sit under air conditioners till mid November. This is scary and it's time we took steps to stop the harm. Since cinema is a mirror to the society, our idea is to raise the consciousness among people about Kadvi Hawa.”
Akshay Kumar Parija, producer of the film, feels that the movie is coming at an appropriate time when United Nations framework conventions for climatic change is going through a sensitive phase. “When Panda conceived the story three years ago, there was no UN forum for climate change. It was just in a discussion phase and we had considered it much before that. I hope that people will wake up after watching the film and they will contribute in addressing this issue together so that we can save more lives,” he says.
Actor Ranvir Shorey thinks that globally there's much more needs to be done and calls it the time to consider climate change an important job. “We are at a time when action is needed now and unfortunately, at the same time, there is so much happening in the global politics that the issue of climate change is taking a backseat. When actual time comes for climate change, suddenly that subject becomes second priority and seemingly important issues are put in the foreground like job creation and economy.”
Kadvi Hawa has been invited to 22 international festivals so far. It is supported by Shakti Foundation and will be released on November 24.