Bhubaneswar: Can climate change affect relations? Yes, says Odia director Nila Madhab Panda through his film ‘Megha’s Divorce’.
Well, the short film is in the news again and this time for its screening at the Geneva Observer for The G|O: SUSTAINED – Fossil Fuel Investment Needs to End NOW initiative.
The 10-minute film, shot in just 5 days, takes its audience through a plethora of details. It revolves around a couple in Delhi, of whom the wife leaves the city with their child to a countryside to protect him from extreme air pollution choking the national capital.
Superlative performances by actors Divya Dutta, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Manjiri Fadnnis and Chandan Anand in pivotal roles grip the audience.
The director himself has been vocal for climate change through his movies. ‘Kadvi Hawa’ was based on true stories from drought-prone areas and had Special Mention at the 64th National Film Awards.
‘Kalira Atita’ deals with the impact of climate change through the story of a man who has lost his home and family to sea erosion.
Talking about Megha’s Divorce, Panda told OdishaBytes, “All that we do is related to the eco-system. Anything aggressive we do to nature, it gives us back in equal measure or even worse.
“Environment change is a larger issue and it’s high time we start paying attention to it. Rising temperature, pandemic, cyclone and other such natural disasters are not only affecting health, but personal relations a well,” he added.
Though the movie is based in Delhi, cities in Odisha too cannot escape nature’s wrath in near future. The state has witnessed summer temperature soaring to a high of 45 degree Celsius and the recent cyclone, if any are other indications.
Pandemic is surely not a natural disaster but has given human kind to think and ponder over alternatives ways to prevent pollution and protect the country’s depleting environment.
Locked at home like any other person during the pandemic, Panda the thinker has been spending time at his Delhi home reading, writing and watching series on OTT platforms. Asked about his favourite OTT series, he said thrillers and political dramas are among the favourites.
So, can we see him behind the camera for a thriller anytime soon? Yes, he replies. “My next is a crime investigative environment project, set in the future. It’s a new genre for me. It’s almost like how would you survive without rivers?,” he said. The film is targeted for release in the middle of next year.
His pearls of wisdom: “Think before harming the nature and be concerned enough.” Be it wasting water, use of non-biodegradable products and many more, all have an impact on us, he adds.
International Project
The Geneva Concept by Adeline Von Furstenberg has picked the stories illustrated by 11 international filmmakers from 11 countries that reflect the intertwining relations between mankind and environment and how they are worsened by climate change on multiple dimensions.
