After the relative success of Gulabi Gang and The World Before Her, Katiyabaaz is the third documentary to be released in theatres across the country. Deepti Kakkar and Fahad Mustafa’s National Award-winning documentary focuses on the ‘power’ struggle in Kanpur between Loha Singh, who steals electricity, and Ritu Maheshwari, who is responsible for the distribution of electricity in Kanpur. A t2 chat with Deepti and Fahad.

How did the two of you decide to direct Katiyabaaz together?

Deepti: We had worked on a film together called FC Chechnya. Fahad directed it and I was the producer. We won a very small audience award for the film and we flew to India with that award money to make Katiyabaaz.

Why the power crisis and why Kanpur?

Fahad: I was born in Kanpur but grew up outside the country. We would return to Kanpur for holidays and over the years, I saw Kanpur go from being an industrial hub to crumbling under the pressures of zero infrastructure and overpopulation. So, the original idea was to just make a film about Kanpur. When I started research, the crazy web of wires at every street corner struck me. Electricity also reflects the history of the city, the social divides and the struggle of three million people to get by on very limited infrastructure.

Deepti: This crisis is not unique to Kanpur. Cities across the country have long power cuts every day. At one point, we thought maybe we should shoot in different cities, but then decided to focus only on Kanpur. Kanpur is special because it’s seen a sharp decline from its glory days. Everyone we met would make sure they told us that Kanpur used to be called the Manchester of the East. It had the ammunition factory and textile mills and, of course, there was the leather industry. It’s descended into a chaotic dystopia that governs everything.

Why is this an important film for the Indian audience?

Deepti: This is a crisis that has become such an integral part of our daily lives that it’s not priority any more. People have become so used to power cuts that everyone has incorporated solutions into their lives… you have generators or inverters or plan your days according to the power cut schedule. While there are protests over power cuts — and many even turn violent — we weren’t able to find anyone who is looking for a solution to this crisis which is growing every day.

Loha Singh wasn’t your first choice?

Deepti: We were working with another katiyabaaz who developed cold feet and wanted to be reimbursed for doing the film. When we met Loha Singh, it was love at first sight. Not only did Loha have the qualifications we were looking for, he turned out to be such a character. He does projects for the camera. So he sees himself as this Robin Hood…the saviour of those who don’t have electricity. That was interesting to contrast with the reality of his life. He lives in a room with his parents, three brothers and a sister-in-law. He deals with abject poverty on an everyday basis but he holds his head up high.

Fahad: Loha is also an absolute legend in his neighbourhood because he survived a transformer fire.

Loha Singh of Katiyabaaz

What kind of a relationship did you share with Ritu Maheshwari?

Deepti: Initially, the plan wasn’t to make this a Loha Singh vs Ritu Maheshwari film. We were just going to shoot with KESCo. But over a period of time, we realised that it wasn’t all black and white. Our international title — Powerless — is a reflection of not just the state of the city, but also our characters… especially Ritu. She wants to make things right, but the system is so broken that it’s impossible.

Are you still in touch with both your characters?

Fahad: Absolutely. Loha is a friend now. He came to Mumbai for the promotions. At the photo shoot for the poster, he was completely unfazed. He is a proper star!

Deepti: Obviously, our relationship with Ritu is a lot more formal.

You spent almost two years in Kanpur making Katiyabaaz. How tough was the filming process?

Fahad: The initial days of shooting were tough because we had to convince people to allow us to shoot… technically we were shooting an illegal activity. But because we were in the area for so long, after a point, people left us alone.

Deepti: Many even became ‘informants’! So they’d call to tell us if a transformer was on fire. At one point, a rumour spread that we were shooting Dabangg. Apparently there had been some news report of Salman Khan shooting in the area. So, we were surrounded by fans who wanted to meet Salman Khan! (Laughs) It took a lot of explaining to convince them otherwise.

Fahad: Power cuts were also a big problem. We didn’t have the money to stay in hotels, so we had rented a bungalow which meant that we didn’t have much power back-up. We had two big inverters that we used to charge our equipment, instead of fans. And this was at the peak of summer... so it was crazy.

What is next for both of you?

Fahad: Next on the cards is a feature film project, but it is all in the works right now.