A tale of two cities within one: Qubool Hai?, Telugu show on Aha, explores child marriage and trafficking in old Hyderabad-Entertainment News , Firstpost

“Madness will always lead you somewhere.” chuckles Pranav Pingle Reddy, creator, producer, and co-director of the new Telugu series Qubool Hai?.

The six-episode-series [of 40 minutes each] revolves around a missing girl and the struggles of the father to find her. Through the journey of a father finding his daughter, the series tackles subjects like child marriage and trafficking, which even today, happen with alarming regularity in the old city of Hyderabad. 

The story came to the filmmaker six years ago when he was shooting a documentary for the BBC on an NGO which rehabilitated trafficked women. “At the center was this young girl born to a trafficked woman,” the 31-year-old recalls. “She used to be under the bed her mother was raped on, so she underwent a lot of trauma. At a painting competition held to enable the girls to express their feelings, she did not win. When she asked the person organising the competition if he thought her work wasn’t good, the person smiled, said no, and gave the child a chocolate. Upon receiving it, she lifted her skirt up as she thought it was a response to a gesture from the man.”

The image stayed with Reddy and what followed was a lot of research to understand the concept of young girls [in pre-teens or teens] married off to men from the Arabian countries [usually known as sheik marriages] in exchange of money. The girls vanished after their weddings, and were usually subjected to a life of abuse. 

Along with a friend who worked for a newspaper, and an NGO which works to stop these marriages [Shaheen, run by activist Jameela Nishat], Reddy interviewed multiple people involved in these marriages: the survivors, brokers, qazis, the police, and many families. After listening to 100 odd stories, he fictionalised them into the series. 

A truly ‘independent’ filmmaker

Reddy comes from a storied Hyderabadi family to who he credits his independent vision. His grandfather’s brother was the prime minister to the Nizam, his grandfather, Captain PMM Reddy was the first pilot for Air India, his grandmother Aravinda was an interior designer in the ’50s, his father Ramesh is an interior designer who restores old buildings while aunt Anuradha is the Convenor of INTACH – Hyderabad.

He says fondly, “My entire family is heavily influenced by all things art. When one is exposed to something like this since childhood, one either becomes lazy and inept or he becomes a hustler.” 

Reddy chose to be the latter. After college, he financed his love for documentary films by doing ads films for a living. He juggled 20-25 ads [including ones for Flipkart and Microsoft], which sustained his documentaries on social issues like prostitution, rape victims, and leprosy. 

Reddy was clear when he was starting filmmaking that he had to tell stories no one wanted to touch or look into. He adds, “Anything I do, I have to make an impact. It excited me to tell stories untold or talk about subjects that moved me. Filmmaking, for me, was a window to be a storyteller.” 

The first breakthrough came when he made a five-part documentary Occupied, that focused on Palestinians using art as tools of resistance; musicians, calligraphers, and poets who voiced their struggle through art. With a three-member team, Reddy went to West Bank [with help from a fixer from Vietnam], and shot there for over a month.

He recalls, “It was an amazing place to be as everywhere around me were stories waiting to be told.” While the series took a year-and-a-half for edit, it was showcased at 20-25 film festivals across the world, shortlisted at Venice and emerged the winner at Bushwick, Brussels, and Berlin. 

The heart of the film: Hyderabad

Qubool Hai? was a different ballgame altogether, involving around 150 people, and shot in the old city of Hyderabad. Reddy notes, “While most films/series show Charminar in the background, we shot entirely in the old city for months. It took us three years, but we wanted to retain the authenticity of culture, be it language or location.”

Language is an integral part of the series, and it is the first major one to be helmed in Dakhni, the unique lingo of Hyderabad [mix of Persian, Old Urdu [Dehlavi], Kannada, Marathi, and Telugu]. While the language has been used for humour before, the series show it as a part of Hyderabad, which it is. 

The team conducted workshops for the actors for about two weeks to get the language right, and since most of them were from the Hyderabadi theater fraternity, they were familiar with it. “As a Hyderabadi, I’m exposed to the language. What we were keen is for it not be made fun of [which usually is the case], but use it to take the story further,” he explains. 

While Tamil and Malayalam industries are famous for their hard-hitting realistic noir, Telugu films are extremely commercial. Reddy agrees and adds, “Cinema is an artform, its not just for entertainment. I wanted art to reflect life: there is humour, satire, and dark comedy in my series. But it also has typically Hyderabadi elements, the Irani cafes, the body language of the actors or the attitude.”

The series was shot in the crowded galleys of the old city: Chatta Bazaar, Dhoolpet, and Talab Khatta amongst others. The food on the set was exquisitely Hyderabadi: Biryani, khatti dal, kheema, and kitchdi. The crew faced fights from the locals while shooting, and were subjected to some exquisite hospitality. Much of it was shot in a 150-year-old Lahmadi Gulshan deodi, and the team braved two waves of COVID-19 along with logistical challenges that come with shooting in the old city. 

The series pays homage to the unique Ganga Jamuna Tehzeeb of the city [something Reddy is very proud of], where things are stuck in a time wrap, and where different communities and cuisines co-exist. 

Qubool Hai? is not an easy watch. It has no song and dance sequences, and the humor is subtle, often dark. As Reddy puts it, “Are you okay with a 13-year-old marrying a 60- or 70-year-old? The series explores how the closest people are the ones to let you down, a system which is a failure and women fighting for survival as well as each other. It asks of the viewer: why? Why is this happening?”

The beauty of the city is juxtaposed against the horrors of its reality in the series. As Reddy explains, “We treated everything sensitively. This is for families to watch. While the message is powerful, the treatment is subtle.” A scene in the series explains it: A young girl cowers on the bed while an elderly man enters the room and closes the door. The imagination of the viewers is tested while the visuals give goosebumps. The series showcase the ugliness of the society but the scenes themselves do not.

“We humans see what we want to see. In the hustle and bustle of our lives, we choose what troubles us and what does not. Such discrepancies were always there. We don’t see it as we don’t want to.” adds Reddy. 

Reddy prefers to walk difficult paths. “I’m a believer in telling stories untold.” he says, “As a filmmaker, you want to voice the voiceless in some capacity. Hopefully, this series will bring attention to the issue. If I didn’t make, maybe others would not have touched this subject.” 

Qubool Hai? is streaming on Aha.

 

Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,
India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.