Portrait of an artiste

Jasmine Singh

Life cannot be a bed of roses all the time, well, most of the time, according to philosophers. And the time when it decides to turn around and decide to shut itself up in a dark corner, this is when the real test begins. Either you let it be in the corner and sulk or you try talking it out of it. Playwright, actor and director Davinder Daman chose the latter. From a dysfunctional family marred with challenges and threat to life, the artiste just didn’t give on life, just yet. This is the quality that inspired yet another artiste, Sahib Singh to capture Davinder Daman’s life in a 46 minute documentary, The Bird Still Sings (Haale vi Tittar Bolda Hai).

A documentary which is made on the format of a feature film, it captures the journey of Davinder Daman. This is exactly where the challenge stood. “Creativity is a challenge in itself,” shares Sahib Singh adding how he had to keep the portrayal real. “I couldn’t be biased. I knew my subject well and I didn’t hide any part of Davinder Daman’s life. In fact, I have also captured many on the spot conversations. Neither did I try to hide the fact that Davinder’s wife disapproved of his drinking habit. I have left the documentary open ended.”

The documentary produced by Sangeet Natak Academy depicts not just the life of an artiste who despite all odds followed his passion. Sahib Singh has shot the documentary in real situations. “We went to his village, visited his old house which is Punjab, Sangrur. We have incorporated shots from his old school; we have spoken to his old friends in Chandigarh and around. So, basically everyone who has been a part of Davinder Daman’s life is a part of this documentary.” 

Playwright, actor and director Sahib Singh has made a conscious effort to keep the documentary racy. “Since I also want youngsters to draw inspiration from his life, I couldn’t make it boring and slow moving. The market for documentaries isn’t that great and nobody would want to see lessons in moral science,” adds Sahib Singh whose next project is a documentary on Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry and Kewal Dhaliwal, “There would be many more. These artistes are our heritage and this is my way of preserving their stories.” 

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