TORONTO : Richie Mehta’s infectiously lively and tactile documentary, “India in a Day”, is one of the more unusual titles to premiere at the 41st Toronto International Film Festival.
The film provides a record of a day in the life of India – midnight to midnight – to bring alive a nation overflowing with human stories of both beauty and pain.
“India in a Day”, powered by Google and executive produced by Ridley Scott and Anurag Kashyap, is an 86-minute documentary composed of videos shot on a single day – October 10, 2015 – by thousands of people across the country.
“The story of evolving India is the story of the evolving world,” says Mehta, who was born and raised in Canada but is now based in London.
“This film presents a continuum of all our achievements. Parts of India still live the way that we did 1,000 years ago while the country has also sent a mission to Mars.”
Mehta has shot two features in India – “Amal” (2007) and “Siddharth” (2013) – and is currently filming a television series on Delhi Police. He has spent enough time in the country to grasp its social and cultural nuances.
As part of an initiative by Google, Mehta received 400 hours of film in the form of 16,000 submissions made using varied forms of technology.
“We (Mehta and film editor Beverley Mills) spent three months just watching the videos before embarking on the process of cutting,” he says.
“Beverley has never been to India, so she approached the footage presented to us without any preconceived notions. That was probably a big advantage,” says Mehta.
“India in a Day” captures the challenges of living in India while reflecting the energy and humour of its people, which is palpable in every frame in the film. (AGENCIES)
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