I'd love to make a film about Kashmir: Iranian director Majid Majidi

It is the story of hope and failure, a silent majority skirting the poverty line. It is the story of humanity and compassion; Beyond the Clouds asks one many questions and provides many answers.

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The film begins with the story of young Amir, played by Bollywood star Shahid Kapoor’s younger brother, Ishaan Khatter, who survives his poverty by being a drug mule. His sister, Tara played by Malavika Mohanan, works in a laundry depot and has survived a violent marriage to an abusive alcoholic.

The melodrama and the squalor are both characters of the film, being an important backdrop to the characters’ vulnerabilities, guilty conscience and emotional victories.

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There is an almost Disney-like quality to Amir’s escapades and he strongly resembles a very real, very gritty Aladdin – but instead of a princess, Aladdin discovers kindness and compassion.

Powerfully and adeptly portrayed by newcomer Ishaan, who is by far the standout performer of the film, Amir’s character is impulsive and confusing but surprisingly humane and resourceful. Tara gets in trouble by virtue of defending herself, thereby highlighting one of the many frustrations and tribulations of the women of the working class. The language and story may have been Hindi and Indian but the themes are thoroughly universal.

The film questions the true definition of morality. What crimes are worse than giving into impulsive emotions? Whether it is possible to find morality in a world surrounded by crime, revenge and limited means.

There is a constant oscillation between what is right and what is emotionally impetuous, how humor and kindness are found in unlikely places and how this brutal collage of emotions and conflicts make up most of humanity.

Directed by Academy Award nominee, Iranian director Majid Majidi creates a world where you find magic, love and kindness in the darkest of places. There’s humor versus tragedy, empathy versus apathy and kindness versus violence. Ultimately at the end of the film, empathy and kindness win. Does Majid feel that way? Is this an idealist film?

“I would change the word ‘idealism’ to hope,” Majid tells The Express Tribune. “I think the sister and brother are born again. They get back to humanity, to find each other once more.”

Majid has been known for his films in Iran which is where he is originally belongs to. He began making short films in the 1980s and was nominated for his film, Children of Heaven in the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. But what made him come to India and to Bollywood?

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“Bollywood cinema has its own characteristics,” said Majid. However, Beyond the Clouds is not shot on any set like other Bollywood movies. The entire film is shot at real locations and in real places.

“Bollywood often uses sets, not real locations to make films faster with better facilities,” quoted Majid. “Maybe it’s easier for them because it also cuts costs to use studios. I prefer to use real locations. It’s more difficult, definitely, but it looks real. That is why the location is a character in my films. I didn’t want it to have a touristy look. If you look at Slumdog Millionaire, it has that touristy look.”

While Slumdog Millionaire did tacitly sell India as a poor country to an international audience instead of letting the characters tell their story, Beyond the Clouds is a story of compassion and flawed empathy set in India.

Would a director like Majid work in Pakistan, I asked him and wondered if he had had the chance to see any Pakistani actors or films. “Pakistan is one of my beloved countries,” revealed Majid. “I love Lahore and Iqbal is one of my beloved poets. I would love to work in Pakistan. I haven’t seen any Pakistani films yet but there are some warm-blooded people in Pakistan and there are many similarities between our countries. We’re very dramatic.”

But what kind of a film would he make if presented with an opportunity to work in Pakistan? “I really would love to make a film about Kashmir. My films are usually of the world. They can be made anywhere. Stories can happen anywhere. I can make a film in Pakistan but it doesn’t necessarily have to be about Pakistan. I can make a film keeping in mind the Pakistani culture.”