If you have watched Achal Mishra’s Gamak Ghar (2019) and Dhuin (2022), you must be familiar with his observant style of filmmaking. In his movies, silences take centre stage as he weaves a tenderly aching narrative around them. Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai, however, is a documentary where the director’s lyrical and impressionistic vision finds more prominence. As images and the spoken word jostle for space, Achal masterfully captures the inner workings of Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Hindi writer-poet Vinod Kumar Shukla, who is best known for his magical realism oeuvre.
Dappled sunlight, bird feeders, diegetic sounds and a creaky wooden swing become plot devices as the film navigates the octogenarian author’s nondescript Raipur home. ‘Apne hone mein, main photo ho raha hun… Ke kisi tarha apne na hone ko photo mein chhod jaun…’ Shot in a late afternoon in 2022, the film documents unhurried conversations between actor-author Manav Kaul and Vinod, punctuated by his son Shashwat Gopal Shukla’s dreamy reflections on his father’s distinctive style of writing. ‘Unka ek bhi kshan aisa nahi hai jo rachnatmak nahi ho…’
Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi (1997), Blue Is Like Blue: Stories (2019) and Sab Kuchh Hona Bacha Rahega (1992) are counted among the celebrated author’s most remarkable works. But Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai shifts the spotlight on Naukar Ki Kameez, a novel which was later adapted into a film by parallel cinema legend Mani Kaul. ‘Woh toh apna hi jiya hua sansar hai…,’ Vinod comments when asked what inspired him to write the novel. The plot follows the life of a young government office clerk, who lives with his wife in a small rented apartment.
Traversing moments of the past and present, Vinod shares vignettes of the life he has lived in Rajnandgaon and Raipur, pondering upon the joys and sorrows he has experienced in the company of his wife, Sudha, and amid his writings. Pauses, quietude and his slow strolls under the mango tree inside their walled compound allow the audience to immerse themselves into the author’s simple life, laced with ingenuity, fortitude and enviable integrity. Although biographical documentaries tend to follow personal journeys, Achal ditches that regime to make the 55-minute film more like a journalistic profile. An Achalchitra production, Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai is not only the portrait of an acclaimed author and his books, the narrative also registers his take on a host of topics that you and I may find interest in.
He talks about whether or not a writer should ‘take permission’ or ‘ask for consent’ if the characters of his novel are based on real people. With reference to Mani Kaul’s 1980 film Satah Se Uthata Aadmi, which draws inspiration from the works of literary great Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh, Vinod sheds light on the reviews that the movie received when it was first screened in Bhopal. ‘Pragatisheel aur ghair-pragatisheelon mein hamesha jo hai vaicharik matbhed hota rehta tha… Uss waqt bhi mujhe yeh baat vichar dhara ke takdau ki thik nahi lagi thi,’ he said. Dwelling on the criticisms he faced against his own writings in the past, Vinod said that he preferred not responding to those smears. ‘Agar virodh lekhan ka ho raha hai, toh uska jawab kewal lekhan hi hoga.’ According to him, personal histories hold more importance in our lives than we can imagine. ‘Har aadmi ko ek kitab likhni chahiye…’
Presented as a curious inquiry into the mundane rituals of a dedicated writer, the documentary juxtaposes the craft of writing with the need to nurture imagination. Patience is salient, not everything you write or compose needs to be published immediately. After all, forgetting may have a huge role to play in preserving the originality of a thing.
Chaar Phool Hain Aur Duniya Hai is a deeply moving cinematic gem created by independent filmmaker Achal Mishra. While music and sound by Tajdar Junaid and Rohan Deep Saxena, respectively, make the narrative more compelling, Mahak Gupta’s work as a colourist also deserves a special mention here. Watch the documentary for its slowness, a soothing, meditative charm and plenty of wise words. The documentary’s unconventional approach and immersive aura is profound yet ineffable. Once again, the director impresses with his precise camerawork and a heartfelt story. Manav Kaul, as the conversation maker, is a delight!
