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While documentaries are still made for festivals abroad and one doesn’t expect to earn profits from screening them in India, awards definitely give boost to the filmmakers. 
Delhi-based Rajesh Jala’s latest documentary Children of the Pyre which premiered at the Montreal Film Festival last week won the best documentary award there.

It has also been nominated at the Pusan International Film Festival, Korea, Leipzig International Film Festival, Brazil and Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Germany.

And the victory has made Jala determined to reach out to common people with his latest documentary. The film is based on the life of seven kids who make their living from tending to dead bodies that come to Manikarnika in Varanasi - India’s biggest cremation ground. “I was in Varanasi for a month looking for something interesting and I came across kids working at the biggest cremation ground in India. Over 150 bodies are brought there every day,” says Jala who has been making documentaries for the past 11 years. 

The story about children earning by recycling shrouds and performing the cremation rites, touched the maker. “There are hundreds of kids doing this but I chose to focus on the lives of seven.” he says. 

With this documentary, Jala is determined to take the documentary beyond festival screening. “I have got some positive feedback at Montreal. Though it’s too early to say, some distributors have shown interest and I plan to release it in multiplexes if things go well. ”

Jala is also working on setting up a trust to rehabilitate these children. “It’s not just a film for me. I will dedicate the next five months to forming the trust,” he says.