Shishir Uniyal bags the prestigious award in IFFD in regional Movie catagory as the best film, this being his directorial debut . Kudos

SUSHMA JUGRAN DHYANI, Sr. Journalist and renowned writer on literature

Watched the Garhwali film ‘Rabar’, selected and awarded in the regional films category, on May 7 at the Delhi International Film Festival held at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in Delhi from May 4 to 8.

After watching this film written and directed by young producer director Shishir Uniyal under the banner of Kinoscope Films, there is no hesitation in saying that ‘Rabar’, which very seriously depicts the relationship between Pushkar, a young postman living in a village, and his father, was completely worthy of being a part of the film festival and getting awarded.

Featuring a limited cast, this film focuses on the core theme while also addressing the development and problems of Uttarakhand’s rural areas. For example, thanks to government funds allocated to panchayats, the rough and rocky village streets are being cemented, albeit partially, and scooters are also seen plying on many roads. Postman Pushkar’s scooter is parked outside his house, and he commutes on it.

Private vehicles like Trekkers and Boleros, disguised as public transport, are also common on the main roads. This means that a spontaneous flow of material development appears to be flowing through the villages. Showing all this thoughtfully and deliberately throughout the film, without any additional dialogue or action, is a remarkable directorial feat. Furthermore, it also shows that the postal system and postmen, the focus of this film, are operating in a similar fashion to cities.
In the opening scene, a postman goes to deliver mail in a village and hands a woman her ATM card, which arrived via speed post, whereas previously, money orders and letters were eagerly awaited. This suggests that some changes are an essential part of sustainable development. They require no extra effort, or you have to adapt to them even if you don’t want to.

However, during the release of the film’s teaser and music video in October last year, the film’s producer-director expressed confidence that while it couldn’t guarantee audiences would laugh, it would certainly make them cry. Watching the film proved this assurance true. The film is so sensitive that there’s no room for laughter, nor is there a need for it. The audience is left contemplating the affection and dilemma between the father and son and the mother.

The most touching aspect of the film is that the unspoken communication gap between father and son also reflects a sense of affection, respect, and responsibility. The ailing father’s selfishness is so great that he takes up a small government job as a postman and sets up his own home in the village, so that not only his future is financially secure, but he can also be cared for in his old age.

On the other hand, the son’s anger stems from the fact that despite the opportunity for a better job in the city, his father never motivated him, and that, out of a sense of responsibility, he is forced to take on a menial job in the name of caring for his parents. Living in this frustration, he loses all interest in marriage, believing that this web of family relationships has been repeated for generations.

Parallel to this, a thread of the story revolves around an unaddressed letter written years ago by a father to his son as an apology. This letter, or rather, a message, becomes the center of the entire story. The post office where Pushkar works as a postman is being relocated. Meanwhile, while sorting through documents, Pushkar comes across a letter written many years ago, with the letter’s name written on the outside.

But the address of the person to whom it was to be sent was not listed. Consequently, it failed to be posted. Conscious of the necessity for the letter to reach its destination, Pushkar first searched for the sender nearby. A gentleman from the neighboring village revealed that the letter’s author had died a few years earlier, and his son had already left home. Furthermore, the son hadn’t returned home for his sister’s wedding or his mother’s death.

Pushkar slipped the letter inside his locked house without reading it, but was worried about what important message his father might have left for his son. When a friend suggested he should have read it, Pushkar somehow managed to retrieve it. But reading it, he became even more worried. In the letter, the father apologized to his son for his actions. From there, he resolved that no matter what, he would deliver the letter to his son and find out what his father’s crime was.

Pushkar also feels that his father has been a hindrance to his career, but he feels no remorse or guilt about it. So what could have been the rift between father and son that he left home and never returned? And his father had to apologize by writing an unaddressed letter. Sensing Pushkar’s distress, the postmaster initially tells him to forget it, but relents to his persistence and brings him the phone number and address of his sister, who lives in Dehradun.

But the sister refuses to say or hear anything about her brother. Then, through her husband, he learns of his whereabouts in Delhi. He returns there, hands the letter to his son, and breathes a sigh of relief. He then realizes how his father’s alcohol addiction had robbed the entire family of happiness. But the father’s remorse in the letter instantly dispelled the bitterness in his son’s heart, and he burst into tears.

Coming back to this point, Pushkar resolves that he will somehow go to Delhi with the consent of his parents to pursue his career, otherwise, the way he is living a suffocating life here, a situation may arise where his parents do not know where he is living and even a single message from them may not reach him.

His parents, understanding his dilemma, send him off with blessings. He even gives him his savings, hoping he’ll need it in an unfamiliar city. The film ends with a scene at a bus stop, where one city-dwelling son returns to his village with his family, while another village son leaves for Delhi to build his future.

Overall, the film keeps you captivated until the end. In addition to the central character, Pushkar, the presence of renowned actor and director Shreesh Doval as the father lends a distinct dignity to the film. A young director like Shishir should be proud that his film features a brilliant performance by a seasoned director and actor like Shreesh Doval. Similarly, the brief appearance of Hari Semwal, a well-known director and actor of Garhwali theatre, is also noteworthy.

Seasoned actress Suman Gaur’s dialogue delivery and effortless, simple language certainly leave a distinct impression. It’s worth noting that the film features new faces instead of the usual cast of characters. This expansion is essential. The most notable aspect of the film was that, apart from Suman Gaur as the mother, the other few female characters only appear in one scene each. The story didn’t seem to require a heroine alongside the hero.
Yes, throughout the film, attention was repeatedly drawn to the interior walls of a room in the post office, labeled Pipalkoti, as posters displaying information about the primary health center instead of the post office-specific posters. There were only two explanations for this: either this primary health center was the only location available for shooting, or it was deliberately depicted as a way to show that government offices like the rented post office in villages could be run anywhere.
The beautiful valleys of Uttarakhand, which have even producers and directors from the plains eyeing them, are not seen unnecessarily in “Rabar.” This indicates that if the story is strong, even the location becomes secondary. However, this is positive in the sense that the excessive attraction and exploitation of natural sites for film locations is a cause for concern for the region’s environment.

Whatever the case, after watching Raibar, it seemed that now, along the lines of Bombay masala films, thinking beyond the song-and-music-oriented films set amidst the beautiful valleys of the mountains with a unique love story. Watching Raibar, it was heartening to see that its director and screenwriter, Shishir, after nearly four years of hard work, created a film that was selected and awarded in the regional film category of the Delhi International Film Festival in its first attempt.

The good news is that the future of Uttarakhand cinema is now being handed over to a generation that aspires to pursue film-related studies as a career path. Directors like Shishir are leading this path. Congratulations to him and his team.