SWIZERLAND

AJITPAL SINGH

- Hansika Lohani Mehtani

When I sat down to read Ajitpal Singh’s answers to my questions, it struck me that his childhood has been a mixed bag of great joy and deep suffering. It can be clearly divided into two parts—Before & After Operation Bluestar; an event that has deeply affected his life. Having lived in a village in Punjab, walking with buffalos, bathing in the rain and daydreaming; being discriminated against for being a Sikh and moving homes to stay safe, away from his father who had also moved homes to earn a better living for his family.

However there was light at the end of the tunnel for Ajit finding solace in writing and filmmaking. The romance began when he started reading Premchand in school, which later blossomed into filmmaking. He first experimented with shorts and worked for a few German documentaries as well before making his debut feature Swizerland. Here he talks about the same and also a little about his other recent short film, Rammat Gammat.

What drew you to filmmaking?