Earlier this year, Kalki Koechlin caused quite a stir in social circles when she was spotted in Karachi with Sharmila Faruqi. The Margerita With A Straw actress was said to be en route to Islamabad, and her travel itinerary also included Thar and other parts of Sindh.
According to Mumbai Mirror, the actress has teamed up with Khamosh Pani director Sabiha Sumar for her new documentary, Azmaish – Trials of Life.
For the documentary, Sumar and Koechlin are travelling through India and Pakistan, and “exploring the two countries through their lifestyles, religious dynamics, and violence stemming from extremism,” reports Mirror.
“This project had been in the works for three years. When I met Kalki as a jury member at MAMI (Mumbai Film Festival) last year, she struck me as someone who empathises with the world and is concerned about its issues. When I told her about the idea for my film she immediately came on board as the Indian partner. She visited Pakistan for the first time earlier this year and we travelled across deserts and mountains. The idea was to capture how two women feel the pulse of the two countries,” said Sumar.
While Koechlin has picked the Indian locations for the documentary, Sumar has selected sites to visit in Pakistan. Some of the film’s production remains, and is currently seeking crowdfunding.
“Kalki picked out the Indian locations along with our research team. We shot in a Mumbai local, in a truck in Sindh and played Holi with the fishermen community in Mumbai. A part of the film is yet to be shot. We have now resorted to crowd-funding through which people contributing more than $250 will get access to stills from the shoot which are shot by a top photographer,” Sumar added.
