MUMBAI: The intention - archiving memories of legends thereby remembering their contribution to Indian music.

The effort – months of research and more than 4000 hours of editing.

The result - filmmaker Brahmanand Singh’s new documentary film, ‘Kaagaz Ki Kashti’ that traces the life and times of ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh.

Singh is known for making critically acclaimed and exceptional documentaries such as ‘Knowing Pancham’, based on Bollywood’s forever loved music composer, Rahul Dev Burman. His latest documentary, released at the recently concluded MAMI festival, proves a worthy sequel in the series.

The film opens with Jagjit Singh’s popular rendition ‘Kaagaz Ki Kashti’ and slowly the kashti sails to his village Ganganagar where he was raised. Soon, his brother starts narrating his childhood, passion for music and how the maestro, then a keen young boy finds his guru Ustad Jamal Khan. He dedicates his life to learning from him and begins to create magic with his songs, at several local shows.

With an ultimate aim to make a mark in the world, Jagjit Singh then sets off on a journey to Mumbai, where he is initially asked to perform for free, which he does only to strengthen his network and make contacts. In no time, his persona and talent gets recognised. Opportunities start knocking on his door and he grabs them all. Amidst all this, he also finds the love of his life, Chitra Singh. The dreams amplify and the duo perform worldwide, living their life to the fullest. It wouldn’t be fair to narrate the story here - we insist you watch the trailer to know more (find the links below the article).

Moments from Jagjit Singh’s life are very well captured in ‘Kaagaz Ki Kashti’. It also features comments and views from eminent musicians and performers like Gulzar, Pankaj Udhas, Anup Jalota, Talat Aziz and others, who have lived their share of life with the ghazal legend.

An article and some printed words wouldn’t justify our feelings for the efforts Brahmanand Singh and his team have put behind developing this phenomenal movie. On being asked about the vision and the motive behind making this film, he stated “We, as a country, are not very good at archiving our own heritage. If we do not preserve them (artists) properly and show that side of them as human beings, what will future generations learn?”

“The thing is, if you talk about Jagjit Singh, there will be 10 people he has worked with. Everyone might claim to be his best friend, and might give you one or two small things, which might not even be relevant to the documentary film. So the challenge is to bring out what is relevant to you,” he added.

Singh’s film is the best tribute to a humble, small town Ganganagar boy who dreamt BIG and lived his dreams by adding that extra something to his music. The beauty of the film is the light thrown on Jagjit Singh’s distinctly heart-rending voice and charming personality. During the film, popular film maker Mahesh Bhatt adds his thoughts by saying, “He never left you with a feeling of awe. Awe creates distance. He left you with a feeling of a friend touching you … a beloved touching you.”

The screening at MAMI 2016 left the audience emotional, so much so that Brahmanand Singh’s efforts won a standing ovation for a few minutes. The film’s rights have now been acquired by popular actor, Abhay Deol. Commenting about the same, Deol said, “My most recent select is ‘Kaagaz Ki Kashti’, which pays homage to Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh and premiered at MAMI this year. Brahmanand is a savant behind the lens and succeeds in powerfully bringing the legend back to life. I strongly believe in these films and want to ensure that audiences across the world watch them.”

Here are the 2 trailers of the film you shouldn’t be missing: