Hat-trick at Cannes for Punjabi director Navtej Singh Sandhu

This year, the Cannes Film Festival is set to screen two Punjabi films – the short films 'Chamm' and 'Gawachi Pagg'. While 'Chamm' is a story of Dalit struggle, 'Gawachi Pagg' is an emotional tale picked from an incident during Operation Blue Star in Amritsar. Directed by Navtej Singh Sandhu, 'Gawachi Pagg' is his third entry in Cannes and shows a young boy, played by Japtej Singh – who essayed the young Milkha Singh in 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' – desperately searching for his lost turban inside the Golden Temple when a curfew is announced.The turban is symbolic of honour and the film shows the young boy fearlessly trying to get his turban back while convincing a cop, played by Ashish Duggal, to let him inside the Temple.
“My first film, 'Nooran', on women’s empowerment, was screened in 2014. In 2015, another one of my films, 'Khamdi Deorri', based on family relationships gone astray, was selected in the short films category,” says Navtej, who has directed five short films so far.
With challenges like lack of funds, returns and support, short films are not a lucrative business. Yet, those like Sandhu have been making short films for many years. “Not many know this – I was into Punjabi film promotions for 24 years,” says Navtej, who belongs to Amritsar and cultivated an interest in literature. He adds, “I worked closely with the likes of Manmohan Singh (Punjabi film director). But him apart, not many other Punjabi filmmakers, especially till a few years ago, made sensible movies on subjects. Comedy was a favourite, but that too was being overused. About five years ago, I decided to take up making films myself to add seriousness to our region’s cinema. Short films pay nothing and producers like Dharam Singh Goraya, who produced 'Gawachi Pagg', are really brave to invest in them.”
'Chamm' is the only other Punjabi film at Cannes in all these years apart from Sandhu’s three films. “I don’t know if people don’t send their films or their films don’t get selected. But if we are to be seen internationally, we have to make good cinema that is worthy of festivals like Cannes,” Sandhu says about the tough selection criteria at Cannes.