Written by Alaka SahaniToronto | September 12, 2025 03:54 AM IST 5 min readA scene from In Search of the Sky, which had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival.After spending several years in France, Pooja Vishal Sharma returned to India with a desire to reconnect with her roots. During her visit to a Gwalior-based NGO, which is home to mentally-challenged children abandoned due to poverty and social stigma, left a lasting impression on her. Deeply moved by their lives and resilience, Sharma was inspired to write Vimukt: In Search of the Sky. She later chose to give the story a cinematic form and stepped into the role of a first-time producer to bring her vision to life.A truly independent film that captures the essence of Indian life and belief, In Search of the Sky recently had its world premiere at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Shot in Braj language, the film was developed organically and its filming was completed in just 11 days, including a five-day schedule during this year’s Maha Kumbh Mela. The story follows the struggles of an elderly couple as they try to make ends meet while caring for their 26-year-old mentally-unstable son Naraan. Amidst their despair, the belief takes root that the son could be healed if he takes a holy dip in the Ganga during the Maha Kumbh.Also Read | Gandhi comes to Toronto film festivalThe film, which was showcased in the TIFF’s Centrepiece section, is a result of strong artistic collaboration among Pooja; Jitank Singh Gurjar, the film’s director and screenplay writer; and Shelly Sharma, cinematographer and creative director. “After developing the story, our main concern was how we would shoot during Kumbh. It was chaotic and our team was small. So, we decided to first shoot the part of the story that’s set in Kumbh. Then, we went on to film the village segment. Had we not succeeded in shooting in Kumbh, then we would not have made the film,” says Jitank. The film was shot in Prayagraj during Mahakumbh and, after that, in Barai and Patwa villages of Madhya Pradesh.Powered by visually-striking cinematography and remarkable performances, In Search of the Sky offers a compelling narrative about the rhythm of everyday rural life and India’s spiritual ethos. The film’s cast mostly features theatre actors, including Mumbai-based Nikhil Yadav as Naaran; Raghvendra Bhadoriya as his father Jasrath, and Meghna Agarwal as his Vidya. Jitank shares that after Nikhil came on board, he lived at the NGO for some days to observe the environment and life there. “Ours is a simple story that’s told with utmost honesty without any backing from an established production house or a starcast. This is a truly empowering moment for all of the independent filmmaking community in India and we are excited to see where this journey will take us,” says Shelly.What’s special about In Search of the Sky is that in spite of dealing with a subject that’s disturbing, the movie maintains a warm vibe. While it is told as a story of “liberation” of the soul, what helps in keeping its tone moving is the fact that Shelly gives the movie a warm palette. “I was inspired by the work of Joyland’s cinematographer Joe Saade. So, I had decided that the colour palette for the Kumbh segment in the film was going to be vibrant while the village scenes were going to have earthy colours.Shooting in Kumbha was not easy due to crowd. The crew, however, came up with some ingenious methods. “While shooting a key scene in a crowded place, we did not want people to stare at the camera. Once two crew members staged a fake fight to distract the crowd. That helped but momentarily. After that they told the people around us: ‘Tum ko Mahakal ki kasam (For the sake of Mahakal), don’t look at the camera’. That worked,” shares Shelly.The use of folk music adds another layer to the film. Incidentally, Jitank and the crew, who had left for Prayagraj four days ahead of the shoot to do recce, came across a mandali (group) of folk musicians of Madhya Pradesh. “They are Tambura bhajan artists. There are probably the last generation of musicians in this folk art form. Since the younger generation is not keen on learning this art form,” says Jitank. They feature in two scenes while the film uses Kanhaiya Geet, another folk music form, in the opening sequence. “I belong to the Gujjar tribe and we used to perform a lot of folk music and play traditional instruments, earlier,” he says and regrets that they could not translate the songs for the sub-titles.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Toronto