Meel Patthar (Milestone)

As soon as veteran driver Ghalib’s truck touches the 500,000 kilometers mark—a record at his company—he is struck by a sudden pain in his back. He decides to go home, where he finds a letter at his doorstep. Ghalib visits his village to defend a compensation claim made by his late wife’s family. When the village council rules against him, he is given 30 days to determine an appropriate compensation. As Ghalib struggles to recover from his back injury, he is asked to train a young new driver, at which point Ghalib begins to fear that his job and life are slipping out of his hands. Like any milestone, Ghalib’s record too has come at a price.

I present this film as an illustration of an individual’s struggle for relevance in contemporary Indian society, burdened by its own chasms and complexities. At the heart of the story is a seasoned truck driver, a widower scarred by his past, against the backdrop of a crumbling capitalistic system. I chose a truck driver’s perspective to highlight this struggle because I see something peculiarly interesting in the nature of the occupation. An inherent contradiction—mobile but stuck within the confines of their own truck. Covering physical distances does not necessarily mean that one is getting anywhere, as the protagonist eventually realises. The film was shot during the peak of North Indian winter, mostly in the early hours of the day, which helped paint a rich industrial mise en scène with the much needed grey, overcast hue.

PRODUCTION: Kimsi Singh - JABBERWOCKEE TALKIES LLP
Village Shergarh
146001 – Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India
Tel. +91 8427138439
singhkimsi@gmail.com

WORLD SALES: Kimsi Singh - JABBERWOCKEE TALKIES LLP
Village Shergarh
146001 – Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India
Tel. +91 8427138439
singhkimsi@gmail.com

PRESS OFFICE: Kimsi Singh - JABBERWOCKEE TALKIES LLP
Village Shergarh
146001 – Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India
Tel. +91 8427138439
singhkimsi@gmail.com