Danish Renzu on casting Saba Azad in Songs of Paradise: `She is a musician`

Filmmaker Danish Renzu admits he was unaware of Kashmiri music legend Raj Begum’s work, despite being a Kashmiri himself. But when he began listening to her songs, they compelled him to write her story. Songs of Paradise was born. “I started working on this in 2019. The biggest inspiration for the story was the music of Raj Begum. I was mesmerised by her songs. It’s been a dream project,” he says. For Renzu, the aim with the Saba Azad and Soni Razdan-starrer was also to present everyday stories of Kashmir, which he believes get lost in mainstream Hindi cinema.

Danish Renzu

“It’s a dream to be able to sit here and showcase a film that has never been made before on Kashmir. Some of the narratives on Kashmir are either very political or one-sided, where it’s not about the people, the culture, or the music [of the land]. I’ve never seen stories of ordinary people [on screen]. You see the beautiful locations, but not the people. That’s why this is so exciting because I’m a Kashmiri, I have a story to tell, and it’s a Kashmiri story. Because of what’s been happening there over the years, the media has been showcasing the same thing repeatedly. I think that is going to change with this film and open doors to more stories. There’s so much talent and untold stories from Kashmir that nobody knows about,” he says.

Although Renzu has lived in the US for a long time, the filmmaker has stayed connected to his roots. He says he looks for every opportunity to include Kashmir in his stories. Songs of Paradise was not only shot in the region but also employed locals as crew members. “Distance makes you realise your love for your home more. You realise how precious the place is and want to do something about it. Whenever we have to shoot something, we set it up in Kashmir. So, it’s a choice made on purpose to give opportunities to local talent, and also showcase it to the world. [Almost] 70 per cent of people in this film are Kashmiris,” he shares.

While he wrote the script with Razdan in mind, Azad joined the film later. “What makes Saba the right choice to play Raj Begum is the empathy in her eyes, the way she talks, and how she stands up for people’s rights. Also, she is a musician. Nobody else would have played this character this well.”