Invisible Demons, interview with Rahul Jain

What inspired you to begin working on this film?

I was getting really sick when I came back to Delhi and feeling that everybody around me was falling sick as well. So I wondered what I could do about it. And I started to think about our connection with nature, which is something I wanted to explore in depth. This is the reason I made this film.

How did you proceed to shoot this film? What was your working method?

I didn’t have a structured plan when I made the film. It mostly came from loose splashes of inspiration. Everything was based on impressions and perceptions I had in the city.

Did you encounter any issues while filming in those neighborhoods? Were there any constraints?

Physically, there were many constraints. I was often kicked out while shooting, it was difficult to get permissions to film. I always had to present myself as a filmmaker just making a small project with a small crew. The beginning was very challenging but I realized it was the only way to say what I wanted to say. The post-production with my crew was fortunately much smoother.

Do you think the climate change crisis is creating even more inequalities in India or, on the contrary, does it bring people together around the same cause?

I think it is causing massive inequalities in India because it is happening in a place where hierarchies are omnipresent. This will only widen the gaps in the hierarchies. But of course, no matter how much privilege of any kind you may have, you can’t escape the polluted sky. Maybe you can build a castle, stay in it and filter everything that comes in and out but I’m not sure this is the way to live your life. So in that way, all the classes are going through this. We all have the same body, we breathe and feel at the same time. Consequently, climate change harms everyone equally.

How do you think the audience will engage with this film and particularly with these people?

It’s very difficult to say. Right now I’d say the audience might be shocked. Based on conversations I had with people, including journalists, they said they knew things were bad but they had no idea it was that bad. So it’s been eye-opening.

Can you tell us a few words about your next project?

I’m working on a fictional mini-series centered around the hyperconnected world. Even though it’s not explicitly visible, we all carry things with us and on us that are made or designed or sold by someone who is on the other side of the globe. When I look at myself in the mirror, I see objects from the whole world on me and I’m trying to find a way to represent the multiplicity of existence in the modern world.