Shireesh Khemariya’s ‘Who Am I’ Is a Philosophical Drama On Self-Discovery
Mumbai, ‘Who Am I’ director Shireesh Khemariya talks about his film which is based on the novel ‘Ko Aham’ starring actor Shashie Vermaa, who is best known for ‘Panchayat’.
Talking about the film, Shireesh says: “‘Who Am I’ is a film that thematically categorizes itself in a philosophical drama genre. In my opinion, consideration of a film in its philosophical significance is a less touched idea especially when we talk about a river quite famous in India, the Narmada river.”
“How circumambulating (Parikrama) the Narmada transpires the quest of existential perspective, has been the core idea that travels throughout the film, for it’s symbolic of the never-ending existential concerns that humans experience sooner or later.”
Helmed by 22-year-old director Shireesh Khemariya and produced by Shirish Prakash, the story is set in a small town on the banks of river Narmada which also features ‘Munna Bhai M.B.B.S’ fame Surendra Rajan and debutante actress Rishika Chandani. Writer Ashok Jamnani, author of the novel wrote the film’s initial draft as well.
Sharing his working experience with the actors, he shares: “When the script was still nascent and we were still shaping characters, I had in mind Chetan Sharma for Bhavitavya, Shashie Varma for VLN sir and Surendra Rajan for Swami ji. I could only visualize them as characters.”
“It was really fortunate that we could get them on board. It was really an enlightening process to work with such mature and veteran actors. Surendra ji , Chetan and Shashie ji made it easy for me and shooting for ‘Who Am I’ was more of a journey of enlightenment for us.”
Producer Shirish Prakash speaks about the message this film conveys and what prompted him to back the film.
He says: “This film seeks to address all of the questions by showing how the main character Bhavitva goes on a journey of self-discovery and realises his answers. The story will leave the audience with a new perspective on life.”
