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Director Atul Pandey on National Award win for 'Main Nida': Hopelessly surreal
Director Atul Pandey reflects on his debut documentary winning Best Arts/Culture Film at the 72nd National Film Awards
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Filmmaker Atul Pandey’s audio-visual biographical documentary on legendary poet Nida Fazli, Main Nida, was awarded the Best Arts/Culture Film Award at the 72nd National Film Awards on Monday. Reflecting on the honour, Pandey shares, “Standing in front of our president to receive an award that too for your debut project is hopelessly surreal.”
Explaining how Main Nida came into being, Pandey recalls, “There was this guy who met me and he had some footage in his library of Nida Sahab, as he had done some shows with the legendary poet. This person wanted to make a film, but couldn’t due to several reasons. As a lover of poetry, languages, and a passionate storyteller, I wanted people to closely know the real Nida Fazli—a fascinating poet, a very strong critic, and yes, a vocal orator. The industry had not been very kind to him, so I had to take him to people and make them witness his brilliance.”
Creating the documentary was a hands-on effort for Pandey, making the national recognition even sweeter. “From learning camera work and editing to ghost directing, I did it all. So this award is proof that I have actually broken the bubble of comfort as a one-person unit with a small team. Unlike big filmmakers who have everything, here we have shot with camera attendants. I mean, if you look at the film, all the titles or credits that you see—they will be visible for the first and last time.” Throughout his career, Pandey has gravitated towards storytelling. “I only worked on films which had some kind of a social relevance. Like my first film, for instance, Summer 2007, based on farmer suicides. So, I’ve always worked on such projects that have a strong story to tell.”
With a career spanning over three decades in the industry, taking the leap to direct his own documentary was a significant milestone. “35–38 years is a long time. You go through ups and downs, but the reality is you need that motivation to take that first leap from your comfort zone,” he reflects.
Sharing a moment early in his career when he took up direction. “I don’t want to name him, but a big director with whom I was associated as an executive producer way back in 1995 once said, ‘Joh tum yeh kaam kar rahe ho, iske log mujhe paise dete hain mere saath kaam karne ke liye.’ Woh baat dil pe lag gayi ke director ne aisa bola. Now I too, once in my lifetime, will direct a project.”
That experience also shaped his approach toward mentorship. “Also, I learnt one thing: to support newcomers. Since I became an independent filmmaker, I tried to work with first-timers and gave them a break. I may have lost money, but I still gave breaks to more people,” he adds.
Audiences will soon get to stream the award-winning film. “We have an offer from at least one OTT platform, so we will see how it works. You will bring it out for the people to watch finally.”
Hailing from Uttar Pradesh and rooted in the culture of cities like Ghaziabad, Agra, and Kanpur, Pandey isn’t slowing down. He recently completed his second documentary, Shat Shat Atal.
“Yes, it was released on Atal ji’s 100th birthday on Prasar Bharati. I think that too is one of the best works of my life. I will take it to the festival circuit soon. After that, I plan to take up another documentary on Sardar Patel, but for that, I will have to take a lot of approvals,” says the filmmaker.
