Up close and personal with Dreamz Unlimited Director Tiakumzuk Aier

Tiakumzuk Aier with the Golden Calton Best Director 2017 for the film Nana: A Tale of Us at the recent Edinburgh Festival of Indian Films and Documentaries (EFIFD) in Scotland, United Kingdom/photo courtesy Dreamz Unlimited Facebook Page

At the recent Edinburgh Festival of Indian Films and Documentaries (EFIFD), Tiakumzuk Aier won the Golden Calton Best Director 2017 for the film Nana: A Tale of Us. The man behind the popular theatre group Dreamz Unlimited from Nagaland, Tiakumzuk is the first Naga Director to win such an award. The team at Dreamz Unlimited continue to inspire audiences wherever they go with their humorous but honest take on the socio-political scenario in their home state, Nagaland.

A. Sentiyula of The Naga Republic caught up with Director Tiakumzuk Aier:

1. What a marvellous thing you have achieved! As a big fan of Dreamz Unlimited, I am delighted to congratulate you on behalf of The Naga Republic on winning The Best Director Award for your film ‘Nana: A Tale of Us’ at the Edinburgh Festival of Indian Films and Documentaries (Nov, 2017) ! How does it make you feel??

– I still cannot believe that a small film from one of the most remote corners of India, made on a modest budget and very limited resources is not only being appreciated internationally but was  also selected by the jury for the Best Director. It’s an overwhelming as well as a wonderful experience for me. I consider this an achievement not only for me but for the Nagas as a whole.

2. You started off by acting in church youth services (Aoyimti village), then found your calling as the founder- director of Dreamz Unlimited. A Naga representing Indian cinema in Edinburgh! The world is really a global village, isn’t it? Or are you a village boy gone global? Hahaha!

 – I prefer to be known as a village boy gone global! I grew up in the eastern part of Nagaland which was quite different from Dimapur or Kohima. Newspapers would reach a day late; communication was difficult and learning about this art was just a dream. But by God’s grace, I could reach this far and represent all of us globally. So to the young people out there daring to have dreams – if you believe in yourself then nothing can stop you from achieving what you want!

Team members of Dreamz Unlimited in full expression during one of their many acclaimed performances/photo courtesy Dreamz Unlimited Facebook Page

3. You have directed many skits on creating awareness on issues like blood donation, sanitation, mental health, child labour.  Some carry a warning like the skit on illegal immigrants while issues like corruption, delayed scholarship, poor electricity, and bad roads are dealt with satirically. Every skit seems to have message. So do you prefer directing the serious stuff or the funny ones?

 – I like directing serious issues/stuff in a funny way. People tend to give more attention when there is a bit of humour along with a message. Most people avoid watching very serious videos as there are enough things happening in their lives. They want to watch entertaining videos or dramas which relax them. But just making some funny/ stupid stuff without any meaning to convey may also not have a strong impact. So a fine balance between these two is very important.

4. Politicians seem to be a favourite object of satire. Who can forget the tragicomic​  “Great Bandh” or the angry “Kaziranga Song“? Have you ever received any feedback or feelers from them?

 – I have not heard directly from them but we do hear their comments and feedback from a third party. They seem to enjoy our videos and plays. Maybe they also have their own perspective on the situations but unfortunately, we have not able to sit and discuss about all these issues even once till date.

5. Professor Marshall McLuhan, (who studied mass media & also coined the term “Global Village”), has said that the clown is a person with a grievance. You have used a lot of clownish characters to voice out grievances. Is humour the only way to communicate our sorrows now? Do you think transformation of our society can happen through humour?

– Humour is one way through which w can reach out to people. Maybe there are many ways but for us we do this better so we choose to communicate through this. And if people accept the messages which we are trying to convey through humour, then why not, there will be transformation in our society. Maybe we are not able to see tangible results now but we believe that if we are consistent in our work it would definitely bring a positive change.

Members of Dreamz Unlimited during one of their stage performance/photo courtesy Dreamz Unlimited Facebook Page

6. From slapstick comedy with flat characters to “Nana: A Tale of Us” with round characters and a fully developed theme. Describe your cinematic journey in a few lines.

– When we do something with passion I believe it reflects in our work. In this kind of work, there is always a risk factor since we do not know what the reaction of the people will be. But I am glad that the majority of my work has been appreciated and received positively by the audience. After every project, when I look back, I wonder to myself, “How did we ever pull through that?! It seems almost implausible that it succeeded. Everything has been through experience and self teaching and learning. I don’t have any degree in filmmaking nor have I attended any drama course.

During their most recent performance at the Naga Day on January 10. The script and acting from Dreamz Unlimited was inspiring and drew people’s attention on the state of affairs in Naga society and the role of the Church, Naga Political Groups, Politicians and the public/photo courtesy Dreamz Unlimited Facebook Page

7. Let’s talk about Nagamese! Should we blame you for popularising this pidgin (or creole!) or praise you for using it to reach the masses & capture the Naga public imagination? Should Nagamese be taught in schools?

 – I think our team should be praised for popularising Nagamese in such a wonderful way! Hahaha! Five or six years back watching a movie/ video in Nagamese was a different experience. Let me not elaborate much on this. But now things are different. Nagamese songs are appreciated; videos are not looked down upon like before and actors are getting their due respect from the people.

8. You once said that the introduction of Jio & it’s free data has enabled mass viewership of your videos. How has the internet affected your life? Any plans to thank Mukesh Ambani in your usual inimitable style?

 – Yes exactly! Before Jio happened, only a limited section of our people watched YouTube because of the limited data available. That’s why our earlier videos (of very poor quality) were uploaded only on Facebook as people hardly checked out YouTube. But when free internet was offered by Jio, almost everyone was into it and we opened our YouTube channel at that time. It helped much in reaching out to people and gaining an audience and if I may say so, made us more popular. So yes, I should say “kaash Jio nahi hota toh, YouTube pei humara videos nahi hota!”

Dreamz Unlimited has performed across Nagaland. Seen here during one of their shows /photo courtesy Dreamz Unlimited Facebook Page

9. Nana is now a household name, so is Kholar Papa and Rev. Fredricks! When will you introduce a strong female character that will resonate with the audience?

– It’s just been a year since our foray into videos and films, so I hope in the coming days we will be able to introduce strong female characters. I guess we need some time to bring out about. One reason is the non-availability of talented female artistes to carry off strong roles. Another reason is our society, are they ready to accept it?

Poster from the award winning the film Nana: A Tale of Us/photo courtesy Dreamz Unlimited Facebook Page

10. We hope that you will always highlight the common man’s problems no matter how successful you become! We wish you more success, recognition & creativity in the future. Before we let you go, please tell us what or who inspires you and if you have any role models in life?

– My work will always reflect reality even if it’s a play on the stage or videos for YouTube or films. This is my forte and even if I experiment a bit, a touch of reality will always be there. I grew up watching Bollywood films and one person I have always looked up to as an actor, director or producer is Aamir Khan. I really love how he has evolved through the years and the kind of work he chooses to do. He is the perfect example of a person doing what he loves while giving back to society, and also earning a living out of it. Many might wonder why l am inspired by Bollywood and not Hollywood. But that is a fact and I don’t have any reservations in admitting to it.

 Hoishey!

Very popular with young people, a catalogue of photos showing Dreamz Unlimited during one of their performance at a college /photo courtesy Dreamz Unlimited Facebook Page

 Naga Republic Feature