'I am Earth, ravaged by climate change'
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AHMEDABAD: Last year's Uttarakhand catastrophe, heavy rains in Gujarat, the typhoon in Philippines and the freezing of Niagara Falls in the US and the Danube River in Europe - are these the result of global warming?
All these and other mysteries about the environment will be dealt with in India's first 'feature film' on climate change - It's Tomorrow' - written by non-resident Gujarati, Dr Rajeshkumar Acharya, who currently lives in the US. It is directed by Zanane Rajsingh, who was born in Nagpur but studied in Ahmedabad. The director said they had initially planned a documentary but had finally decided to make a feature-length film on the subject. Interestingly, the movie has the Earth talking to the audience directly and telling them about its plight caused by climate change.
Will human beings become extinct in another 100 years? Startling questions like this one about the environment and life on earth will be answered in the film which is about 20% ready. It will explain climate change, its impact and the factors that influence climate on earth, Rajsingh said.
"'It's Tomorrow' aims to sensitize the audience about climate change and global warming. It is a wake-up call to the world. The one-and-a-half-hour film explores what a worst-case scenario might look like and gives a glimpse of the kind of floods and other natural disasters that might visit us in future. The Earth introduces itself in the film and talks to the audience about its current state and what it is experiencing due to climate change," Acharya told TOI over the phone from the US.
Talking about the crew of the film, Acharya said that 'It's Tomorrow' is a political drama that revolves around the ongoing climate change phenomenon around the world. "Hence we've political giants, renowned scientists and actors playing roles in it. Actor Letiana Bohlke from Colombia will play the role of a strong political leader of Argentina, while Xenia Henriquez will essay the role of a former president of Philippines. Kiyoshi Kuzuwa, a noted Japanese scientist, will play himself in the film," said Acharya.
From India, Gujarat-born Suresh Vyas will portray the role of a strong leader from his state. Other Indian members of the crew are Rejeesh Ramesan and Jaymin Modi, a film graduate from the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad.
Rajsingh said the movie will also talk about the Hubbard glacier in Alaska, the Heard Island glaciers in Australia and the Lambert glaciers in Antarctica which are growing in spite of global climate change.
Rajsingh is one of the youngest film directors from Gujarat to direct an international film outside the country. He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013 for his psycho-thriller, 'Hastkala', under best screenplay category.
The film is jointly produced by a US-based firm Nanoland Inc and an Indian firm, Nanoland Ltd. The shooting locales will include the US, Japan, Tibet, Philippines, Argentina, Iceland and India. It will be dubbed in nine languages and is scheduled to release in November 2014. In Gujarat, it will be released with subtitles in Gujarati.
Nearly 20% of the shooting for the film was completed in Iceland and Argentina. The next phase will begin in the US in February. In India, shooting will be done in Gujarat some time around the middle of the year.
"We are still exploring places for the shoot. However, we have finalized a new studio that's coming up on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara highway," Rajsingh said.
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