While one may be apprehensive of making a children’s film on the idea of death, the thought never really occurred to the makers of the Marathi film Pipsi. Addressing the audience after the world premiere of the film at the ongoing Mumbai Film Festival, writer Saurabh Bhave said, “The film is set in the Vidarbha region where on an average, three farmers commit suicide every day. The children there are so immune to seeing death that it never crossed our mind whether a film on death is appropriate for children’s viewing or not.”
At the onset, Pipsi is the story of two friends — Chaani and Balu — and their pet fish Pipsi. But beyond the innocent world of two kids, the film presents a harsh portrait of a drought-stricken village. It talks about a number of things but the foundation remains ‘hope’. “It is this idea of hope in the film that really drew me to it,” said Vidhi Kasliwal, producer of Pipsi. The title of the film — a rip off on Pepsi — further justifies the hope and aspirations in small towns and villages. “They don’t have the means but they can dare to dream,” she adds.
Bhave points out the irony of having multiple rip offs on soft drinks in these villages which have no water. The story unfolds in a village called Arni where scorching heat and acute scarcity of water go hand in hand. Yet, life is good for Chaani and Balu. Their friendship is the source of joy in their otherwise morose lives. Until Chaani’s mother is diagnosed with an illness and is given three months to live.
After listening to a story at the temple, the kids are convinced that the only way to save her is by keeping a pet fish alive. And thereby starts the struggle of protecting a life in a place where death just comes so easily.
“The track of keeping a fish alive to save a human life is based on the story of King Satyavrat from our mythology. This story has been with me since childhood. I have really enjoyed it. The thought of writing a script on it came to me while I was driving. The other worldly things like drought and farmer suicides were weaved into it later,” revealed Bhave.
The shooting of Pipsi was enough struggle in itself. The challenges ranged from extreme weather conditions and the sudden death of the DOP (Director of Photography) to one of the lead child actors, Maithili Patwardhan losing her milk teeth. “But the silver lining was the bond between Maithili and Sahil (Joshi). They were naturally friends and it was a wonder to see them perform,” informed Kasliwal.
The offscreen bonding indeed translates well on screen. The heart-warming friendship between Chaani and Balu sure is a takeaway of this beautifully told story.