Dohrana, 2021
4:3, 2160p, colour, sound
Urdu (Arabic, English subtitles)
For ‘Dohrana’ (which means ‘to repeat’ in Urdu), Divecha continues his collaboration with Sharjah’s Municipal gardeners. Taking a new turn, they have worked towards a project on Urdu poetry, which led to the making of a short film.
Shabbir, a poet, wanders across verdant gardens and lawns. A ruminating voice narrates poems in Urdu, expressing longing, betrayal and migration. As the pastoral verses take a graver turn the lush green-scapes transform into a mind-scape. We step further into the inner world of Shabbir, unsettled by thoughts on hunger and farmers’ rights. As the film inches along his body, its weight and the land begin to merge.
The Ghazals and Nazms (forms of Urdu poetry) in ‘Dohrana’ were developed over months of discussion amongst Muhammad Shabbir Ahmad Din, a municipal gardener, Zafar Amar, a poet, and Divecha. The broader themes of the poems (repetition in labour, aesthetics and cycles of nature) emerged while reflecting on a previous project (Beej, 2017), which saw a public roundabout transform into a community farm. As the poems began being penned, Divecha initiated another collaboration with Shahid Ahmad Bashir Mahmood, a municipal gardener as well, who essays the poet in the film. They explored multiple landscaping sites to develop a set of choreographed movements and postures in relation to each poem. Filmed during the peak of summer in the UAE, the landscaping sights showcased in ‘Dohrana’ are kept verdant yearlong by South Asian workers, many of whom who have migrated from a farming background. Although not accessible as public spaces, these traffic islands are frequented by city goers to rest their bodies and take a pause (their postures were studied by Shahid and Divecha for the film). South Asia resonates further in the film’s score designed by Zahoor Ahmad, who is trained in classical music. Ahmad’s vocals usher each poem by weaving through the essence of Hindustani ragas.
In ‘Dohrana’, which also means ‘to reiterate’ in Urdu, the voice and words of the poet have come to echo the concerns of a multiplicity of voices in our social landscape that continue to remain unheard.
'Dohrana' was commissioned by Warehouse421 for the exhibition 'On Foraging' curated by Meitha Al Mazrooei, Dima Srouji, Faysal Tabbarah.
Collaborators and supporters: Muhammad Shabbir Ahmad Din, Shahid Ahmad Bashir Mahmood, Zafar Amar, Zahoor Ahmad, Elias Trad, Shahyar Bin Mukhtar, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah Municipality, University City - Sharjah, Action Filmz, Mango Jam Studio, Dan Mitre Media, Ashish Verghese, Ashvin Menon, Edmond Mattar, Shoot at Sight films, Fahad Shaikh, Umar Khan, Kieran Hodges, Paul Barrass, Swapna Kurup, Sreeraj Jyothish, Vedang Lambe
Locations: University City, Sharjah; Industrial Area 12, Sharjah; Institute land, Sharjah; Maliha Road (S116); Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Road (S116); Third Industrial Street (S119); Muhaisnah, Dubai; Muhaisnah 4, Dubai; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E311); Amman Street (D97)
