A Rare And Brave Filmmaker, Spring Thunder Director Sriram Dalton
National Award winning filmmaker Sriram Dalton is one of the rarest filmmaker in our times, who has successfully managed to incorporate the beauty of nature, region, culture and people, and lacing it with social messaging, without getting caricaturist.
Sriram’s first feature, Spring Thunder, which dwells deep into politics, corruption and mining of natural resources, has won praises from intellectuals like filmmaker Shyam Benegal, Anubhav Sinha, Anurag Kashyap, Ravish Kumar and more for its need-of-the-hour topic and gripping realistic narrative.
Spring Thunder, caused a lot of stir for exposing the corrupt political and mining culture which is destroying the nature and putting natural water-ways and dwelling at severe risk.
The film faced a lot of trouble from politicians and mafia, which lead the filmmaker to release the film digitally rather than commercially. Talking about the film, Sriram said, “I make films to create awareness. There is an incredible sense of achievement about revealing the truth via cinematic landscape. Mining at the cost of destroying Natural harmony and equilibrium is an issue. Ignoring the tribal community taking over their land, water, and forest is an issue. It needed to be addressed, and I did. I might have made some enemies on the way, people tried to derail my movie, even had its commercial release cancelled, but I’ve always stood by my principal, and I will remain to do so. The film is out and making its own path through people.”
Talking about his National Award winning project ‘The Lost Bharupiya’, Sriram said, “It is beautiful film about traditional performing arts of India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh. But unfortunately people practicing the art are living in horrifying poverty. I researched the subject and made a film, I feel proud as National Award is just an reassurance that I am doing something substantial.”
Spring Thunder – A fight for Jal Jungal Jameen comes loaded with a meaningful anthem, which is fast gaining popularity.
The film is an extension of Sriram’s initiative “Jal Jungle Jamin Humara Hain” for spreading awareness about dying rivers of India with the idea of “Free India Water.
The filmmaker had even walked for straight 120 days from Mumbai to Jharkhand, to create awareness about his film and his initiative to save land, water and forest.
Talking about his future project, Sriram said, “I am working on a project which is, like my earlier projects, very Desi, Very Local and yet very global. If things go as planned, it would be something much bigger then my earlier projects. We’re just prepping right now, once I have done my homework, I’d make the official announcement soon.”
Apart from Spring Thunder and The Lost Behrupiya, filmmaker Sriram Dalton has also directed Nawazuddin Siddiqui for‘OP Stop Smelling your Socks’.
