Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy: Heartbreaking to see military operations in Ukraine where we shot 99 Songs

The current crisis in Ukraine feels personal to filmmaker Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy. He has a special bond with the nation, where he spent a lot of time extensively filming his debut movie, 99 Songs.

“I have got a lot of friends in Ukraine who were part of the crew. It is difficult to read the updates from my friends,” shares Krishnamoorthy, who helmed the 2021 film which was produced by music maestro AR Rahman.

He goes on, “Filmmaking is emotional especially when you are with a great, creative bunch of people. You form relationships that go beyond friendship.”

The filmmaker adds that he is in contact with his crew: “We have been talking and it is gut wrenching to see what is happening. Sometimes you see certain locations in pictures where we have shot and now you see military operations there. You see places where we have filmed bombed or destroyed… it’s heartbreaking, it shatters me. I can’t imagine that we are in 2022 and war is a real thing. It is burning through countries. It is hard to watch.”

While Krishnamoorthy does not have any comments on the political side of the whole situation, he asserts that Ukraine is an “important cultural spot in the world”.

He adds, “I do not have that education to say something on that. It is a special place for me. So much of the country is there in my film; it could have been no other place but Ukraine for my film and the story.”

The United Nations says one million refugees have fled across the borders of Ukraine since Russian forces invaded a week ago. So what about the film community? Krishnamoorthy says many of the writers, directors and other creative people he knows are staying back to document the situation.

“They are brave and beautiful people. It is difficult to see what is going on there especially if you have filmed there. Hope things resolve real soon,” he ends.