Film Directors are in charge of executing on a creative vision for a film. While they are responsible for everything in a movie, Brahmanand S Singh a National award-winning filmmaker and writer falls in a different category. He makes one of the best music documentaries from RD Burman Pancham to his latest Kaagaz Ki Kashti portraying the life story of  late ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh. Historically speaking, this movie is important as it chronicles the life of Jagjit in a fascinating and moving tale about the vicissitudes of his life.

Seated at his office in Andheri, Brahmanand lets old footage of the golden voiced ghazal singer speak for itself, as Verus Ferreira found out.

How did the idea of making a documentary on Jagjit Singh come to your mind?

It was on my mind even before making the one on Panchamda ... Jagjit Singh ji was my teenage fascination, coming from a music family, his music immediately made an impact. I had decided to not make the film once he passed away, but then a few years later, I felt, the urge to make it, leave aside any impediments in the way and just go ahead and make, this probably is the best way to document a legacy of someone as wonderful as him.

Did you have access to Jagjit Singh’s footage from private videos, concerts and television appearances?

Eventually, in 3-4 years of making I did, but it was quite a task. First task was digging them out, discovering them. After which, many offered them very lovingly, while many thought it’s good to have them in their collection and rather not part with it. The latter lot have come back and confessed that they had no idea how large the effort and task was and that they would have loved to give had they known how landmarkish the project would become. But that’s alright, that’s how the cookie crumbles.

Jagjit Singh had a song Kaagaz Ki Kashti, What made you use the title and what does it mean to you?

To me, it symbolizes everything and many things that Jagjit Singh, a man from humble roots and simple being that he was, might have actually thought. To me, it also becomes a metaphor for all of us who value our childhood. . I am not surprised it became a cult number which everyone enjoys.

Trying to put someone’s life on screen is a challenge. How did you decide what to choose and what to be left out?

Yes it is indeed! To weave them into a narrative with all its graph that can hold people for two hours is even more daunting. It took us 4000 edit hours when a normal, good feature film takes 600 to 1000 hours. The other part is the craft of storytelling. I guess it evolved with painstaking meticulousness from a very dedicated, creative and critical team of highly talented cinema professionals.

In a documentary there is no script, how did you decide on the flow of the film?

That’s what I said, like you write scripts on paper for fiction, for a marathon film like this, you write it on the edit table with broad outlines of structure and rhythm in your mind. Like you do 12-16 drafts on paper for a feature, here an equivalent of it will probably be 6-8 substantial revisions and revisits and restructuring of your narrative to make that gripping narrative that people would sit back and stay glued to. Finally keep polishing it until it shines through its structure and flow.

Did you face any roadblocks when you were starting out?

There were too many roadblocks which if we go into, it will run into many pages, but those are part of any huge project that one takes up. But I am happy, the kind of footage with which we have woven the narrative, the kind of reflections and insights that people like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Gulzar, Mahesh Bhatt, Subhash Ghai, Pankaj Udhas, Talat Aziz, Shekhar Sen, Hans Raj Hans, Ronu Majumdar, Salim Arif and of course, Chitra Singh ... and many others have offered to help us create the narrative ... the kind of humour and rare music of Jagjit Singh to tell his own story is exciting and a source of joy for us.

How much time did it take to make this documentary?

Almost 3.5-4 years, It was a huge project, lots of heartaches and lows but also too many highs and a sense of satisfaction. Overall, I feel a wonderfully pleasant experience and highly enlightening in so many ways.

You have met Jagjit Singh during his musical days, what aspect did you like of him and has that come out in the film? Are you also a fan of his music?

Of course I have been a fan. I have met him only 3-4 times and never with any idea that I will be making a film on him. I liked his simplicity, humour and the lightness with which he took everything. At the same time, the depth with which he always approached his music was equally enchanting. He is one of those wonderful beings in whose company you felt inspired and elevated and at the same time, rooted and practical.

What part has Chitra Singh played in this documentary?

Chitraji has been supportive but right at the beginning she had warned us not to expect too much of that support. But, it’s been very nice and kind of her to be supportive always the way she has been.

Are you looking at an international release sometime soon with a DVD release too?

On DVD in a limited quantity, and digital too so as to reach many as possible.

Which next music personality would you love to make a film out of one day?

I’m not so sure if it’s going to be a music personality though I am not ruling it out either. But yes, I am interested in bringing to people, many iconic people and their life journeys, which have been meaningful and inspirational. I am a little bit hooked to transformational content and biographies are a big draw for me. You will be hearing very soon.

What makes a film great for you? Are there certain qualities that make a film better for you?

Very difficult for me to evaluate my own work. But from the elaborate feedback of over 1.5 k people who have written to us or said things on camera and an IMDb rating of an astounding rating of 9.4/10 tells us that there is something about the film which works at multiple levels. To me, the simple attempt to get down as deep as possible to bring out the person behind the amazing music that he produced is what probably does the magic. Rest, it’s for others to say what makes it work the way it seems to be working.

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira