By Sangeeta Kumar

"It basically looked like you were driving down a channel, this dilapidated road, and there was seemingly no end to it" - Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) said of the valley that inspired one of the bands' masterpieces - Kashmir. It was perhaps a metaphor for the strife that has engulfed the valley since the wrath of Partition. Filmmakers Senain Kheshgi and Geeta Patel's effective 'Project Kashmir' documents the torment of a divided land through the lives of three brave citizens who call Kashmir home. EGO asks Senain and Geeta to address the creative problems and the hard choices they encountered as they worked on this provocative documentary.

EGO Congratulations on the success of the film. How has the film been received by audiences? Has it been screened in India or Pakistan?

Senain & Geeta: The film had a sold-out premiere in New York. Tell you the truth we were shocked, in a good way. We made this film to create dialog among the South Asian community, so it was very important to us that the community accept it on some level, regardless of what side of the debate they were on. The film has proven to be what we had hoped for in this regard as it has sparked dialog in the Question-Answer sessions following the screenings. Also, general audiences have embraced the film since it allows you to actually feel what it's like to live in one of the many "permanent" war-zones that unfortunately exist in the world today. This is not just a film about Kashmir in that respect, it's a film about what it's like to live in a war-zone. We have been overwhelmed by the emails coming in. The film has not yet screened in India or Pakistan, however we hope to do that if the three brave Kashmiri's in the film feel comfortable with it.

EGO You mention at the outset that you wanted to capture the conflict both from a Hindu and Muslim perspective. The issue of Kashmir is a deeply complex situation; would it be oversimplification to treat is as a Hindu-Muslim or an India - Pakistan conflict?

Senain & Geeta: Absolutely. The point of this film is to allow audiences to feel how complicated the conflict is. It is not as simple as Hindu-Muslim or India-Pakistan. That is exactly our point. However, we had to initiate the conversation by presenting these incorrect statements first. Many people have never heard of the Kashmir, so it was important to start with the simple arguments and then counter them with the truth by way of showing the audience through stories, not just telling them.

EGO The strength of the film I believe rests on the fact that there's no pressure on the viewer to agree with a certain ideology or point of view. How hard was it for you to not let personal opinion or your identity cloud your objectivity?

Senain & Geeta: It was very difficult to allow the film to speak for itself. This is because film making is never objective. We spent 2 years editing this film and crafting every word and every moment. The people in this film and the various angles of the conflict were considered so carefully! It was an amazing collaboration for us since we had very different experiences with the subject-matter and the politics, much of which unfolded unexpectedly throughout the making of the film.

EGO The Indian government's solution seems to be sending more troops to the region. As you mentioned in the Q&A that Kashmir has the highest concentration of troops in the world. Sixty years plus since independence and there's no cohesive policy. Is it politics or nationalism that prevents a sustainable solution?

Senain & Geeta: A sustainable solution can only come from listening to the people on the ground and adjusting politics, throwing away nationalistic pride and anger, and focusing on the people who pay the highest price. This conflict was once only about politics, perhaps. At this point, it's way too complex to offer a one-stop solution. People have lost loved ones, families have lost homes -- under the politics, there is resentment and anger that is well-justified. In order to sustain anything, the people who have lost so much must discuss what happened, make peace among themselves, listen and forgive and trust. This is very difficult and we created this film as a baby step in that direction. You can only take baby steps and hope that it will lead to a sustainable solution. To this day, few solutions to these kinds of war-zones have been sustained.

EGO I was curious about Muzamil's anger towards the end of the film. For the viewer it seemed almost excessive given that he cautions you against taking anyone's perspective. Can you talk a bit about that.

Senain & Geeta: In real life, we all say things every day that contradict. We say things we mean and things we don't mean. This documentary presents the puzzle of human nature. The words are just part of the message. Muzamil's anger and actions have been the most debated part of the film. I think only Muzamil can give a concrete answer to questions regarding his actions and intentions. Just like the conflict itself, Muzamil's behavior and point of view cannot be put simply. This film shows the human condition of someone who not only fights to tell the Kashmir story, but someone who is also a victim of it. This humbled us and proved to really compel audiences who respected him no matter what he did. I think this is because he is in a position none of us can really imagine.

EGO Aarti's return to her childhood home was poignant but layered with a sense of distrust which was heartbreaking for the viewer. What was it like to experience this seminal moment first-hand from a human perspective?

Senain & Geeta: It was pretty much as you saw it on the screen — inspiring, difficult, magical. So many things. The raw footage had to be edited to bring that emotion to the screen in the full extent that we experienced it. That scene was one of the most difficult scenes to edit, as our incredible editors can attest to!

EGO You both talk about abuses on all sides of the conflict. Can you elaborate a bit more for our readers?

Senain & Geeta: As far the Kashmiri people, all of them have suffered and continue to suffer. The greatest mistake we are making right now as global citizens is actually comparing peoples' suffering. If you suffered you suffered. When we start comparing, we start dividing and peace becomes almost impossible. People have suffered physical abuse, yes. They have lost lives, been tortured, extra-judicially arrested. They have lost their homes. However, we must remember the psychological abuse — this is what we don't see and we often don't consider. In this film, we wanted audiences to understand this critical part of the conversation about any conflict zone. There is more info on our website (www.projectkashmir.org).

EGO What is 'Azadi' for the Kashmiri?

Senain & Geeta: This is the question of the hour. We don't have a simple answer to offer, however we made this film to help the Kashmiri's talk about the question and come up with an answer together. Only the Kashmiris can say.

EGO The camera work is beautiful and Ross Kauffman undoubtedly captures the famed beauty of the valley. Did you have moments to experience the splendor in quietude?

Senain & Geeta: We did have moments in the beginning of the shoot. After that, even the most glorious moments were darkened in our heads with all that we knew. It's hard to explain, but we were deeply affected by the people we met and we all seemed to experience some depression throughout the shoot.

EGO Thank you for your time and good luck with the film. Is there anything you'd like to add for readers?

Senain & Geeta: This is a film that our generation needs. The people of Kashmir changed our lives and will change yours. As South Asians, we need to understand the shrouded story of Kashmir and the sad reality of how the India-Pakistan political divide is taking the lives of people like us, our own age, or that of our parents, our grandparents and our children.

As you know, documentary films don't have the same marketing and distribution backing of say, The Dark Knight! We hope that readers will watch the film, contact us through our website (www.projectkashmir.org) to request screenings so we can bring it to them, and help us spread the word. The Kashmir Project begins with the film and continues with the conversation.

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY IN NYC AND LA!
Sponsored by the International Documentary Association's Docuweek. Chosen as one of fifteen films for the 2008 Oscar Qualifying Showcase.

NEW YORK - AUGUST 8-14 - VILLAGE CINEMA EAST
LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 22-28 - ARCLIGHT HOLLYWOOD

For more info and tickets:
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LA: https://www.arclightcinemas.com/ArcLight/faces/MovieDetails.jsp?movieName=DOCUWEEK%26%2358%3B+PROJECT+KASHMIR&pageInfo=IDA