Ashvin Kumar, director and son of well-known fashion designer Ritu Kumar, is relieved for a lot of reasons. Firstly, he is happy that his film The Forest is finally seeing the light of day. The film that has been in the making for the last five years will be releasing on May 5. Ashvin, who has had a tough run with the censor board, reflects upon the long and tiresome journey of making The Forest.
Essentially a thriller with an ecological message, it is a tale of a leopard set in the jungles of North India. The story revolves around a couple who arrive from a city to enjoy a quiet vacation in the forest and are disturbed by the arrival of the wife’s ex-lover. In the middle of all this, a leopard that strayed into the village due to a failed poaching attempt haunts them.
Ashvin says that it’s been a long and arduous journey filming The Forest. “It basically taught me to be patient and accept disappointments with a brave face. It has also taught me how to deal with rejection gracefully. But it was all worth it, since it got nominated for the Oscars,” says Ashvin, adding that it was a humbling experience since he was on a high after the Academy Award nomination. “As for now, I am just glad that it’s releasing in theatres,” he says as his assistant waits for yet another document at the censor board’s office in New Delhi.
Considering the censor board has always given Ashvin a tough time, he says that he finds himself caught in an opaque system. “It’s filled with vague procedures. And there’s very little one can do about it. I think it’s just the bureaucracy that plagues it. I think censorship should be self-regulated. Nowhere in the world is there any censorship for performing arts, so why have them for films in India? I’ve been through enough of harassment from the censor guys,” he says.
With The Forest, Ashvin says he’s explored the reality that looms large in our society today. “There are different layers to the story and looks deep into the relationship that exists between the way man has captured the jungle with rapid urbanisation and the loss of sensitivity towards our forests and jungles which are full of life,” he says.