Mumbai-based Nazneen filmmaker, Nazneen Bhatia, has recently written, directed and produced a documentary feature film titled ‘Roshni’, which is currently streaming globally on Amazon Prime. 

The documentary revolves around a woman named Roshni who lives in the land of the gods, known as Dev Bhoomi, and wishes to travel to the land of illusions, Mumbai city, also known as ‘Maya Nagari’. Produced by ‘The Unknown Film Company’, and directed by Nazneen Bhatia and Anshul Adhikari, ‘Roshni’ revolves around a woman named Roshni who lives in the land of the gods, known as Dev Bhoomi and wishes to travel to the land of illusions, Mumbai city, also known as ‘Maya Nagari’. The film captures the gorgeous scenic locations, shot at the foothills of the Himalayas, in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which are known as the ‘Land of the Gods’. The thread of thought that binds the people who live in the land of the gods emphasize on the importance of human consciousness and human well-being.

Speaking to Parsi Times about ‘Roshni’, Nazneen Bhatia shares, “It is an important film and immensely relevant for times we live in today. The documentary not only embodies the spirit, values and mindsets of the people who reside in the Himalayas but also portrays the sheer exuberance and untouched beauty of the place. How happy we are on the outside, simply depends on how we are within ourselves. By focusing only on the outside, life can become comfortable and convenient. But human beings will not know human well-being in its entirety, unless we turn inward. ‘Roshni’ has been filmed entirely in the Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh and Dehradun in Uttarakhand.” 

The documentary features Dr. Vandana Shiva – a quantum physicist and vedic ecologist; Dr. Om Kumar Sharma – a Sanskrit Acharya and Sanskrit school principal; Margaret Alva – former governor of Uttarakhand; Vidya Rao – an Indian classical vocalist and literary writer, amongst others. You can watch ‘Roshni’ at: https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Roshni/0RIEPVFRIJT2FLSIT4ORB5X1S6

Nazneen Bhatia attended Film School at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. She began her career as an Assistant Director with the National Award winning film, ‘Taare Zameen Par’. She also assisted on the Indo-Australian production – ‘The Waiting City’; Bollywood blockbuster – ‘Ghajini’; and Student Oscar Winner – Kavi. She was the Casting Director for the feature film, ‘Dhobi Ghat’. 

‘Roshni’ was officially selected for the 56th Krakow Film Market in Poland and the Mzansi Women’s Film Festival in South Africa. It was invited to be screened twice by Boston University in Massachusetts and the University of Lausanne in Switzerland for PhD students, researchers, and teachers in the department of South Asian Studies and the department of Contemporary Literature and Modern Languages respectively. It was invited to be screened for the former deputy commissioner of Kullu Mr. Rakesh Kanwar, and by his excellency the honourable Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Mr. Dev Vrat. The documentary was recently invited to be screened to the students of IIT (BHU) Varanasi as a part of the Film and Media Council Weekend in 2019.