Talking about the motivation behind the documentary, filmmaker Deana Uppal says, “The documentary was initially being made to show the lives of an unexplored community that I was really interested in and thought others would also be interested in learning about. However, once I really began investigating the lives of the Gadia Lohar community, I realised that there are bigger issues that needed to be investigated.”
The Gadia Lohar travelling community is an intriguing community living without government help or support. Despite a royal legacy—they were once the blacksmiths for the legendary 16th century ruler of Mewar, Maharana Pratap—they have been reduced to being roadside blacksmiths living in poverty. “I think it’s important for us to delve into more details about this community and hopefully create awareness that can ensure the help they require.”
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India’s Forgotten People unfolds the story of this travelling nomadic community, which is mostly unknown and misunderstood. The documentary delves into their history and how they ended up in their current state. “Contrary to belief, they are a peaceful community and has zero crime rate. The documentary aims to present all of these important factors in a light manner,” added Deana.
What makes this film unique is the host Deana Uppal’s interactions with the community. “Deana is from the UK; so having someone from the Western world explore the rustic villages of Rajasthan and interact with the traditional people makes the film an interesting watch,” said a representative of DKU Productions.
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Travelling across the length and breadth of the land of the royals, Rajasthan—from the pink city of Jaipur to the blue city of Jodhpur, from the city of lakes Udaipur to the legendary Chittorgarh, and various villages—the documentary was made by Deana and four of her crew members. To address the problems of the Gadia Lohars, Deana spoke to various ministers such as Subhash Garg, B.L. Soni and B.D. Kalla as well.
Thrilled by the appreciation that the trailer has been getting, DKU Productions talked about the documentary’s release, “The shooting took one whole year. The crew needed time to bond with the people in the film and to gain their trust to be able to film their lives. Now the film is complete and we wanted to release as soon as possible.”
An actress and businesswoman, Deana Uppal’s first foray into the world of documentary filmmaking, India’s Forgotten People has been produced by DKU Productions and is slated to release soon.
