Shishir Jha’s film Tortoise Under The Earth explores the deep connection between tribal people and the forest

For filmmaker Shishir Jha, cinema is a way to connect with people and not just his audience. For his film Tortoise Under The Earth, he took three years. The first of those two months, he travelled in and around Jharkhand, creating his own personal experiences before embarking on the film’s journey.

Taking their story, in their language — Santhali; non-actors as lead pair, he retained the rawness of real life. The film, set in a uranium mining area of Jharkhand, is based around a tribal couple coping with the loss of their daughter. For them, the land and forest bear witness to their daughter’s memory. It explores the deeply intertwined connections between tribal communities and the forest, which is their traditional home.

Their festivals, folk songs and the sense of community, the film is an ode to a world that is rapidly disappearing, subsumed by unchecked development and displacement. “As most of the characters in my film are playing themselves, they also directed the story through subtle interventions. I let people, landscape, politics and seasons participate in this process to the extent that finding a form and a story becomes an organic process for everyone involved,” says Shishir.

He feels privileged to have observed these tribal lives, who have maintained their sacred connection with nature. “While shooting in this format, the responsibility on one’s shoulders is huge. You want to protect their personal space and yet tell their story.”

The film has done festival rounds all across the globe — Kazan International film festival, 2024, Russia; Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival, 2023, Germany; South Asian Film Festival of Montreal, 2024, Canada and International Uranium Film Festival, Rio, 2023, among many others.

Growing up in Darbhanga, Bihar, the world of cinema always interested him. Shishir pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Film and Video Communication Design from National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, which opened a brave new world of cinema for him. A huge inspiration for him has been renowned Iranian filmmaker, late Abbas Kiarostami. He had a chance to attend a workshop under him in Cuba in 2016, months before he died.

“Kiarostami has made films in Iran, in France and in Japan — and that’s what made me try making Tortoise Under The Earth in Santhali, a language I was unfamiliar with.” For the film, he banked on intuitiveness and guidance of the locals. Real-life couple — Jagarnath Baskey and Mugli Baskey — play lead roles in the film.

Shot over the course of a year, the film, with only two people in the crew, took about three years to complete.

Shishir’s next is another feature film in Hindi. A love story, it has Sukant Goel and Priti Shroff in the lead roles. Freelancing in films, Shishir has found a way to keep making cinema of his choice on the side. “Mumbai is a very expensive place to live in, but here I am able to do the kind of work I wish to.”

Fond of films from the world over, Shishir also has some Punjabi favourites. “I am fond of Gurvinder Singh’s cinematic language. I love Chauthi Koot and Anhe Ghore Da Daan.”

Happy to take his film to the public finally, Tortoise Under The Earth was released on MUBI recently. Shishir says, “Entertainment is one of cinema’s objectives, but it can be so much more.”