Don't think we care about climate change: Nila Madhab Panda

Director Nila Madhab Panda said despite its massive and growing proportions, people are not concerned about climate change.
The 44-year-old filmmaker, whose next directorial "Kadvi Hawa" is up for release, said even as the capital, among other cities, gasps to find a breather amid the smog, people will forget about the issue soon.
In an interview with PTI, Panda said, "I don't think that our generation, who has read about the issue of climate change, actually cares about it. When the World Environment Day comes, people just post something about it on social media.
"Recently, the schools were closed because of pollution. But what will happen next is that people will forget about it in one month."

At the centre of Panda's film is a 70-year-old blind man, played by actor Sanjai Mishra, who is most affected by the water crisis in the Chambal belt in the Bundelkhand region of northern India.
The director said he tried to explore the life of a person who has zero carbon footprint in the movie and becomes the one to bring about the much-needed change.

"What we try to bring is a guy, a blind man, whom the society considers that he is good for nothing. A guy who is old, who has no existence, whose thoughts and ideas do not matter to the society. But this guy opens the eyes of the people."

The issue of climate change may have become a trending hashtag now, but according to Panda, the problem has persisted since time immemorial.
"My first impression about climate change was shocking. Years back, I had to make a film for Discovery channel. So I went to this coast in Odisha. A friend of mine is working at Centre for Science and Environment. He used to tell me that around Odisha coastline villages have drowned and ocean has swept them.
"I used to dismiss his claims. But when I went to the place, it had actually drowned and for the first time in my life I saw a handpump in the sea. In 20 years, the handpump which was in middle of a village, is now in an ocean," he said.

The "I am Kalam" filmmaker said he wanted to make a film on climate change for a long time but the story took a long time to pan out.
"It was not an easy film to make. I have been planning to make it for years. Whenever I started to make the movie, I used to think how we should make because it was either about the farmers' suicide or about a person who lost everything in a cyclone. So we were finding an anchor for our film."
Panda said Mishra was a little hesitant to take up the role as he found it "preachy".

"When I asked Sanjai Mishra to play the role, he was initially hesitant because he said the role of a old, blind person is kind of preachy. His mind, however, changed after reading the script."
"Kadvi Hawa", also featuring Ranvir Shorey and Tillotama Shome, is scheduled to be released on November 24.