9 weeks. 1.3 billion humans. Locked down. A silent nation caught in a time we have never experienced before. The world's most populated democracy is captive before an unseen threat, the novel coronavirus. This is a time in the history of post-independence India, WE WILL NEVER FORGET.
With "Uthenge Hum" Bharatbala’s Virtual Bharat commemorates the India lockdown. Uthenge Hum is India's unbelievable story. A call to every Indian. When the sun rises tomorrow and we have to move forward - We Will Rise.
A Virtual Experience of Bharat:
While Indians across the vast corners of our nation were held captive at home, filmmaker Bharatbala and a devoted team of 117 comprising almost 15 film crews, set out to capture the unseen world of our nationwide lockdown. The crews filmed across 14 states, covering thousands of kilometers, to document this watershed moment of global history. The film spans the extents of the country, from Kashmir to Kerala, Gujarat to Assam. Haridwar to Spiti, Lucknow to Bangalore, Dharavi to Red Fort.
A master control room was set up in Mumbai, with a team working round the clock, coordinating with crews from across the country. The on-ground crews would be directed live by director Bharatbala himself, confirming the shots and frames with instructions via video call or WhatsApp video. Technology played a key role in this nationwide project brought to life through remote filming. We indeed live in a digital world.
Across the nation across 14 states, filming was done on Sony and DJI.
Unanimous Support:
The Government of India, through its many ministries, local and state authorities provided immense support in providing extraordinary access to this team to make possible this national endeavour.
Indians everywhere, everyday citizens, even as they battled their own challenges, made this possible.
The Human Story:
The result is Uthenge Hum: We Will Rise, the comprehensive documentation of India in this exceptional moment of our history. The human story that has unfolded through our camera journeys echoes across north, south, east, west, metros, towns, cities, villages. It is the human experience of India. This is the story of 1.3 billion Indians.
The story belongs to all of us.
Jai Hind.
(Courtesy: Virtual Bharat)
