In recent times, Bengaluru’s model-turned-actor Kovid Mittal has made headlines mostly because of his award-winning mountaineering docuseries that covers some of India’s highest mountain peaks. Set to culminate in scaling Mount Everest, his expeditions have already documented Black Peak [in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal Himalayas], Mount Satopanth [another prominent peak in the same mountain range] and Mount Nun [in the Zanskar Range of the Himalayas]. Two of the four-part series are streaming online, while the third one is set to be released on Amazon Prime Video, and the finale is expected to be out by the end of 2025.
In between these expeditions, Kovid has also been working on his music videos and an upcoming, yet-to-titled Punjabi film. In a candid conversation with The Movie Mail, the actor-documentary filmmaker spoke about the challenges he faced while releasing the docuseries on OTT, his new music video on motherhood, why he believes in karmic debts, and more. Excerpts:
Q. Your mountaineering docuseries has been a long-haul project. What’s next in the pipeline?
A. The soul of the film has been this quest to reach Mount Everest. But one cannot reach the world’s highest mountain just like that. We have to first conquer the smaller peaks. Five years ago, I started the mountaineering docuseries, with the first part – titled 6387 Meters Black Peak – released in 2020. Currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video, the documentary won several international awards during its festival run – including the ‘Best Cinematography’ title at the Canadian and Berlin Film Festival, respectively. The movie was also appreciated for its colour grading and cinematography. The second film in the series, At 23000 Feet, was about the expedition that took us to the Satopanth Peak. This, however, didn’t turn out the way we desired, because of extreme weather conditions.
Then came the third film, which covers our journey to Mount Nun (7135 meters). Titled Before Everest, the project is backed by the Government of Karnataka. It’ll be streaming on Amazon Prime Video, DocuBay, and Hulu. During its festival run, the film was acknowledged for its background score and storyline, among other aspects. What’s noteworthy about this part of the docuseries is that it was an Indo-Western expedition, in which I was the only Indian climber along with a US Marine. Unfortunately, he had fallen into a crevasse and an Indian Army rescue team had to help us out. They came to the base camp to rescue him and then took him back to Leh. Nonetheless, visually, Before Everest is the most compelling film in the series so far. We are shooting the finale edition in April-May 2025, which will focus on climbing Mount Everest. If everything goes as planned, it should be released in winter 2025. It’s going to be quite an uphill struggle (literally!), because not only will it be difficult to carry equipment to that altitude, but finding the appropriate Sherpa team that’s well-versed in the use of cameras will be a huge task altogether.
Q. On a personal level, what does this project mean to you and what is it that you’re trying to convey through it?
A. Generally, even big-budget films tend to wrap up shooting within a 50-day schedule. Of course, something like Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva took way longer, but that was mostly because of the VFX work involved in it. That said, my docuseries – which has taken me several years to complete – represents the journey of an average man, who is on a quest to reach the highest point on Earth, while also conquering the battles in their own life. I am not a professional mountaineer. I am a filmmaker, who is telling a story through these docuseries. So, from that perspective, it serves as a point of motivation for all those aspiring youngsters who are trying their best to achieve their goals, despite all the odds and challenges they face. The series is also very different from the films and documentaries made on mountaineering earlier. It’s more like a narrative that’s telling you more than just capturing an expedition on video. It’s unique content, and making the series has been a rewarding experience for me personally.
A lot of hard work has gone into making this series – right from securing the funds, shooting the documentaries, and post-production work to sending them to different film festivals around the world and promoting each of them. The distribution bit was yet another huge task for us. It’s not that simple to get your films released on major OTT platforms. Meanwhile, television networks, like National Geographic, want exclusive content. So, if your film is about to or already streaming on another platform, they wouldn’t consider taking it. Imagine getting feedback from National Geographic that they loved our content, but they cannot telecast it just because it’s released elsewhere. They suggested we send the finale to them first, let’s see now. I have given my heart and soul to this docuseries, so I am concerned about the content reaching the maximum number of viewers around the world. Having said that, my editing team and I are also looking forward to closing this chapter on Everest. It’s taken us a long time, and we want to get done with it now.
Q. Tell us about your upcoming Punjabi film. What’s the story all about?
A. So thematically, the story deals with rebirth, past life karma and repaying karmic debts. The plot takes you back 500 years to a small village in Punjab, where a sarpanch leads a wealthy life, blessed with a beautiful wife, acres of land, and loyal supporters. However, with time he turns into a drunkard and egoistic person, who mistreats his family members as well as those who serve him. Reborn as a humble and hardworking man in the present world, he faces innumerable challenges in life. He suffers from health problems, while his wife doesn’t care about him at all and his employees cheat him. And then one day, he pays a visit to the Golden Temple. What follows next forms the crux of the story. The film also explores the legend of Dukh Bhanjani Beri, a sacred jujube tree located inside the temple complex. This project is close to my heart because it took me back to my roots in Punjab.
Q. Speaking of karmic debts, do you feel you have gotten your due in life? From modelling to acting, filmmaking and now working on music videos, do you think your work has gotten the kind of recognition it deserved?
A. Honestly, not at all! Just giving a simple example, when it comes to the quality of content, our docuseries is way more detailed and cinematographically edgy than a number of similar shows streaming on many OTT platforms. That said, when we initially approached Netflix, they turned us down saying there are no slots available until 2026. But what’s happening is that most of these slots are booked by Dharma Productions. Similarly, when we took our music video Meri Maa to Radio One 94.3 FM, we were told that the slots were already taken by T-Series. Although, I am confident of what we have created as a team, somehow we have been deprived of the right opportunity and platform to showcase it. This, I feel, is somewhere connected to my karmic debts.
That’s one way of looking at it. But having said that, the problems India’s independent filmmakers are facing in just getting their movies and shows released on OTT platforms need to be paid attention to immediately. If viewing slots are always booked by big production houses, how would independent filmmakers ever be able to showcase their content? The distribution system is already crushing indie cinema. Now, even streaming giants seem to be favouring only big names in the industry.
Q. You have two music videos released under your record label. Tell us about it…
A. Meri Maa is a music video dedicated to motherhood. It features Alka and myself in the lead. Presented by KM Media and Productions, in association with Get High On Music, the song is sung by Tripty Sinha, while its music is composed by Vardan Singh, and lyrics are written by Azeem Shirazi. There’s also a male version of the track, which is voiced by Vikramaditya. It’s releasing on March 8, 2025.
The backdrop of this song also has a personal connection. I lost my grandmother recently, and I saw how my father broke down after hearing the news. I felt a sense of fear and anxiety witnessing it… That I too have to go through the same one day. The video is a tribute to all that a mother does for her child, even though most of the time, her hard work and dedication go unnoticed.
Many have found the music video to be very moving. In fact, when we premiered at Bengaluru’s Narayana Nethralaya, Vikram Hospital, and Ramaiah Institute of Technology, several people in the audience were in tears. Apart from Meri Maa, there’s another music video – titled Marna Zaroori Tha – A Dark Love Story. It’s a romantic track sung by Shantanu Bardock. The lyrics are written by Prashant Barasker. Lizaa is the female lead in the song.
