Hardik Mehta streams Amdavad Ma Famous for free to help COVID-affected

Director Hardik Mehta has joined hands with the Mumbai-based Khana Chahiye Foundation to aid citizens as they battle against an astronomical number of COVID-19 cases. Mehta will be screening his National Film Award-winning documentary Amdavad Ma Famous on YouTube for free in an attempt to encourage viewers to contribute to the Khana Chahiye Foundation which is providing relief to those who are affected by the pandemic.

Amdavad Ma Famous was released in 2015 at the Budapest International Documentary Festival and received the Best Short Documentary award. This set the stage for the documentary’s success. The plot of this vibrant documentary follows the metamorphosis of a young boy named Zaid, set during the backdrop of the kite-flying festival of Uttarayana in Ahmedabad. Zaid is a kite-flying enthusiast who competes for a spot at the most coveted terrace in the whole city. This beautifully shot documentary, claimed to be a visual treat by many, also delves into the connection one has with their passions.

In conversation with OTTPlay, Mehta divulged his reasons for having chosen Amdavad Ma Famous to be the project that is involved in the initiative. “The good part is that I own the intellectual property rights of Amdavad Ma Famous. This is a great bonus! A lot of filmmakers make films but the property is always owned by the producer. In this case, my wife Akanksha and co-producer Arya were my partners and we’re very good friends. We got around to thinking - How else can a middle class artiste or filmmaker in our country contribute to the problems that people are going through right now? I believe one of the simplest ways to contribute to society right now, keeping in mind that we are also not allowed to step out of our homes and filmmaking is not an essential service, was to put our film out for most people to watch at home,” he said.

On zeroing in on Khana Chahiye Foundation for the relief work, the filmmaker said, “Khana Chahiye Foundation is an initiative that I have been following for some time. I am fond of their work and have collaborated with them once in the past when I was an assistant director and had written a script for Vikramaditya Motwane. We had encouraged people to go and vote at the time. So I knew Khana Chahiye very well."

Explaining the reason for taking up the noble cause, Mehta says, “A lot of people are suffering because of the partial lockdown. Migrants and labourers are not allowed to venture out. Khana Chahiye is doing a wonderful job in providing food to those who need it. Most people who watch documentaries and short films are privileged and are at home. Even they’re wondering how they can contribute to society and frontline workers. This thought had come to me when I was sitting at home and feeling helpless. We can keep blaming authorities, but it never helps. As artistes and filmmakers, the least we can do is put our films out and hope that they help. And for people who haven't seen our films, they now have a chance! Documentaries are the kind of films that just disappear often and then people say ‘Haan suna toh hai uske baare mein but dekhi nahi hai’ (Yes, I have heard of that documentary but have never watched it). That’s why I felt like it was better to do an initiative like this.”

The documentary is already on YouTube. "People who like the film and feel the urge to contribute have a chance to donate to Khana Chahiye Foundation now- Koi zabardasti ya obligation nahi hai! (There is no forceful participation or obligation to contribute)," he says.

Quoting Hollywood director Chloe Zhao's words after her Oscar win earlier this week, Mehta says,  "She said, 'People at birth are inherently good'. I heard that and was like ‘Wow! That is such a great way of thinking.’ This got me to believe that if we put our film out there, people will see that there is a filmmaker who has made his 3-4 years of hard work free to stream. I am hoping that this makes the audience realise their responsibility to contribute to a cause that we believe in. This is just a gesture we want to do for society. I believe this will also change the perception that people have of Bollywood. One out of a hundred of us are going to Maldives, the rest of us are truly trying to help people!”

Amdavad Ma Famous is now available to stream on YouTube.