Director Nitin Baid says he borrowed from his childhood to make Chashma that explores themes of self-acceptance and identity through the story of a kid with impaired vision
A still from the film
In Nitin Baid’s Chashma, we open ourselves to the poignant story of 11-year-old Supriyo, who faces challenges at school due to his poor vision. The Konkona Sen Sharma, Shishir Sharma and Ayan Khan-starrer, which will première at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival on October 22, explores Supriyo’s journey towards self-acceptance. Baid admits that for the short film, he drew from his own life. “Personal is always universal,” he smiles.
“I was in class five or six, and I couldn’t see the blackboard for long. I was afraid of telling anyone because I was afraid of getting bullied. I used to copy from the guy who used to sit next to me, and I would watch TV exactly like the character does. Today, you see a lot of kids wearing glasses, but that was a different era. At that time, I used to be worried, [that if I wear glasses], I will be judged as a kid and people are going to call me Chashmish. For five-six months, I didn’t tell anyone that I couldn’t see the blackboard. Those months stayed with me personally. [After growing up], I always wondered as to why I did that. What if something important happened in that period of time? That kept me thinking,” says Baid, the editor of Masaan (2015) and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (2023), of his maiden directorial venture.
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Konkona Sensharma
Baid says that Sen Sharma, who plays mother to Supriyo, was key to his vision. “I texted her in January, saying, ‘Koko, I don’t know if this is a massive role, but it will add a lot of soul to the film.’ The emotional depth she brings is a lot, even if her screen time is limited. You don’t have to spend time building a character when she is your actor.” He recalls messaging her, asking whether she had read the script. “Two hours later, she responded, ‘Yeah, we’re doing it.’”
One assumes the transition from editing to direction is probably easy. But Baid has a different perspective. “As an editor, you know storytelling and flow, so [as a director], you become clearer in terms of what you want [while shooting]. If there is a time constraint and you have to finish these many shots, you have clarity. But I wouldn’t say editors become great directors. The idea is that a great director is a great editor anyway, because he sits with the editor [while editing a film]. It’s the balance act of two people coming together and creatively building something.”
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