After travelling across the country to find folk artistes and giving them a platform to showcase their talent, Shefali Bhushan has turned filmmaker with ‘Jugni’, a musical which revolves around a music producer who travels to the nook and corner of the country searching for a voice that would inspire her. In this interview, she talks about her passion for music, the significance of the title of the film, the process of creating the soundtrack for the film and her plans ahead.
What is the significance of Jugni, the title, with reference to the film?
There is a folk song called Jugni, in which Jugni is a seeker. She is travelling across the country and looking for answers and solutions. This metaphor works very well with the journey that the protagonist embarks upon the film. She sets out in search of a voice and ends up finding peace, joy and everything that was missing from her life.
You have worked for a website which is dedicated to folk music. Did the germ for Jugni come to you when you were going about this job?
Yes, the idea for Jugni came from the work that I had done for this website called beatofindia.com. I travelled across various small towns and villages looking for folk artistes and making their music reach out to listeners through the website. When I was thinking about the story and the landscape it should have, the work that I did for the website definitely helped me.
Siddhant Behl and Sugandha Garg form quite an interesting pair. How did they come on board for the project?
We auditioned a lot of actors. Sugandha and Siddhant were excellent in their respective audition. They are very interactive actors. They respond to how their co-actor is delivering a certain line or conveying an emotion. That makes the scene very real and deep. Both of them were perfect for the characters they are playing.
Have you planned your next film?
I have two scripts that are ready. One of them is a musical and the other is a satire. I am going to write another musical as music is my strength as well as my passion.
