Imtiaz, Hansal Mehta collaborate for water conservation films

The issue of water conservation will be highlighted by four critically acclaimed directors -- Imtiaz Ali, Hansal Mehta, Aniruddha Roy Chaudhary and Madhur Bhandarkar -- through short films.
Imtiaz, Mehta, Chowdhury and Bhandarkar have come together to bring out the key message through everyday stories of India through four different short films for a television channel as part of 'Mission Blue campaign'.
Mehta said his son Jay is making his debut as a director with the movie titled "Paani Path" and he played the mentor to him.
"As filmmakers we need to have stories that are engaging. When this opportunity (of short film on water conservation) came to me I was keen on doing it but I had many stories and time commitment was a problem," he told reporters here.

"My son came up with multiple stories. I asked him if he wants to direct it. It's a very impactful story. He (the son) has great level of awareness (on water conservation) and wants to bring it to the world, so I am thankful for this opportunity," he added.
While Imtiaz, who has directed "Paani Panchayat", said he has a personal connect with this cause as his father has spend his life working on water irrigation projects in rural India.

"I have seen him working in villages and remote places. I was brought up realising how important is water in life. I have seen and heard stories of water and I couldn't miss this opportunity.

"The concept of 'Paani Panchayat' is something that happened in my father's life. I felt this was the best way of reaching out to more people," said Imtiaz.
Madhur has mentored Anand Kumar for the short film titled "Ek Balti Paani".
Madhur said be it short or feature film if the story is good it will make an impact.
"Water is a vital issue and the idea is to connect with people globally on this issue through these films," he said.
"Pink" fame director Aniruddha Roy Chaudhary has made a short film titled "Baiju".
"Any film which is engaging, entertaining and informative people love it and we hope through our films people will understand the message that we want to pass," he said.

Actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar is also involved in raising awareness about water conservation as the brand ambassador for the campaign.
He is proud to be working for the cause and hopes people will realise that the responsibility of conserving water is essentially in their own hands.
"Cinema has the power of telling engaging stories. It's a vital issue that affects people. I do feel films will go a long way in creating awareness on water conversation and start a discussion among family and friends. If these short films educates people it is great," Farhan said.
The actor said he realised the importance of preserving water eight to nine years back.

"I am trying to be as responsible as I can. I teach my children about the importance of conservation of water and at times they remind me saying I should finish water from the glass and not kept it half as it leads to wastage," he added.