Indrani Basu, TNN Oct 7, 2011, 05.22AM IST
New Delhi: As hundreds of devotees sang songs in praise of the Goddess Durga on Vijayadashami, Croatian documentary filmmaker Ljubica Jankovic Lazaric was busy capturing emotions on the Kalindi Kunj ghat. The well-known filmmaker has been busy recording the festival for the past four days in Delhi with her Lucknow-based camera person Ali and her friend Kartik, a Delhi-based interior and graphic designer who has been helping her communicate with locals.
"I am shooting a documentary on Delhi as seen through the four seasons and trying to capture those things in this city that change and that which remains constant. The personality of the city of Delhi is dynamic, with lots of things changing every day as it rushes to become a world-class city. Some of the changes will cause it to lose its uniqueness but things like Durga Puja and the festivities that surround it will remain a constant. Each year, the ghats are crowded with devotees and I am here to capture this excitement and activity," explained Lazaric to TOI.
Lazaric has been visiting different puja pandals in the city to catch the festive flavour. "The celebration of this festival marks the start of autumn in Delhi. I have been to the CR Park Mela Grounds where we captured the beautiful idol and the hundreds of people who visited the pandal. The entire immersion process has been equally beautiful. After this, I am also planning to shoot the Ramlila. The variety and vibrant environment of Delhi is infectious. Earlier, when I shot ten stories of India in Chennai, Rishikesh, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Pushkar, Ajmer and Varanasi among others and it was aired in Croatia, it became very popular. Now I want to focus on Delhi and its many moods through the year," said Lazaric.
The filmmaker first came to India six years ago when she shot brief episodes on Indian culture for Croatian television. Four years ago, she visited India again. This time, with a mission to capture multifaceted Delhi, Lazaric is shooting two documentaries on Delhi, one of them being Delhi through the seasons.
"Delhi has become a home to me and this film is a tribute to the city. When I leave, this will be my present," said the filmmaker, who is currently living in Noida. Lazaric, who studied at the University of Zagreb and is a member of Croatian Film Director's Guild, has directed more than 250 documentary films in countries such as Germany, Australia, USA, Italy, Albania, Iran, and India.
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