Amitabha Singh’s directorial debut SHORTCUT SAFAARI that
is gearing up for release this Friday, stars Jimmy Sheirgill and ensemble of
kids. Jimmy, who essays the role of a chief, has a small yet pivotal part in
the film.
Jimmy may not have been the original choice for Amitabha
but he has been the ultimate option for the filmmaker. Amitabha may have mulled
over a few options from actors like Naseeruddin Shah to Nawazuddin Siddiqui to
Irrfan Khan, he eventually settled for Jimmy Sheirgill. And now he reveals us
how Jimmy perfectly fitted the bill.
“I was considering quite a few options, right from Nana
Patekar to Naseeruddin to Nawazuddin Siddiqui to Irrfan Khan to Boman Irani.
The initial idea was to have a grandfather figure but eventually I realised
that it needs to be like elder brother or younger uncle kind of a figure, who
can actually throw you in a pool even if you don’t know how to swim and make
you learn swimming. The idea was to add a character that was enigmatic,
somebody who can pass on as a younger uncle. If you look at the cultural
context and even in my observation, children get attached to younger mama or
chacha (uncle) figure. They get close to somebody, who in the relationship, is
possibly higher but the age and mindset are where you can take certain liberty
with them. So I was looking at that kind of a relationship and that is where
Jimmy perfectly fits the bill,” says Amitabha.
He adds, “He has the right charisma, aura, right
personality. More so, he has the fabulous youth connect. At times he looks
strict, while at other times he looks forgiving. He has pulled it off
brilliantly. Though he has few dialogues in the film, he has enacted it with
his expressions and body language and conveyed the right message across.”
“It has not been easy to de-learn and then find ways to
learn something that one has never paid attention to- or get sensitized about.
How do plants grow; how do innumerable animals coexist within the astonishing
harmony of Nature. It has been a great learning, and naturally I was filled
with a strong urge to express it somehow. Till SHORTCUT SAFARI happened. I had
great fun, but more than that, it was a great learning experience. I played a
character working for the cause of Environment. During the making of the film,
I spent lot of time with children, and what an eye opener it has been! Their
innocence and trust are of paramount significance when it comes to our own
role-responsibility towards wellness of our shared Habitat- our Earth,” Jimmy
adds.
The film attempts to reconnect us with our roots, gives
out the social message, talks about the conservation and various current issues
including global warming through the eye of seven kids. Touted as jungle
adventure film with children, SHORTCUT SAFAARI has been screened at select film
festivals and applauded a lot for the children's performances. Having many
landmark films to his credit, Amitabha Singh has been the producer and DOP on
the Oscar nominated The Good Road. SHORTCUT SAFAARI features Aashi Rawal,
Sharvil Patel, Mann Patel, Ugam Khetani, Stuti Dwivedi, Deah Tandon and Hardil
Kanabar. Jointly produced by Xebec Films Pvt. Ltd, Kashyap A Shah & Amigos
Fin-o-tainment, SHORTCUT SAFAARI aims to deliver a very effective message to
conserve Mother Nature.
