All of us crave freedom, however, only a few of us are able to break the shackles of societal norms and experience a taste of freedom. More often than not, it is women who are bound by matrimonial obligations, household responsibilities, and caregiving duties, making it difficult for them to pursue such freedom. But breaking these norms are two Indian women – Gareema Shankar and Renu Singhi –who ventured out in the pursuit of freedom and took charge of their own lives.

Defying conventional norms set by society, they took up long-distance cycling much later in life after they got married. Refusing to bend to gender roles, they hopped on a bicycle and undertook long-distance cycling events and races.

Based on the ‘inner’ and ‘outer’ journeys of these two women is a documentary called ‘Going Solo’, which follows them before, during, and after one of the world’s most prestigious endurance cycling events – London-Edinburgh-London (LEL).

Talking about the making of the documentary, director Amey Gore said he was never into sports, however, after interviewing the subjects of the film, he realised that there was a lot more than just cycling as a sport. “They said that cycling is a coping mechanism for them and that was a cue for me to explore something larger than just concentrating on the technical aspects. The movie is about Indian families and social structures with cycling as a device to explore these larger narratives,” he shared.

Adding, Gore explained that more than anything else the movie is about freedom. “Everybody desires freedom in some way. But life, with its infinite variables, keeps us trapped in multiple loops. So, we need different activities to help us channelise our energies. If that does not happen, it completely changes your mindset, and you get bogged down by negativity. The film is essentially seeing how the energy of an individual conflicts with freedom and all the restrictions society brings. And we are seeing how cycling as a mechanism can help us channelise our energies and seek freedom.”

A glimpse into the lives of the women

Both Shankar and Singhi come from vastly different family backgrounds and upbringings. However, what unites them is their endeavour to do more with their lives. With this ambition, they undertook one of the toughest endurance cycling events in the world (read LEL).

Shankar, who was born into a wealthy family in North India, lived a rather privileged life. The only complaint was that it was like a cocoon – comfortable yet suffocating. As a teenager, she dreamed of roaming freely on her own. But her parents, in trying to protect her, often restricted her from going out alone.

For 37 long years, Shankar led a fairly predictable life. She got married and became a mother, but soon after a deep void began to set in. After the delivery of her baby, she became quite overweight. In hopes of shedding those extra kilos, she took up cycling –something she could be consistent with. She learnt cycling from her male cousin, but when she was younger, he would never allow her to cycle on the road. Soon after she took up cycling, she began to notice how her happiness had increased. Shankar even started discovering her city and became a regular rider, so much so that people started associating her bicycle with her.

“They would ask me why don’t I set goals for myself through cycling. This is the reason I started to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone. I began attending cycling events. I would be thrilled after completing those races,” she said.

After she saw her team preparing for LEL, she got motivated and registered herself for the event just three months before it was scheduled. “It was an impossible task to achieve but I wanted to participate in it,” she shared. So, she took up the challenge of cycling 1,540 km in only 125 hours at LEL.

Four days into the ride, it was clear that she would not be able to finish in time. But while most riders in her position were giving up, Shankar rode on, determined to fight till the very end. Although she could not achieve her goal, the LEL community was overwhelmed with her enthusiasm and spirit and awarded her a medal.

She recalled that before cycling, she was never into any sports. “I had never even been to a gym before. So, cycling was tough because I had no muscle memory. I had to practice very hard and build my stamina slowly,” she said.

Additionally, cycling in Delhi had its own unique challenges. Apart from women’s safety, rash driving, and bad roads, making it a nightmare to ride on these streets, Shankar’s parents would remain worried about her every time she went for a ride. And her own parenting skills were put to a test, as she tried to manage her training schedule with her maternal responsibilities. But cycling taught her to strike a balance between everything and live life on her own terms.

Her advice to anybody taking up a sport later in life is to always seek guidance from professionals. “Take it slowly just like a house is built brick by brick. Build your stamina gradually. And enjoy the whole process. The idea is to de-stress and not worry about achieving perfection,” Shankar said.

Meanwhile, Singhi had a rather carefree childhood, even though she was born in a traditional Jain family in Rajasthan. Even as a teenager, she could be seen riding on the streets of Jodhpur during the 1970s. However, after she got married, her life completely changed. Her husband’s family was conservative, and she had to single-handedly take care of the household – cooking, cleaning and raising two children. Soon, she started sensing a void in her life.

But it was at the age of 52, when she was already a grandmother that while visiting a bike shop to check out a cycle for her son, she ended up buying a bicycle for herself too. After that, there was no looking back.

“Initially, my family was against me taking up the activity. But nobody could stop me. I was unfettered to take up long-distance cycling events. After completing several long-distance Indian rides, I decided to take the plunge and participate in international events,” she said.

Last year, Singhi created history by becoming the first Indian woman to successfully complete the LEL event in time. She has faced several barriers along the way–from road accidents to conservative mindsets. But she is no mood to stop cycling behind her dreams. “People should do what they like. Age is no bar. I hope to motivate those girls who are afraid to go after their dreams. Put your heart and soul into something you love, and nothing can deter you,” she said.

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Dialogue coach Vikas Kumar, aka ACP Khan from ‘Aarya’, is responsible for Jim to hold his own in ‘dialoguebaazi’ in ‘Pathaan’. Kumar, also an actor and indie-film producer, speaks about his Bihar-to-Bollywood journey, why stars need Hindi coaching and the imposition of Hindi as national language.

A hero doesn’t become a hero in a vacuum, does he? What is he without a compelling villain? That the world went to see Shah Rukh Khan in Pathaan and came out praising John Abraham as well goes to show Abraham strove hard to build his package. A ribbed body and action scenes aside, dialoguebaazi with the SRK was going to be a Gargantuan challenge. In Hindi cinema, more than the action scenes, it is the protagonist-antagonist dialoguebaazi, the nok-jhonk (repartee) that rings the loudest in a dark hall. And so, to essay Jim with conviction, Abraham rung up actor-cum-dialogue coach Vikas Kumar, with whom he’d previously worked in Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran (2018) and Satyameva Jayate (2018).

It is not just in the language, Hindustani, which makes up our Hindi films, the syncretic ethos is what Kumar has grown up amid in Bihar, and that reflects in his indie-film production house, too. Khan and Kumar Media Pvt. Ltd is a collaboration between two school friends, Sharib Khan, a tech-entrepreneur in New York, and Kumar, who grew up on a regular dose of cinema. The company was launched in 2016, their first production began in 2019. Cinematographer Savita Singh’s debut directorial, Sonsi (Shadow Bird), which won the National Award for Cinematography (Non-Feature section) and qualified for the 2022 Academy Awards.

“Our projects are varied. Right now, we are producing short films (Born to See in English; Shera in Kumaoni) and documentaries (Die Before You Die; Har Saal Ki Bhaanti; Go Gary),” says Kumar, who was first seen in a Vikramaditya Motwane-edited short Shanu Taxi (2006), and has learnt from independent filmmakers Devashish Makhija (Ajji), Ashish Pant (Uljhan) and Aijaz Khan (Hamid), the latter he considers “an extremely important film in my career”, as for web-series, besides Aarya 3 (Disney+ Hotstar), he’s bullish about Kaala Paani (Posham Pa Pictures for Netflix). And, no, he doesn’t play a cop in that.

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On the work front, actor Vikas Kumar has been an important part of projects like Aarya,
Parmanu, CID and others. In the recent past, he started his production house named “KHAN
and KUMAR Media Pvt Ltd.”, with friend Sharib Khan. Their debut production, the short film –
SONSI, qualified for the OSCARS 2022.

They have now started working on a documentary film, an international collaboration with AMMI
MEDIA, a New York-based company. The documentary is about Indian women cyclists, primarily
featuring a 43-year-old mother from Delhi, Gareema Shankar, and a 57-year-old grandmother
from Jaipur, Renu Singhi. The film crew just concluded an 11-day schedule in the UK covering
the most testing cycling event in the world, LONDON EDINBURGH LONDON – a 1500 km ride
to be completed in 125 hours.

While Gareema has been hailed as one of the ‘Heroes of LEL 2022’, the 57-year-old Renu
Singhi, became the First Indian Woman Ever to complete the 1500 km challenge within the
stipulated time of 125 hrs. The crew followed Gareema and Renu on their journey, and also
captured other cyclists, organisers and volunteers at the event. The presence of a film crew on
the route through England and Scotland got many folks curious.
LEL Event Director, Danial Webb says, “It was great to see the documentary crew at work
recording the story of an extraordinary event. We’re excited to see how they weave the tale of
two riders and one of our many volunteers as a way of telling the world about the unique
experience of London Edinburgh London.”
Actor and producer Vikas Kumar says, “The crew in the UK took this as a challenge, as a test of
their endurance. They were on the 1500 km route for 10 days and witnessed Gareema and
Renu’s LEL journey, living through their experiences. While the UK crew was at the event, our
director Ameya Gore managed the shoot, coordinating all activities virtually from India using
Live Tracking of the cyclists and Google Street View to guide the team on the road. For 10 days,
everyone was sleep deprived yet alert lest we miss an important moment. This has been an
experience of a lifetime. There are a few more shooting schedules to follow. We hope that when
viewers get to watch the film, it will inspire many to take up personal challenges.”

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Popular actor Vikas Kumar made a place for himself in the entertainment industry with his
performance in projects like Aarya, Parmanu, CID and others. Recently, the actor, along with his
friend Sharib Khan, started his own production house. Along with the collaboration with a New
York-based company, the duo has started working on a documentary film, based on Indian
women cyclists.
The film features Gareema Shankar, a 43 year old mother from Delhi, and Renu Singhi, a 57
year old grandmother from Jaipur.Gareema became ‘Heroes of LEL 2022’ and Renu Singhi,
turned out to be the first Indian woman ever to complete the 1500 km challenge within the
stipulated time of 125 hrs. The team recently completed their 11-day schedule in the UK
covering the most testing cycling event in the world, London-Edinburgh-London, a 1500 km ride
to be completed in 125 hours. The journey of Gareema and Renu was followed by the film crew
and they captured other participants too, including the organisers and volunteers who were
present at the event. Many people were curious about the presence of a film crew on the route
through England and Scotland.
Vikas Kumar says, “The crew did a lot of hard work when they covered the 1500 km route for 10
days and lived the journey of Gareema and Renu. Our director, Ameya Gore, managed the
shoot and activities virtually from India while the crew was at the UK event. Everyone in the
crew was so alert that they were sleep deprived for 10 days. It was really a lovely experience
and we hope that the film will inspire many people.”

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Long before her directorial debut on the short film Shadow Bird (Sonsi), cinematographer Savita
Singh already felt at home as a storyteller.
“Myths and fables are a big part of growing up in India,” she says. “You can’t separate them
from reality.”
Born in Haryana and raised in Delhi by a banker and homemaker,
Singh never even touched a stills camera until college. She went on
to become the first woman to win a National Film Award for Best Cinematography – for
Kramasha (To Be Continued), her 2007 thesis film for the Film and Television Institute of India.
In Shadow Bird, she brings her passion for telling stories from a woman’s perspective, charting
the journey of an “8-year-old girl in the wee hours of the morning, when the boundaries of
dreams and reality are very thin,” Singh says.
“She dreams of a person called the Time-Keeper, who crosses in front of her window every
morning. In that little fraction of an early-morning dream, she weaves a story of an imaginary
bird that she secretly keeps – and that the Time-Keeper wants to steal.”
Singh’s work on the short won her a second National Film Award for Best Cinematography.
Shadow Bird also won Best Film at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival and Best
Short Film at the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival. But her transition from success at the
student level to professional filmmaking wasn’t a simple one.

Fighting for Representation

“When I started working, back in 2007, there weren’t many women cinematographers working in
Mumbai a which is the conter of filmmaking, especially for the Hindi speaking audience; Singh
says.
“People were really surprised to see a woman on set working behind the camera. I was
wondering. ‘Am I the only one who is bothered by the under-representation of women? is it only
me who feels this casual sexism on set? Or who is bothered about the pay gap?”
Singh’s search for answers to those questions led her to become one of four co-founders of the
Indian Women Cinematographers’
Collective, along with Deepti Gupta, Fowzia Fathima and Priya Seth.
“The idea was to make a collective space which celebrates and showcases the work of Indian
women conematographers, and to provide a platform where everybody could come in and talk,”
she notes. “We built a website that showcases everyone’s work in a non-hierarchical fashion.”
Making the Professional Personal
While still committed to cinematography, Singh realized that she wanted to expand her craft into
directing as well. “I’ve wanted to make something of my own for the longest time. I’ve wanted to
make a fable-like film that experimented with time, space, dreams, and the loss of childhood.”
In order to finance Shadow Bird, Singh made a pitch trailer to show to her producer friends, who
took a liking to the project. “They believed in the type of cinema I wanted to make. Once they
came onboard, we had the money, but the film could not have been made without the help of
friends. I had some great collaborators – some of the best of the industry, people who believed in
me and were old friends. Hemanti Sarkar is a very senior editor in India who has done tons of
work; Achirwad Hadkar at Prime Focus is one of the most celebrated DI colorists in India. It was
the same with our sound designer, Ajit Singh Rathore. For this project, Singh went back to her
roots. I wanted to shoot in a place which had had a personal impact on me, so I went back to
my film school and the areas around it.
As a student, that’s where I formed my expression. I decided to shoot in the thick of monsoon
season, because that’s when the weather transforms the place and everything becomes
overcast and melancholic.
The greens pop up, there’s moss everywhere, and it almost engulfs the place.”

Camerawork and Clockwork
Shadow Bird was captured on the Arri Alexa XT with Arri/Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses. Most of the
film was shot at T2 to create a shallow depth of field, in wide and close lens perspectives to lend
the story an eerie, fable-like quality. Another key aspect of the visual language was centered
compositions inspired by Indian miniature paintings and sculptures.
No filtration was used on the lenses, and 90 percent of the film utilized natural light alone,
balanced with negative fill. Singh jokes that the natural fog that inundated the location was more
than enough filtration for the look she was striving for. She adds that since she was trying to
evoke a very timeless image, I felt that a very natural approach to this would be the most ideal.”

Only a couple of scenes inside the bedroom made use of lights to supplement the natural look,
and this was out of necessity to bring the light levels up. “Our approach inside was very minimal,
and we tried to make it as invisible as possible. To simulate the window light for the day-interior
scenes, we used big, soft sources, such as Arri M9Os and M40s through 10-by-10 Chimera
frames, along with negative fill. SkyPanels were used to create ‘fire flicker’ and ambient fill
inside the rooms.
As both a cinematographer and director, Singh recognized the importance of designing a visual
style that would help create the mood of the piece. “The dream-within-a-dream narrative
structure of the film was written, filmed and edited with the idea of a clock and its concentric
loops in mind. So, I wanted to have circular movement like how the second, hour, and minute
hands of a clock are intertwined. I very intuitively arrived at a slow and languorous rhythm for
every shot, and the entire film in totality, to create a timeless sense of dream, memory and
nostalgia.”
Singh used very slow, lingering movements – as well as slow motion- to evoke the sense that
the audience is “moving around the story and past the action. It is a slow sink into your
subconscious, to a time when you felt these emotions.”
Singh speaks to her work in the forest to create this mood: “It’s a little fantastical, yet it’s
supposed to be a little scary, too.” So there are a lot of wide, close shots, and the camera is
either very low or coming in from very high (angles), brushing past things and moving very
slowly around them – exploring the textures on the tree, exploring very different angles that you
maybe otherwise wouldnt expect.
“The lenses we used most frequently were 16mm, 24mm and 100mm, Singh continues, adding
that the short was shot in the Super 35 format. “I used a large jib on tracks to achieve the
dramatic high- and low-angle shots of the trees. In other scenes, especially the high-angle shots
of the temple, we used a DJI Inspire 2. The drone footage cuts seamlessly with Alexa XT
footage, as we had the advantage of the soft, overcast skylight of monsoons.
Blurring Boundaries
The dreamlike, melancholic nature of Shadow Bird calls into question the nature of fable versus
reality and examines whether a boundary between the two even needs to be drawn. Blurring
these lines, Singh says, is a tradition long treasured in India, where “your grandma will talk
about the story of Ramayana like it’s something thats actually happening, and will embody it and
live it.” Singh is inspired by this melding of myth and reality that she grew up surrounded by “A
child has wonder, amazement about things,” she says.
“I saw this story from that childlike sense that it may be real. What happens in the fog is not just
fog – it’s the soul of a warrior bird. With the way you shoot it, and the way you approach it,
everything can become a character.”

It was French novelist Marcel Proust’s deep dive into childhood and its memories that compelled
cinematographer Savita Singh, 40, to go on a quest across the subconscious mind. The gist of
Proust’s thought – that the memory of his childhood was purer than his childhood – stuck with
Singh and she was led to Sonsi (Shadow Bird, 2020), her short film that won her the National
Award for Best Cinematography last week and is also India’s entry to the Oscars (Shorts
section) after becoming the Best Film at the Bengaluru International Short Film Festival.

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After Tamil film Koozhangal made the country proud by becoming India’s official entry to the
Oscars 2022, another Indian film Sonsi has made it to the Academy Award list. The film by
Savita Singh titled Sonsi (Shadow Bird), is bankrolled by Aarya fame actor Vikas Kumar. The
short film became an Oscar Qualifier after winning Best Film at the Bengaluru International
Short Film Festival, 2021. At the recently held 67th National Awards, Sonsi won the ‘Best
Cinematography’ (Non-Feature category) award.
Vikas shared his happiness with ANI and said that he feels grateful about being selected for
Oscar’s consideration. He said, “Not everyone can apply for Oscars. You can only submit your
short film if it has won at an Oscar Qualifying festival. Just last week we received confirmation
from The Academy that our film has been successfully entered for Oscar’s consideration. We’re
obviously thrilled!. At Khan and Kumar, we believe in telling stories where we see ‘the
extraordinary in the ordinary. Sonsi is our debut film. The response it has got is a huge
encouragement.”
Sonsi short film officially selected for Oscars 2022 race
Adding to it, he said, “We are currently working on two projects – a documentary on an annual
sporting event held in a village on the border of UP and Bihar, and a short film that is based
quite literally, out of this world. The 26-minute experimental film revolves around an

eight-year-old girl, Nadi (Aarohi Radhakrishnan), her dream-etched shadow-bird, and the
mysterious village time-keeper (Jameel Khan).”
Sonsi (Shadow Bird) has been produced by actor Vikas Kumar and his childhood friend,
tech-entrepreneur Sharib Khan under their banner, ‘Khan and Kumar Media Pvt Ltd’. National
Award-winning cinematographer, Savita Singh, made her debut as a director with this short film.
The title of the film comes from famed Hindi litterateur Vinod Kumar Shukla’s Deewar Mein Ek
Khidki Rehti Thi (A Window Lived in A Wall), which won the Sahitya Akademi Award for the best
Hindi work in 1999. Singh shot the film around Pune – stretches of forest land, where she used
to shoot back in the day while studying at FTII and knew the landscape well.

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The Aarya actor says that he isn’t ‘hunting’ for an acclaim like the Oscars; also shares if
Hollywood is the next step.
Vikas Kumar has carved a niche for himself in cop roles in shows such as Powder, Khotey
Sikkey, CID and Sushmita Sen starrer Aarya, which won him critical acclaim. Having tried his
hand at being a dialogue coach in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, 7 Khoon Maaf (both 2011), Fitoor
(2016) and Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani, among others, he turned producer, a while back,
with a short film titled Sonsi.
The film, based on an eight-year-old girl and her dream-etched shadow bird, is currently in the
run for the Oscars. Recently, it won the award for best cinematography at the 67th National
Awards.
Sharing his excitement, Kumar says, “It feels great. It’s very rewarding. It’s not like I’m hunting
for this kind of acclaim. When we work, we go about it with utmost sincerity. I don’t know where
it’s headed but I believe that if you work hard, these are the rewards it pays. Once such acclaim
comes your way, it encourages to work as hard or harder in your next.”
His show, Aarya, was received a lot nomination nominated in the Best Drama Series category at
the International Emmy Awards, 2021. “It suddenly is a little too much to take in. I’ve been
around and I’ve done some work. I’m being noticed a little more now post Aarya,” says an
overwhelmed Kumar.

So, how what does this global recognition mean to him? “If the global recognition opens more
doors for me, I would love to be a part of interesting stories being told anywhere. That’s our job
and that’s what excites me,” he says.
Being noticed at international film festivals and award functions has exposed him to the global
audience. Ask him if Hollywood is on the cards and the Dhamaka actor shares, “If anyone
notices my work and approaches me with something exciting, what could be better than that?
Any interesting collaboration is great. If an exciting Hollywood project comes my way, then why
not?”

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The wait for an Academy Award might just end for India as Savita Singh’s ‘Sonsi’ (Shadow Bird),
produced by ‘Aarya’ actor Vikas Kumar, is running the race for Oscars’ 2022.
The short film became an Oscar Qualifier after winning ‘Best Film’ at the Bengaluru International
Short Film Festival, 2021.
At the recently held 67th National Awards, ‘Sonsi’ won ‘Best Cinematography’ (Non-Feature
category). Earlier, it was declared ‘Best Short Film’ at Lady Filmmakers Festival, Beverly Hills.
Grateful about being selected for the Oscars consideration, Vikas said, “Not everyone can apply
for Oscars. You can only submit your short film if it has won at an Oscar Qualifying festival. Just
last week we received confirmation from The Academy that our film has been successfully
entered for Oscars consideration. We’re obviously thrilled!”
“At Khan and Kumar, we believe in telling stories where we see ‘the extraordinary in the
ordinary’. ‘Sonsi’ is our debut film. The response it has got is a huge encouragement. We are
currently working on two projects – a documentary on an annual sporting event held in a village
on the border of UP and Bihar, and a short film that is based quite literally, out of this world,” he
added.

The 26-minute experimental film revolves around an eight-year-old girl, Nadi (Aarohi
Radhakrishnan), her dream-etched shadow-bird, and the mysterious village time-keeper
(Jameel Khan).
‘Sonsi’ (Shadow Bird) has been produced by actor Vikas Kumar and his childhood friend,
tech-entrepreneur Sharib Khan under their banner, ‘Khan and Kumar Media Pvt Ltd’.
National Award-winning cinematographer, Savita Singh, made her debut as a director with this
short film.

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