Ankur Singla’s debut directorial Ghich Pich captures the moods of the City Beautiful

Indian cinema has often revolved around the ‘mere pas maa hai’ syndrome. When Chandigarh boy Ankur Singla makes a movie on sons and fathers, his debut directorial titled Ghich Pich, he says it is not exactly a cinematic equivalent. But it certainly underlines the roles, conflicts and fissures included, which fathers play in our lives.Says lawyer-turned-entrepreneur-turned-filmmaker Ankur, “We indie makers have a different way of thinking and can’t possibly create iconic filmy dialogues; my film is rooted in realism.”Yet, the film that premiered at Cinevesture International Film Festival, Chandigarh this year and is now ready for theatrical release (August 1) he says this is not a typical festival film. Rather, he uses the term ‘mindie’, a cross between mainstream and independent cinema, to drive him the vision behind his film.Indeed, the story of three young teenagers who face troubled relationships with their fathers is not exactly biographical, more of his experiences and observations as he was growing up in the City Beautiful.Echoing the thoughts of acclaimed director Mira Nair, he too believes ‘personal is universal.’ Rather from personal alone he deems “one can create cinema which stands a good chance of striking a universal chord.” Though it’s the son in him who has written the story of interpersonal dynamics, fathers’ point of view too has been factored in by Ankur, himself a father to two children. Whether the film will help him handle his son’s turbulent teenage years better as and when his nine-year-old reaches that stage only time will tell, but his celluloid reality will certainly “make you privy to the dilemma of youth and compulsions of fatherhood too.”In fact, the film is dedicated to late actor Nitesh Pandey, who plays a key role of a compassionate and affectionate father. Eighteen-year-old Kabir Nanda, one of film’s central protagonists Gurpreet Singh, literally came of age between the making and release of the film. If Ankur’s filmmaking process has been his master-class, the director’s passion Kabir asserts has also driven the delightful film.Set in early 2000’s the heart-warming story is Ankur’s love letter to Chandigarh, a city with a character and temper of its own. He has ensured that his lens focuses on lesser known places of the city and his writing is a slice of authentic Hindi- Punjabi as spoken in Chandigarh households. The title itself is a colloquial term which teases as well as informs how emotions collide when teenagers navigate the complex terrain of growing up. You might be tempted to compare Ghich Pich with Boman Irani’s insightful and complex metaverse of the father-son bond in The Mehta Boys. But for one, Ankur has not seen Irani’s film. Secondly, he is positive his is not a similar take. Different or cut of same cloth, he is indeed sure audiences will find the subject relatable, more so Chandigarhites who will not only get to see the city they love but also savour a new flavour of it. Above all, they will get to understand what is essentially ghar ghar ki kahani yet get to realise what Friedrich von Schiller said, “It is not flesh and blood, but heart which makes us fathers and sons.”

Ankur Singla’s debut directorial Ghich Pich captures the moods of the City Beautiful

Nonika Singh

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