Sapna Bhavnani is a celebrity hair stylist and filmmaker from India. Her directorial debut “Sindhustan” has been winning awards and accolades all over. Premiered at the New York Film Festival- 2019 , “Sindhustan” screened at the Jio MAMI Film Festival, Mumbai. Recently we spoke with her about her journey into film making, “Sindhustan” and few other topics.

From a celebrity hair stylist to a film maker – Can you elaborate on this journey?

I started dabbling in film in 2009. I was dating a musician then and I was so inspired by his music I picked up the camera to make music videos. The seed had already been planted. After that, I started with shorts. They are still uploaded on my YouTube channel somewhere. Hair has been a constant love and also the reason for my wings. Mad O Wot has given me the freedom to create as I please without conforming to the norm. “Snare” was a short I did. A bit amateur now but it was about the prison we self-impose on ourselves as creative people.

I took a short break and then started working on “Sindhustan” which took 8 years to complete.

“Sindhustan” – What are the catalysts of this concept and how did it happen?

I was with the same musician lover watching a concert when I heard these fakirs from Sindh perform. I was so blown away, I had never heard anything so beautiful in my life. I asked him “is this where I’m from… and he said “yes..” this is your cultural heritage and I had no clue. I ran home and googled Sindh for the first time and when I found out Abida Parveen was Sindhi I had to start.

The narrative of “Sindhustan” revolves around partition. How did you manage to capture the emotions of a phase so perfectly without experiencing those in reality?

Thank you for feeling that. I knew that I did not want to give you any info that you could get from google so kept the documentary very anecdotal. I interviewed the people who had gone through partition and then decided which ones to illustrate on my body with Yogi the tattoo artist. In a way, both of us went through partition during this process. It was painful and gut wrenching for both as was the partition for millions.

How did the idea of using ink and tattoos come into your mind to portray your concepts of roots in the narrative?

This idea came from my nani. She was an inked woman herself and when she saw the ink on my body she was very proud. She told me I was going back to my roots as back then when everyone lived in tribes, there were no government, borders, boundaries, just markings that showed we belonged to a certain community.My markings made her very happy.

You have quoted “Important for us to know stories, not history”. Could you please elaborate on it a bit?

History keeps on changing according to the narrator. Our books did not teach us anything. I feel it’s important to investigate your own history by asking your ancestors instead of going through history books and google.

As a filmmaker, who has been your inspiration and why?

As a filmmaker I am very inspired by Sai Paranjpye and her stories. She has the ability to tell complex tales in the simplest of forms. I hope she makes a few more in the current circusmntances as we are in dire need of good storytellers.

What about your future projects? Are you working on any script(s)?

I just finished shooting a short called “Mera Kutta Bimaar Hai” aka “My Dog Is Sick” starring Rajshri Deshpande and Anshuman Jha. The film is very layered and laden with metaphors about 2 people in love, destroying each other willingly. There is no judgement on them and there is no angle of feminism or patriarchy to the film. I believe what happens between a couple is best understood by the couple, the rest is all heresay. This film is in editing at the moment. I am also in development of a story written by playwright Purva Naresh that I intend on directing called Hara Kiri. I took a break from documentaries and have jumped into the land of fiction. I’m thrilled about 2020!!!